City to Surf 2016: Our results

Hooked on Running singlet

This year we had our biggest teams ever. Our 50+ women led the charge with 13 team members, and we had two men’s teams this year, open and 50+.

We had some great results, but I’m far more excited about the number of our runners who enjoyed racing under the Hooked on Running flag.

Hooked on Running City to Surf Results

Open Women: 4th

Open Men: 10th

Women 40-49: 2nd

Women 50+: 2nd

Men 50+: 3rd

The Teams

These are our official teams lists, but we had quite a few other runners running for charity or with a work team. Fantastic turnout people. Richard and I are over the moon. Details of celebration dinner to come!

Hooked on Running women 50+
Hooked on Running women 40-49
Hooked on Running Open Women
Hooked on Running Open Men
City to Surf Hooked on Running 50+

Do Ice Baths Really Work for Recovery?

Ice baths can help recovery under certain conditions

When my kids were playing in a soccer tournament earlier this winter, they were due to play at least one game a day on 4 consecutive days, and sometimes two. Luckily for them there was a very-cold-unheated-outdoor-in-the-middle-of-a-Canberra-winter pool available for them to use!!

I wasn’t convinced of the value of this cold water immersion, compared to the stress placed on the immune system by running outside half naked in 5 degree temperature to get to the pool, then running back again dripping wet and still half naked. (Apparently it’s illegal to wear trackies and a warm top when you’re meeting your team mates pool side).

I did a little digging around on cold water immersion (CWI), more commonly known as “Ice Baths”, and found some interesting research. Here’s a quick summary.

What is an Ice Bath?

Ice baths come under the umbrella of cold water immersion. They are not actually baths chock full of only ice. That would definitely burn. They are a mix of water and ice, in any kind of vessel big enough to hold a human body, or part thereof. Generally the temperature is around 10 degrees C, although some research suggests that this is not cold enough, and favours a 6 degree submersion.

Why Would You Even Want to Jump Into an Ice Bath?

High intensity sport, or large volumes of low intensity sport, can cause fatigue which can reduce your performance. It can also reduce your ability to train well the next day. The more quickly you can recover from a bout of exercise, the better your next day performance will be, whether that’s in competition or in training.

It’s believed that immersing yourself in cold water post exercise bouts aids in recovery. That’s why you or I might think CWI is a good idea. Our kids…well, they tend to think it’s a good idea when their mates tell them it is.

Using Cold Water Immersion to Reduce Muscle Soreness.

Playing sport hard, long runs, high intensity interval training sessions, or sometimes even a reasonably moderate session of an exercise that is new to you, can leave you with what’s known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) aka “sore muscles”

Potentially, CWI can reduce this muscle soreness. The benefits include reduced pain at rest, reduced pain when stretching, and an increase in the active range of motion.

There are several mechanisms which might be at play here:

  1. Reduced nerve activity due to the cold temperature, which results in increased pain tolerance (1)
  2. A reduction in swelling due to the blood vessel constriction due to the low temperature (2)
  3. Reduced swelling due to the hydrostatic pressure of water (3)

One study has shown that it’s most likely not the actual immersion in water itself that has the benefit, rather the temperature of the water in which you immerse yourself. Immersion in 6 degree C water was more effective than 10 degrees, and more effective than contrast immersion alternating between 10 degree and 38 degrees C.(4).

Wouldn’t you just know the coldest option would be the most effective?

Does Cold Water Immersion Always Work?

Not necessarily. It appears the benefit of using cold water immersion in reducing muscle soreness only exists in trained athletes, so unless you’re well trained, you can keep the ice firmly in the freezer where it belongs.

CWI is also ineffective in recovering from a new training regime. So if you’re a well-trained runner who does 10k on the rowing machine in the gym, chances are an ice bath won’t help to stop the inevitable muscle soreness you’ll experience.

Will it Improve Your Performance?

There is not a huge amount of research on cold water immersion, despite its popularity as a recovery strategy. Whilst it might reduce muscle soreness, this may not necessarily translate to improved performance.

I took a quick look at eleven different studies which looked at the effect of CWI as a strategy to improve performance. Six of the eleven studies showed the CWI improved performance, but 5 showed either no improvement or reduced performance.

