To Run those Junk Miles or Not?!

'Junk Miles' are those easy conversational pace long runs which you cannot boast about and which are treated like the excrement of hard runs. You don’t feel like running slow miles because what is the point in running slow when the plan is to run fast on race day/every day/alternate day (choose your poison Mr. I’m Barry Allen In My Area).

Unfortunately, Junk Miles is the high-quality meat in a sandwich, as per this April 2019 study --- World-Class Long-Distance Running Performances Are Best Predicted byVolume of Easy Runs and Deliberate Practice of Short-Interval and Tempo Runs (Article in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research April 2019 DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003176).

The objective of the study was to understand how much of a contribution to performance is made by, (i) specific hard runs (short intervals, long intervals and tempo runs); and (ii) easy runs (Junk Miles), for elite-standard long-distance runners. Eighty-five male elite- and international-standard long-distance runners took part in this study. The age range was between 18 and 43 years, with a mean age of 28 years. All subjects were specialists in the 5,000, 10,000 m, half-marathon (21.195 km), or marathon (42.195 km) events.

Sprinkle some tempos in that junk

Results from the study, which you can use, showed that:

a. total volume of distance run in training was a strong predictor of performance;

b. tempo running and short-interval training improved performance;

c. tempo runs improved performance more than short intervals and long intervals;

d. long intervals were the worst at improving performance; and

e. high level athletes need to run over considerable distances (more than 100 km per week) to compete with world-class athletes and even with those who are below this highest standard.

As the findings of this study may be, it is important to note that as per other studies, running more than approximately 56-65 kms per week leads to negative hormonal changes in the male body. Check this article to know more.

In addition to other issues which arise, in case of excessive running in females, one extreme bodily malfunction is Athletic Amenorrhea (missing periods and baby making machine kaput!). Pro Runner, Tina Muir, has written a lot about it here. However, if you go deeper down the rabbit hole and read some evolutionary psychology, then one way of interpreting excessive running in females is that the female runner has deliberately/subconsciously chosen to run excessively to voluntarily eradicate/temporarily suspend her reproductive capabilities since, (i) she has simply decided not to mate, for eg: due to lack of resources to raise a child; (ii) she dislikes her current mate; (iii) she is under constant trauma which is not conducive to raising an offspring; or (iv) she has past trauma due to which her brain has signaled her to not mate.

So, run those Junk Miles for increased performance in running but decreased performance overall in life (if done excessively).

-        -  Aman Yadav

Smoking Cigarettes and Running Circles

We’ll all die, some sooner, some later and some who’ve lost hope, are walking dead, just waiting for it to end. 

But a minuscule segment of humans besotted with the endurance lifestyle, are heading out there and grabbing life by the balls during training and racing. Every hour of training and racing is an hour spent wisely. But some of us endurance addicts are naughty and like to smoke. We walk that fine line between self-care and self-destruction, and we walk it hard, putting logic and rationality to shame, but always regretting. Regret, ah regret, it’s a hobby, so human, so useless, yet so essential for maintaining our charades.

If you smoke and exercise, then the research paper mentioned below can lessen your regret since as per it, smokers (who engage in aerobic or endurance exercise) are at par with non-smokers (who engage in aerobic or endurance exercise) when it comes to arterial stiffness. 

Does Aerobic Exercise Mitigate the Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Arterial Stiffness? (J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2014 Sep;16(9):640-4. doi: 10.1111/jch.12385. Epub 2014 Aug 18.)

Smoking affects the cardiovascular system through arterial stiffness and causes deaths. The research paper above postulates and demonstrates in a limited way that “regular participation in physical activity may mitigate the adverse effects of smoking on the vasculature”. 

This means that if you exercise and smoke then your arteries will not become stiff and you can maintain your arterial health (very surprisingly) quite similar to a non-smoker who exercises.

Hunter S. Thompson -- usual profundity

Before delving deeper into the study, a few limitations as declared in the study are:

a. The number of participants studied is low (sample size total = n = 78).

b. It is a cross sectional study and not a longitudinal study. This means that the researchers studied data from only a particular point in time and they did not follow up the data from the past and future.

c. The groups into which the participants were divided were not well matched.

Now, details of the study which are relevant to smokers who exercise:

a. The smoking + exercise group (S+E Group) in the study had been smoking 8-10 cigarettes per day for at least 2 years. Such smoking is categorized as “light” smoking medically;

b. S+E Group was running or cycling for more than or equal to 2hrs per week.

The researchers measured arterial stiffness of Sedentary Nonsmokers, Sedentary Smokers, Active Nonsmokers and Active Smokers. They found that there was no significant group difference for arterial stiffness between Active Nonsmokers and Active Smokers. Win, win!

My observations for the study mentioned above:

1. Active smokers meant those who engage in running or cycling for more than or equal to 2hrs per week. This is a little hard to interpret since such time in hours does not clarify how many kilometers per week and intensity level of running and cycling is required to maintain arterial health if you smoke. I’d assume that 2hrs per week of running would mean at least a weekly running mileage of about 24kms per week, and for cycling it would mean at least 50kms per week. But cycling is easier on the body and if we apply the 1:4 formula to convert (easy) running effort to (easy) cycling effort then to maintain arterial health, a smoker would have to cycle at least 96 kms per week.

2. If you smoke marijuana in a joint form then this study needs to be interpreted carefully since the amount of tar and other particulate matter in a marijuana joint is a lot more than the 8-10 “light” cigarette smoking mentioned in the study. In fact, I remember reading elsewhere that the particulate matter inhaled from 1 marijuana joint can be equated to an entire pack of cigarettes. So, for a marijuana smoker who exercises, the arterial stiffness may be more as compared to a light smoker (8-10 cigarettes per day).

