Can I run with a cold?

'Tis the season!

Should we or shouldn't we go for a run while harboring the latest epidemic cold virus? Thanks to Debra Ronca @ HowStuffWorks to help us out.

Basically, if you cold is limited to the neck and up - go for it. If you're have chest symptoms or fever though, lay low...

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/running/health/run-when-have-cold.htm

See you all next Monday for the first run of 2011!

Vibram Five Fingers Review

I wanted to take an opportunity to write a review of something most of us have probably seen walking/running by us or will soon see. I'm talking about Vibram Five Fingers shoes. These are the slip on shoes with pockets for each toe and have become extremely popular over the last year or two. They're really a mixture of a rubberized sock and a very thin shoe (a funny look shoe for sure). I now see people wearing them on the road, at the gym, and even at the mall. The Five Fingers shoes were even named one of Time Magazine's best inventions of 2007! So being the running enthusiast I am, I decided to give them a try and see what all the buzz was about.

My wife order two pair of the Vibram Five Fingers shoes. One for her and one for me. Humorously, my pair came in the mail before hers did, much to her chagrin : ) Vibram has four categories of the Five Fingers line: classic, spring, KSO, and flow. My pair is the men's KSO M1485, black camo. A picture of them is here:

http://www.pegasusshoes.com/KSO_M1485_P9497.cfm

As I mentioned before, the most striking thing about these shoes is the 5 pockets for each toe on the foot. At first, this took a little while for me to get used to since I'm not accustomed to sleeves wrapping around my toes as I walk around. But after a few minutes, you get used to the feeling and it's not as big a deal as you would think. In fact, it's kind of fun to be able to wiggle your toes at least more than you can in a conventional shoe. The one negative of this feature is that it does take longer to put on your shoes. Because the toe sleeves fit so snuggly, you have to maneuver each toe into its respective sleeve unless you're really lucky to get a few on your first attempt! How much wrangling does it take to put on a glove? Now imagine doing that with your feet, which in my experience, are much less agile than my hands : )

The bottom of the shoe is made of something they call TC-1 Rubber. At only 3.5 mm thick you can feel most everything under your feet, but the rubberized sole does provide enough cushion to protect the foot from rocks, glass, and other sharp objects. And this is the other distinguishing feature of Vibram shoes, which make them unique. It's the ability to feel the ground underneath you as your walk and run. I have to say that at first it's an odd feeling wearing something on your feet and still having a keen awareness of the surface below. Normally once you put on a pair of shoes, you stop feeling the ground and just feel the shoe. For example, in my running shoes, I rarely feel objects underneath the shoe unless it's a large rock or something else which causes me to lose my balance. I like this "closeness" with the ground because it does make you more aware of how you stand, where you walk, and how you move around.

I was also surprised that my feet stayed relatively warm in them. I've only had the experience of wearing these shoes in the winter, so warmth is a concern. But because the shoes are made out of breathable mesh nylon, I'm guessing that they will also let your feet stay cool in the summer. We'll have to wait and see.

One thing that I don't like about the Five Fingers is that they fit so snuggly. This is a good thing and a bad thing. A tight fit is a good thing when you are moving around and don't want to slip. It's a bad thing when you're not active, but still want something comfortable on your feet. I'm not sure this is really an issue with the shoe as much as it may just be a personal preference of mine.

The last thing I'll mention is whether one should run in these shoes or not. I know there's still a big debate about whether these shoes improve a person's running or if it hinders it. I still believe having good sole support is extremely vital to long distance running, which is what I mostly do. In particular, I run marathons, so I subsequently run anywhere from 10-18 miles on a long run weekend. Without adequate foot support, I almost certainly would injure myself either in my knees or in my feet. For shorter distances, I can see these shoes as a possible alternative since the lack of sole support is less an issue IMO.

So in summary, yes I like these shoes and I would recommend them to others. They're fun, moderately comfortable, and spice things up. I won't go so far and say buy them if you want to run super long distances, but they can be good for trail running, taking walks, and even shopping. With Christmas just around the corner, these might be a fun option to consider. Be safe and enjoy this holiday season!