This was of course a small sample of studies, but there aren’t too many studies going around. And that’s the thing. There really isn’t enough research on the strategy to come down on one side or the other.

Patterns in the Research on Effectiveness of Ice Baths

  • Studies which have looked at how well cold water immersion can prepare you for a second bout of exercise on the same day found either no effect or a negative effect on performance. This is probably due to a reduction in nerve velocity and the restriction of blood flow to the muscles.
  • Studies testing the effect on performance 1 to 2 days after the cold water immersion had a tendency to find a more positive result.

Long Term Effects of Ice Baths

Research on the long term use of ice baths suggest that long term, chilling yourself in this manner too frequently could have a negative impact on the way you adapt to exercise.

CWI increases the release of the stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine for up to 60 minutes after you jump out of the bath. These hormones act to break down the muscles, so this would reduce the body’s ability to adapt to training. And adapting to training is really the whole point of doing it. You stress your body repeatedly, it says “bloody hell, if she’s going to keep doing this to me I’d better get stronger”, and diligently goes about doing just that, getting stronger. But, if your cold water immersion bout is releasing hormones which break down muscle tissue, long term, you’re not going to be seeing the adaptation that you’re training for.

The release of stress hormones could also impair your ability to get a good night’s sleep, and sleep is THE most critical factor in recovering well.

The reduction in swelling which is brought about by ice baths could also have a long term detrimental effect on your fitness. Post-exercise swelling is part of the process that leads to muscle repair and strengthening.

It’s All in the Timing

Whilst there’s still a lot more research needed on cold water immersion and ice baths, a few things are apparent.

  1. CWI can reduce muscle soreness in trained athletes
  2. CWI might improve performance in subsequent exercise bouts which are 1 to 2 days post immersion
  3. CWI is likely to have no impact or could reduce performance on same day subsequent bouts of exercise
  4. Long term use of ice baths and cold water immersion as a recovery strategy is likely to have a detrimental effect on the body’s ability to adapt to training
  5. If you use cold water immersion as a recovery strategy, you should limit its use to times when you really need to recovery quickly for your next tough training session, or for an important event, but you should not use it as a matter of course.
References
1.  Algafly, A.A., & George, K.P. (2007). The effect of cryotherapy on nerve conduction velocity, pain threshold and pain tolerance. British Journal of Sport Medicine, 41, 365-369.
2. Cochrane, D.J. (2004). Alternating hot and cold water immersion for athlete recovery: A review. Physical Therapy in Sport, 5, 26-32.
3. Wilcock, I.M., Cronin, J.B., & Hing, W.A. (2006). Physiological response to water immersion: A method for recovery? Sports Medicine, 36, 747-765
4. Cold water immersion in the management of delayed-onset muscle soreness: Is dose important? A randomised controlled trial.  Philip D. Glasgow, Roisin Ferris, Chris M. Bleakley

Australian Women at the Olympics

Australian Women at the Olympics

For the first time ever, Australia’s summer Olympic team has more female athletes than male. The late call up of the women’s eight came after rowing’s international ruling body banned 22 of 28 Russian rowers from competition. The addition of the rowers (8 oarswomen plus the cox who steers the boat) means that the Australian team is made up of 212 women, and 207 men.

I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the lesser known Australian women at the Olympics over the years.

Wilhemina (Mina) Wylie

mina wylie


Silver medalist in the 100m freestyle in Stockholm, Wylie was lesser known than her friend and rival Fanny Durack. Durack is widely known as the first Australian woman to compete in the Olympics, where she took a Gold medal in the same race in which Wylie took second.

Wylie however, was a champion in her own right. Between 1906 and 1934 she won 115 State and national titles and held world records in freestyle, breast-stroke and backstroke. From 1928 to 1970 Mina Wylie taught swimming at Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Pymble, so it’s quite possible some of our current crop of over 40’s and 50’s runners came under her tutelage.

 

Brenda Jones-Carr

brenda jones carr

800m Silver medalist Rome, 1960.

A 400m and 800m specialist, Brenda Jones-Carr missed an opportunity of a home Olympics, as the women’s 800 was taken off the Olympic program after the 1928 Olympics, and not reinstated until 1960. Go figure.