3. Smokers who exercise can maintain arterial health like non-smokers who exercise, but exercise can’t save you from the carcinogenic effects of cigarettes. If you’re unlucky (genetically or otherwise), then cancer is still coming, no matter how healthy and supple your arteries may be. If you exercise, then you may not get a heart attack due to smoking but you may still get cancer. Well, exercise may protect you from cancer too upto a certain extent since exercise induces autophagy, but that is a separate topic in itself.

Go ahead, enjoy a few, quit if you can, if you can’t then exercise more, regret less because we’ll all die soon. As Charles Bukowski said, “Lighting new cigarettes, pouring more drinks. It has been a beautiful fight. Still is.”

- Aman Yadav

Trendelenburg Gait and Running Injuries

I run and my knees hurt, and I read to find solutions.

Whilst reading I found the (hyperlinked) article below from September 2018 which puts (almost all) the blame for a lot of running injuries on an abnormal running gait called Trendelenburg Gait.

“Is There a Pathological Gait Associated With Common Soft Tissue Running Injuries?” [Am J Sports Med. 2018 Oct;46(12):3023-3031 - Bramah C, Preece SJ, Gill N, Herrington L.]

The authors of the aforesaid article studied the gait of 72 inured runners, (i) 18 of whom had patellofemoral pain, (ii) 18 of whom had iliotibial band syndrome, (iii) 18 of whom had medial tibial stress syndrome, and (iv) 18 of whom had Achilles tendinopathy.

The injured runners’ gaits were compared with 36 healthy runners. It was found that contralateral pelvic drop (CPD) during running is strongly associated with common running-related injuries. 

CPD in simple terms is the see-sawing of the pelvis while running i.e. the pelvis is not horizontal, and the reason appears to be weak gluteal function and weak core. The weak glutes and weak core are unable to maintain a horizontal pelvis and hence the drop happens on alternate sides whilst running.

Weak Ass + Weak Core = Pelvic Drop Whilst Running = Likelihood of Injury

The researchers found that for every one (1) degree increase in pelvic drop, there was an eighty percent (80%) increase in the odds of being classified as injured.

Time to exercise that ass and core.

- - Aman Yadav

Reduce Running Injuries in 8 weeks by Walking in Minimalist Shoes/Barefoot

This one could save you some monetary expenditure on unnecessary fitness gear and fly-by night fitness gurus, and (most likely) prevent/reduce running injuries.

It always makes sense to view strength training of the whole body and in particular of the legs as a self-created cushioning and support system which has a strong potential to reduce the damage from leg pounding whilst running. 

Picture strength training of the legs as the gradual development of a stronger muscle and tissue support system which then encapsulates the bones in your legs; something akin to buying cushioned shoes, compression leggings and shoe orthotics.

Many runners do not like hitting the gym for various reasons such as it’s hard and because I just said it’s hard and I’m waiting to make a New Year resolution 2020. 

As per this July 2018 research, conducted at the Brigham Young University and Spaulding National Running Centre, Harvard Medical School, walking in minimalist shoes is effective for strengthening lower leg muscles and the foot muscles without going to the gym, which “in theory” will prevent running injuries and improve leg and foot function.

Note: Between the time I read the article and today, it seems that Wolters Kluwer has bought rights to the research paper and hence you may be unable to read the full study. In case you do want to read the full study then leave a comment with your email ID and I'll mail it to you. Don't worry, this is protected by 'Fair Use of Copyright' exception ;-)

I’ve mentioned “in theory” above because the leg and foot muscles of the research participants did increase in size and strength at the end of the 8 week study period, but the researchers have not yet tested the study participants for running injury related incidents. Hence, we can assume (just like the researchers) that the conclusive, (i) improvement in the foot muscles; and (ii) increase in lower leg muscle size and strength, from walking in minimalist shoes will most likely reduce/prevent running injuries.

"The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art" - Leonardo Da Vinci.
His Foot Drawing above.

The basic premise of the aforesaid study was the inherent problem in cushioning your legs and feet ---- “weakness of foot muscles may contribute to a variety of loading-related injuries. Supportive footwear may contribute to intrinsic foot muscle weakness by reducing the muscles’ role in locomotion (e.g. absorbing forces and controlling motion)”.

So, in line with the aforesaid premise, the researchers recruited 65 participants between the ages of 18 to 34 years, who ran 15 to 30 miles per week (25 to 50 kms per week) for at least 6 months and who did not have running related injuries and had not run barefoot or in minimalist footwear in the 3 months prior to the commencement of the study.

These participants were provided a pair of Inov-8 Bare XF 210 or 260 minimalist shoes with zero drop and over an 8 week period they were made to walk in such shoes in the following manner:

Weeks 1 to 2 : 2500 steps per day

Weeks 3 to 4 : 5000 steps per day

Weeks 5 to 8 : 7000 steps per day

Participants continued their regular running in non-minimalist shoes. I reiterate - the participants did not run in the barefoot shoes, so neither should you. No heroes, no instant gratification, ok! Think long term.

At the end of the study i.e. after the 8 week period, the participants who wore minimalist shoes showed an average change of 7.05% +/- 2.92% in their leg and foot musculature. In fact, the increase in muscular size was similar to the increase in the study group which was asked to perform strength training exercises.

Makes sense to get a pair of minimalist shoes and/or start barefoot walking to keep running injuries at bay. If you can’t find a pair of minimalist shoes or find them at a decent humane price, then check Chinese websites such as Ali Express which have plenty of barefoot options for under Rs. 1500/-.

-                   - Aman Yadav

The Pro-Bono, Double Part-Time, Non-Sponsored, Useless Non-Influencer, with a Full Time Job who likes running and beer but finds it extremely difficult to lose his beer belly, but beer is BAE.