Zack

By the numbers

The 150-lb person...
Burns 80 calories walking 1 mile
Burns 113 calories running 1 mile
Burns 351 calories running a 5K
Burns 702 calories running a 10K

Burns a pound of fat in 1 week after running a 5K a day
Burns a pound of fat in 1 week after running a 10K every-other-day

Raises her "Good Cholesterol" level by 1 point every 10 miles/week run
Lowers her blood pressure by 12 points just 45 minutes after a 20 min run
Maintains a lowered blood pressure 7 hours later (after just 1 run)

Can reduce depression symptoms by 1/3 after three months of regular exercise

Proper Running Hydration

Despite all the hype in advertising sports drinks and supplements, anyone doing less than 45-60 minutes of moderate exercise probably does not benefit from a sugary drink.

Staying well hydrated is important of course. On the hottest of days probably 8 oz of fluid every 20 minutes is plenty. For cooler days, substantially less is OK. Rather than carrying water I usually route my hot-afternoon runs around known water fountains every couple of miles. Most of us have pretty good internal thirst sensor - drink when you are thirsty, plus a little.

Yes, you CAN drink too much water. The New England Journal of Medicine showed that 13% of Boston Marathon finishers had water poisoning (or had drank too much). Boston Marathoners are a well trained and smart bunch. No doubt the runners in the Peachtree 10K who are offered gallons of water starting at the 1/2 mile marker are at even more risk...

Once you hit the one hour mark it is probably time to start supplementing with electrolytes and (maybe) calories. For races I usually take a sports gel about every 45 minutes. For training runs I personally like to avoid calories. The jury is out on how much good sugar does for your weight loss/exercise, but it definitely can give you short term boost for the race. The new low calorie sports drinks are what I prefer for long training runs.

Briefly,
-For cool-weather runs, 8oz water first hour, 8oz sports drink thereafter
-For hot weather runs, 8oz water every 20 minutes, replace with sports drink after 60 minutes
-May replace "sports drink" with water + Gel pack
-For most of our cooler 6am runs, prehydrating with water only will suffice. There are plenty of fountains along the way anyway. You can leave your CamelBack behind...

Grant Park Running Club

Hey Neighbors,

I just wanted to let area runners know about a new running club that has recently formed in the neighborhood.  We call ourselves the Grant Park Running Club.  We're an informal group of neighbors who decided that our area needed a running club that was local, convenient, and most importantly, fun.  We meet every Monday morning at 6am at the south end of the Grant Park parking lot along Boulevard.  Most running clubs in Atlanta meet on the weekends, but we thought there was a need for group runs during the week, so we put one together!

We have runners who are just starting all the way to runners who have run multiple marathons.  The Monday morning runs are 4-5 miles at a 9-10 minute/mile pace.  We will form more running groups for different speeds and different days as we progress.  But most importantly this group is committed to having fun while doing something healthy.  For more information, check out our website here:

http://grantparkrunning.blogspot.com/

Please come out and join us next Monday at 6am.  Just look for the sign (Grant Park Running Club).  We'll see you then!

Zachary Ross

zacharyross@gmail.com

Last total darkness run tomorrow!

By this point we are all looking forward to the time change next week. Tomorrow's run will be the last that ends when it is still pitch dark, thankfully. After the time switches it will still be dark when we start (6am Mondays), but will be dawn by the finish. That will make it a bit easier for us to wake up and get mentally warmed up.

See you all for one last dark of the season tomorrow!

Halloween Weekend Races

This is a reminder that this weekend, there are several great races around town. If you're a long distance runner, there's the Silver Comet Half Marathon taking place this Saturday in Mableton. I've run this race before and it's absolutely fantastic if you're looking for a PR.

A really fun 5K that's much closer to home is the Run Like Hell 5K which takes place right here in Grant Park. Well actually, the 5K starts and ends in Oakland Cemetary, but parts of the course to run along the park. Even if you don't want to run, this is a fun race to watch since many participants run in costume.

Cortisone shots a good thing or a bad thing?

According to this article in the New York Times, Cortisone shots may actually lead to prolonged injury rather than faster recovery. As many runners know, Cortisone shots are used as an anti-inflammatory for various aches and pains, but especially tendon and joint inflammation. This new research may not stop Cortisone treatments all together, but it may cause runners to think twice before taking the shot:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/do-cortisone-shots-actually-make-things-worse/?src=me&ref=homepage

Building

We got in a nice run this morning just in time to be back in car when the thunderstorms hit - Thanks Zack for the excellent forecasting! Also today our running group had about 50% more participants than last week.

See you all next Monday!

October weather

Cool mornings are finally here to stay! The weather for running has never been better. We'll see you there tomorrow 6am!