Lynette McKenzie (nee McClements)Lynnette McClements

Gold, 100m Butterfly, Mexico

Silver, 4 x 100m Medly, Mexico.

McKenzie was the first Australian woman to win an Olympic Butterfly event. 

Now age 65, she still swims three times a week. When recently interviewed by The West Australian, she said
“… it does break my heart sometimes when some of [today’s swimmers] act up because they have been handed a gift and they are just so privileged. Some of them do get carried away with their own importance and they just have to…  be a little bit more humble about getting on with the job.” ““All the bravado comes a long way second to what you really have to do to achieve.”

Gail Neall (married Name Gail Yeo)

Gold Medalist, Munich, 400m Medley.

Neall was a little overshadowed by fellow Aussie Shane Gould at the Munich Olympics. Both Neall and Gould went to Turramurra High School, where they both have school houses named after them.

Her performance at Munich won her the Helms Award as Australasia’s outstanding athlete for 1972.

Gail Neall

Photo: JUDE KEOGH 0727clergate6

Gail Yeo is pictured here at the school her son teaches at. How lucky were those kids to have a visit from an Olympian! And if you think you do a lot for your kids, have a read of Mrs Yeo’s reminiscenses of her training regime. Behind every great Olympian is a great parent!

Suzy Balogh

Gold Medalist, Athens 2004. Shooting-Women’s Double Trap

suzy balagh

Suzy was Australia’s first female shooting gold medalist. She lived in Orange where there is no international shooting range, and drove four hours to Sydney most weekends to train. After her win she sent heartfelt thanks to “all the people who have let me stay in their spare rooms.” 

Olympia AlderseyOlympia Aldersey

As a member of the women’s rowing eight, Olympia is one of our newest Olympians, though with a name like that, it was only a matter of time. She was born during the opening ceremony of the Barcelona games.

Kirsten Todd 

Kirsten Todd

Sydney, 2000

Like many Sydney-siders, I was an enthusiastic spectator at many Olympic events in 2000. I’m pictured here  at the athletics, looking forward to an action packed night which included the men’s 10,000m featuring Haile Gebrselassie, the women’s pole vault featuring Australian pole vaulter Tatiana Grigorieva, the men’s long jump with jumping Jai Taurima, and the women’s 400m final, with that other lesser known Australian Olympian, Cathy Freeman.

A good night was had by all!! (including the drunken idiots in front of us who were barracking for “Gabrielle” in the men’s 10,000-that would be “Gabrielle Selassie” one can only presume).

Running in Cold Weather: 11 Infrequently Asked Questions

Cold weather running

1. Does running in cold weather help you burn body fat?

Seemingly, yes. Cold weather exercising can produce high rates of glycogen depletion, and also high rates of fat metabolism. Glycogen is the form that carbohydrates are stored in the muscles (and other parts of the body) and is a readily available source of energy when you’re working out. There’s a limited amount of glycogen your muscles can store, and once glycogen stores are depleted, your body needs to use more fat for energy.

Exercising in the cold increases glycogen depletion in two ways. Firstly, shivering causes muscles to use glycogen at 5-6 times the normal rate, and cold weather causes elevated blood levels of epinephrine, a hormone which stimulates glycogen breakdown. Epinephrine can also help with fat metabolism.

So, a long run in winter can be a great way to improve body composition and rid yourself of some of those fat stores (as long as you don’t go home and drink gallons of hot chocolate to warm yourself up!)

2. What are goose bumps good for? (and is there a case for hairy legs in winter?)

In modern day humans, goosebumps are pretty much useless. They are an involuntary reaction of the sympathetic nervous system to fear or cold. Muscle contractions raise the hair follicles in our skin, causing that plucked chook look.

Biologists believe that they are a reflex that we developed years and years ago. Our ancestors, who were much hairier than us, may have developed this reaction as part of the fight or flight response, making them appear bigger and scarier when their hair stood up on end. Our more hirsute ancestors would also have been able to trap more heat near their skin with their fluffier body hair. So, I’d say that’s case enough for hairy legs in winter, wouldn’t you?

