Here is our first installment of “Ask the Running Expert”. If you have a question you would like Jen Toomey to answer, send her a email at jen@toomeysports.com.
Question: I am currently running one 10 mile run and four 5 mile run’s per week. I plan on gradually increasing my 10 mile run to a 20 mile run, over the next two months. I was not planning on changing my 4 support runs. My question is: What are your thoughts on this plan, and do you have any recommendations?
Answer: Congratulations on your commitment to running. The long runs are very important to your overall aerobic development and also to prepare your body to use glycogen and fat stores while you run. This is especially important if you are training for a marathon. Typically, your long run should be no more that 25% of your weekly mileage and no longer than 2 hours. Running more than this breaks down your body and significantly increases your risk for injury.
The runs in between your long run help strengthen your bones and muscles.. The number one problem I see with training for a long race is that the athlete develops a minor to serious injury while training for that race. Often times athletes don’t step on that starting line 100% healthy. If you are a new to training or new to training distance, I would not recommend that you start running 50% of your weekly mileage on one day. There are psychological benefits to running that 20 miles but unless your are running that distance in around 2 hours, the risk of injury far outweighs the benefits of going that long.
A good strategy to help you get fit for your race is to 1) increases the intensity of one of your runs, even adding in interval training. This really helps your become a more efficient runner. 2) For the time being keep the total time of your long run the same, but increase the effort level for the last 30 minutes. 3) Pick two non-consecutive weeks to run long runs. For example, if you are racing a marathon, 6 weeks and 4 week before plan on running 2 hours. 4) add in an injury prevention program.
I’m a 17 year old high school runner in my junior year. This year I’ve actually been experiencing dizzy spells that I get from running a hard work out or sometimes a race. It never happened to me my freshman or sophomore year, and it started in the 2010 Cross Country season. It started when I collapsed in the first cross country race, and was unable to finish. My quad muscles literally gave out, but I was extremely disoriented; it was near impossible to see straight, and about ten minutes after getting helped off the 5k course (100m from the finish line) I got this wicked head ache. There were only a handful of races that season where this didn’t happen, although i was able to finish the ones where it did.
My usual dizzy spell symptoms consist of not being able to see straight (it’s easier to keep my eyes closed, and i blink rapidly), muscle fatigue (in my arms, almost like they need more circulation and my legs, where I almost trip over myself walking), nausea, an intense headache when the dizziness starts to subside for about 10 minutes, and a really dry mouth.
I went to all sorts of doctors, where i ran multiple stress tests, had blood work done, had an EKG, and worn heart monitors and blood pressure machines throughout daily activities. It all came back normal.
I then went to a nutritionist, and i told her how during the cross country season I had started drinking 5 bottles of water a day (in cause dehydration was what caused the dizziness). She then suggested I was lacking electrolytes, needed to cut back on the water (over-hydration), and needed more salt. By this time, cross Country was over and we were in my winter track season. This seemed to work, because I don’t remember any bad dizzy spells.
Yet now in Spring Track, this has started to come back during the workouts again (and once during the 1600 on a hot and muggy day).
My family and I then wondered if it was my diet, seeing as typically I have a twenty minute lunch period at about 10:50 where I eat a sandwich, some pretzels and an apple. I then started eating a snack during the later period of my day, or right after school. But the dizzy spells still happen.
I have been incredibly stressed with school and this problem; especially as I wanted to run a time this season that qualifies me to run division I in college. I would say my average hours of sleeping logged a night are about 6.5, but it’s been like this for the majority of my high school career.
Please please help me!
Thank you