Running Your Best
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Running Your Best - Dr Andrew Murray
Running Your Best
Some Science And Medicine
Dr Andrew Murray
Copyright 2015 by Dr Andrew Murray
ISBN: 978-1-326-33469-7
Purple Reign Publications
48 Sainford Crescent
Falkirk, Stirlingshire, FK2 7QF
www.purplereign.co.uk
Introduction
The crowd are cheering. You are tired and everything hurts, but you can see the finish line. You muster a smile for the finish and, stiff-legged the next day, reflect on what you have achieved, be that your first 5km or a marathon Personal Best. The chances are you are proud of the hard work you have put in to get to the finish but you reflect on a few things you can do next time to get an even better result. What if I had not got ill? What if I had avoided that Achilles injury? Did I eat and drink the right things?
With running, there are some simple medical and scientific things, which, if done consistently, lead to less illness and injury and will lead to better performance. This resource describes the basics of preventing and treating illness and injury, suggests things that can help you run faster and farther, as well as exploring what makes champions.
This booklet also offers information on where to seek help if ill or injured, and a record you can keep of illnesses, injuries, and the treatments and medication you have been given.
1) Why do we run?
When surveyed, people say they run for many different reasons. Amongst the most commonly cited are:
1) For enjoyment
2) For the social and competitive aspect
3) For health reasons
Many runners perhaps underestimate the massive benefit that running confers on health. While enjoyment is not guaranteed every time you lace up your trainers, good science shows that exercise releases endorphins, and other happy hormones that can boost mood and happiness in the short and long term. People who walk or run on a regular basis have been shown to live over seven years longer than the average couch potato, while regular physical activity can reduce the chances of getting many serious medical conditions, as the table below from the Scottish National Health Service shows. In addition, to help prevent major illness, those who exercise regularly have been shown to pick up fewer minor illnesses (such as common colds and flu), and are more productive at work or school.
2) Getting faster & fitter versus illness and injury
Most runners at some point will aspire to get faster and fitter at some point. This is the case whether you are taking the first steps off the couch, or looking towards competing in the Olympic Games. The evidence that habitual exercise is beneficial for health is bombproof, but it is worth exploring how to get the balance right.
If a runner carries on doing what they have done for years, it is not so likely that they will get injured, but also unlikely that performance will improve. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result
. The balance is in challenging your body with a sufficient stimulus (running faster, for longer, or more often) to lead to ADAPTION/IMPROVEMENT, while ensuring that you don’t overcook it, which can lead to illness or injury. This is particularly the case at elite level, where athletes try to induce adaptions leading to optimum performance while treading a fine line in avoiding injury and overtraining.
This resource will avoid getting into the detail of training regimes, as there are many comprehensive and excellent books on the subject, but changes in training should generally be introduced gradually, while listening to your body and acting appropriately, which will help to stimulate helpful adaption (and better performance) and avert excess time spent on the physiotherapist’s bed or doctor’s surgery.
What this booklet does offer is insight into things additional to your training that can help you achieve your potential and stay fit and healthy. For more on the science of running and adaption the rock star of Sports Science Ross Tucker explains this in simple terms in his book "The Runner’s Body" which is well worth a read.
Part 1- Illness prevention and treatment
1) Introduction
There are some simple medical and scientific things which, if done consistently, lead to less illness. Much illness is in fact preventable, and something as simple as having the flu can be the difference between a Personal Best (PB) and a Did Not Finish (DNF).
Once illness occurs, following basic guidelines shortens the length of illnesses such as head colds, the flu and diarrhoea. This resource describes the basics of illness prevention and treatment, and offers helpful protocols. In addition to this, sports medicine doctors can advise on possible treatments and anticipated time course to get better.
2) General measures
Paying attention to the big 6 (below) will prevent infection with many of the cold, flu, diarrhoea