3. Can you get dehydrated running in cold weather?

Definitely! Cold weather inhibits the thirst sensation because blood moves away from the extremities into the body’s core. Because the core fluid level doesn’t decrease, the kidneys aren’t signalled to conserve fluid. The thirst response can decrease by about 40 per cent in cold weather. When you run in cold weather you still sweat and lose body fluids, so you need to be mindful of drinking more than you might feel you need to.

4. What’s the best temperature for running?

A study from the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine conducted a longitudinal study of results and weather data from six major marathons. They found that colder weather generally meant faster times, with the ideal long-distance running temperature being 5 degrees C. Times slowed progressively as the weather warmed above 5-10 degrees C. Slower runners slowed more than elite runners.

The effect of temperature on your performance is definitely something to keep in mind when you’re planning your next race strategy. I think I’d prefer to settle for a slower time than seek out a marathon to run in 5 degree temps!

5. Why does your nose run in the cold?

The nose warms and humidifies the air you inhale so that it is not too cold for the lungs. If the air is cold and dry, fluid production of the nose increases. If it makes too much fluid, your nose runs. Also, water in warm air condenses in cold air. The air you breathe out of your nose is warm, and when it hits the old air, it could condense at the tip of your nose, forming a very flattering water droplet at the end of your nose.

6. Will you catch a cold if you run in cold weather?

We all know that a cold is a virus, and it makes little sense to say you catch a cold by being cold. You catch a cold by being exposed to a cold virus. Your body also needs to be unable to resist the cold virus to contract a cold. But here’s the thing. Researchers have shown that exposure to cold air enhances the activity of “suppressor macrophages”. These are white blood cells which depress the functioning of the immune system.

So letting yourself get chilled to the bone during a workout can increase your risk of getting sick. The lesson to take from this one is you should wrap up and stay relatively warm. Wear layers you can take off during your session, and always keep something warm and dry on hand for when you finish training. This may mean getting out of damp underlayers as well as outer layers if you have a fair distance to drive before you can warm up in a hot shower.

7. Will exercising mean you get fewer colds in general?

A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2008, reported that regular aerobic exercise might reduce the risk of catching a cold by up to 50%. People who exercised at least 5 times per week had up to 46% fewer sick days than those who exercised only one day a week or less. When the exercising group did get sick, their symptoms were milder.

And what of the macrophage suppressing cold weather? On the bright side, the Japanese research found that people who are used to training in cold conditions are less likely to experience the same immune system suppression after running in cold weather than people who only do it now and then. So, don’t shut yourself up during winter. Push through those first cold days of winter, and be consistent with your training as the days get shorter and the nights get colder, and you’ll come out the other side of winter with a stronger immune system.

8. Will running in cold weather give you a heart attack?

Probably not, but there are some studies that have shown an increase in exercise related heart attacks in periods of cold weather. Whilst the jury is out on why cold air should increase your risk of a heart attack, it may be because cold temperatures will raise your heart rate and your arterial blood pressure, which increases the stress on your heart. Also, blood clots more easily in cold weather, which could increase the risk of blocked arteries. Frequent exposure to cold, however, modifies these physiological changes, so again, its most likely the every now and then approach to training that is oh-so-tempting to adopt in winter, is likely to hold the most risk.

And if you’re wondering why your heart rate lifts in cold weather, it’s basically as a result of your body’s efforts to keep you warm. You lose body heat to cold air so your heart rate rises to maintain your core temperature and to keep blood flowing to the brain. Blood vessels in your extremities are restricted, your body burns glucose faster than it does in warmer weather, and you shiver. All of these things require an increased heart rate, so if you’re a heart rate monitor, you’ll likely notice your heart rate is elevated during your next cold weather run. (That is, you’re a person who monitors their heart rate during exercise – I don’t really think one of those Garmin thingys can read…yet)

9. Can running in cold weather make you feel like the temperature is colder than it actually is?

Definitely, but there are ways around this. It’s not just the cold air that makes you cold, but a combination of the cold air and sweat. You don’t stop sweating when you’re exercising in cold weather. You lose heat at a faster rate when your clothing is saturated with moisture. Water conducts heat away from the body 25 times faster than air does, so sweat soaked clothing will give you that chilled to the bone feeling.

Most running gear on the market these days is sweat wicking. Making sure you have a layer of sweat wicking clothing next to your skin when you step out the door for a winter run. Layering up over the top of that will help to stop you from losing too much body heat due to sweat.

10. Can exercising in cold weather give you chilblains?

We were down in Canberra for our boys to play in a soccer tournament. After a less than encouraging start to their first game in the cold, the coaches decided they all needed to toughen up a bit and play without gloves. One boy turned up the next morning with his gloves firmly in place, explaining he had a medical condition called “chilled veins” and his mum said he had to wear his gloves.

Chilblains are patches of red itchy skin. They are thought to be caused by a combination of cold weather and poor circulation, though no-one is 100% sure. If you have poor circulation, you will be more susceptible to chilblains, however if you are a regular exerciser, you’re not so likely to have poor circulation.

Wearing gloves whilst you’re running will keep your hands warm in the cooler weather. You’ll probably find that your hands warm up fairly quickly wearing gloves. If you’re going to need to take your gloves off, do so before your hands become sweaty, otherwise you may well find you give yourself a dose of “chilled veins” when you expose your damp hands to the cold air.

11. What about the wind chill factor?

If there’s a cold wind blowing, you’ll feel the cold even more. A 30km/ hour wind can feel like zero degrees very quickly. Running at 10km an hour into a 20km/hour wind is the equivalent of a 30km/hour wind when you’re standing still, so it doesn’t exactly take a howling gale to make you feel 10 degrees colder.

It’s good idea to run the first part of your run into the wind, so that in the second half of your run, when you’re tired and sweaty, the wind is at your back and the wind chill factor won’t come into play so much. If you run at 10km/hour with the wind behind you at 20km/hr, it’s really like a wind of 10km/hour from the point of view of wind chill. So instead of making it seem 10 degrees colder, the wind will only make it feel about 3-4 degrees colder than the temperature on the thermometer. Cheery thought!

The Bottom Line

Exercising in cold weather can improve your immune system function. It can also put you at a slightly higher risk of catching a cold or having a heart attack, but only it would seem if you aren’t a regular cold weather runner.

Take care to keep hydrated when exercising in winter, layer up, with a sweat wicking layer of clothing closest to your skin, and run in sheltered areas if possible. Where you’re exposed to the wind, try to run with the wind at your back in the latter stages of your run.

Winter is a great time to teach your body to burn fat for fuel on those long runs, as you’ll be using up glycogen more quickly than you would in warmer weather. So cold weather training can leave you well prepared for a great spring racing season.

What is a tempo run, a long run, a speed workout?

tempo runs, long runs, easy runs. What does it all mean?
. 

When I put together a training plan for a runner, I ask myself the question “What is the purpose of this training session?” for each session I put on their program. It helps me to create a training plan which makes the best use of the time that particular person has to prepare for their goal race, whilst minimising their risk of injury.

When I put together a training plan for a runner, I ask myself the question “What is the purpose of this training session?” for each session I put on their program. It helps me to create a training plan which makes the best use of the time that particular person has to prepare for their goal race, whilst minimising their risk of injury.

But…runners are funny creatures. They can convince themselves that running faster, further or harder, is going to have them ahead of the pack, even if the evidence of their own body suggests they might just be overdoing it. I always impress on my runners that running more or running faster than their body needs, could actually inhibit their long term progression, and slow them down in their short term goal race as well. The same applies to all runners of course, not just the ones I coach!

Distance Running Training Plans

There are a few things about a distance running program that are important to note.

  1. You should actually have a training plan. A plan that will tell you each day what you should be doing. If you just have some vague notion in your head that you should be doing this or that, then it’s not a training plan. It’s just a vague notion in your head.
  2. Your training program should be tailored for you. Not much point in you following the same plan as someone who’s going to be running the race in half the time you will be, or who’s 30 years younger!
  3. You should not exceed the mileage or the paces prescribed in your training plan. Doing more and running faster than prescribed, could actually slow you down.

Main Types of Workouts in a Distance Running Program

A distance running program is mainly made up of four workouts types, tempo runs, speed workouts (VO2 max), long runs, and easy recovery runs. Depending on your fitness level, your long run may be an easy run, or it may include some more intense periods of running either mid-run or for the last 20-25% of the run.

Here’s a run down on the different types of workouts that make up a distance running program, what they are used for, and why running them too hard could be detrimental to your training.

Tempo Runs

If done right, tempo runs improve your lactate threshold. They improve your endurance and ability to maintain a faster pace over longer races.

When you’re exercising, your body is breaking down glycogen to fuel the muscles. A by-product of this is lactic acid. Your body recycles this lactic acid into energy, and expels any waste products.

As you run faster, the amount of lactic acid produced increases, to a point at which your body is not able to utilise all the lactic acid for energy production. This point is your lactate threshold. Your lactate threshold pace is the fastest pace you can run without generating more lactic acid than your body can utilise and convert back to energy (usually about your half marathon pace). It usually corresponds to somewhere between your 10km pace and your half marathon pace. It’s about a 7- 8/10 on the rating of perceived exertion (RPE).

During a tempo run, you build up gradually so that you are running at a pace just below your body’s lactate threshold (about 6-7/10 on the RPE). You are training your body to improve its conversion of lactate back into energy. It should be challenging without being exhausting. You should be able to talk in short sentences, but you’re best off doing it on your own with no-one to talk to. Your tempo is unlikely to be the same as someone else’s.

Because a tempo run is aimed at getting your body better at clearing lactate, you have to let it practice doing that. If you’re going too fast, your body won’t be effectively clearing lactate, and so won’t be learning how to do it. If you let the body handle a moderate and consistent amount of lactate, it will learn what to do with it. But if you run too fast and flood the body with lactate, it can’t handle the excess, and doesn’t learn how to utilise it for energy.

So by running too hard, you don’t achieve the benefits the workout is designed to give you.

Speed Workouts (also known as VO2 Max workouts)

VO2 max is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilise during exercise. Your VO2 max can be improved with training, allowing your body to utilise more oxygen and run faster.

Speed workouts also increase leg muscle strength and power. This means it takes you a smaller proportion of your overall energy available to you, to run at a certain speed.

Because you’re pushing pretty hard during these workouts, you’re at an increased risk of injury. Go just that little bit too fast during these workouts, or do that one repeat too many, and you could push yourself over the edge into injury.

That’s why it’s important not to do more than prescribed in these workouts, and also use your common sense. If you have, say, 8  x 800’s planned, but on rep number 6 your left hamstring’s pinging like there’s no tomorrow, you’d be mad to try to complete the session as planned. Calling it a day at number 6 would be the sensible thing to do, as would telling your coach. Or if you don’t have a coach, you’d need to adjust your next training session yourself as necessary.

Recovery Runs

It may come as no surprise that recovery runs help you to recovery from the harder workouts on your program. Your muscles are likely to feel sore after your harder sessions. This is due to the micro tearing of muscle fibres during the forceful contraction of your muscles when running at faster speeds. These muscles need nutrients and oxygen to repair, which is delivered to them via the blood. Given a chance, your body will heal itself, but it does require sufficient rest between hard workouts.

Recovery runs (easy runs/easy paced long runs) increase blood flow to these muscles, delivering oxygen and nutrients without putting too much force through the muscles. But run too fast on these days, and you’ll cause more micro tearing in the muscles which the recovery run should be helping to repair. This increases the amount of time you need to fully recover. Your body won’t perform as it should in your next tempo run or speed workout, as the muscles are still fatigued. In turn, that means you’re not getting the benefit from these workouts that you should.

If you keep your easy days easy (even if that means some walking during your run) your body will heal more quickly and will be much better prepared to take advantage of the next hard work out.

Know the Purpose of Your Workout

Before you put your running shoes on for your next workout, ask yourself, “What is the purpose of my run today?” It’ll help you keep on track and not be tempted to overdo it.

If you think you could do with a little extra help with your running, we’d love to be the ones to help you.  Find out more about online running coaching from less than $11 per week 

Prepare Your Hamstrings for the City to Surf

The City to Surf is indeed a hilly run. But did you know there is almost as much downhill running in the City to Surf as there is uphill?

It’s essential to prepare your legs for the added stress of downhill running.  Your legs will take a battering if you’ve not done some work to prepare them for the downhill segments of the race. You can prepare your legs for the City to Surf with eccentric squats for your quads, along with this simple hamstring exercise in the video below.