Tips for Training/Running With Osteoarthritis

Hi Everyone,

Well, with just over 6 weeks to go before I run the inaugural Safari Park Half Marathon on March 13, I'm finally having a solid week without illness, and thought I would talk a bit about training with Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a painful condition in which the cartilage found in the joints begins to wear away. Cartilage helps to absorb friction between the ends of the bones in your joints. As the cartilage is damaged, bone rubs on bone, causing pain and stiffness. If you have osteoarthritis in your hips and/or knees, you may find everyday activities and sports such as running difficult. However, there are some steps you can take to help.

Get Your Condition Properly Diagnosed
Talk to your doctor to set up a X-ray or MRI in order to fully assess your situation. If your osteoarthritis (OA) is severe enough, you may need to stop running for a while. In some cases you may need to go through a period of physical therapy or even have surgery first to relieve your symptoms. Get your symptoms properly diagnosed to make sure that running will not make your arthritis worse.

For me, the degeneration of my hip joints has been a long slow process thanks to Joint Advance natural joint supplement. My doctor is all about safety, and so far he has been really happy with what my X-rays show. He urges me to keep running and taking Joint Advance.




General Tips
According to the Arthritis Foundation, there are some general guidelines to help you manage your osteoarthritis so you can get back to the activities you enjoy such as running. Talk with your doctor or physical therapist about using a brace. A proper brace can help to support your joints and take the pressure off so you can run. Losing any excess weight will also help to reduce the strain on your joints when you run. Taking anti-inflammatory medication and using heat and ice therapy may also help you to manage your symptoms.

Luckily my OA isn't yet bad enough that I've needed a brace, but I did lose some excess weight. Losing weight has had a HUGE impact on my ability to train and run. It just makes sense... less weight to support and carry.

Strength Train
The Arthritis Foundation states that the best non-drug treatment for osteoarthritis is exercise. Running can place a lot of strain on your joints. Strengthening the muscles surrounding your hips and knees will help relieve some of your osteoarthritis symptoms and may allow you to run. Exercises such as squats, lunges, leg extensions, leg presses and hamstring curls will all help. Make sure you also add in some side leg lifts to strengthen the inner and outer thighs as well.

I can't stress enough how important this point has been for my journey. By putting in an extra 15 minutes at the gym to do some leg work, I've seen a dramatic reduction in the amount of pain I feel after running. My recovery time after long runs has been cut in half!

Stretch
Stretching the muscles that surround your joints is just as important as strength training to help you manage your osteoarthritis while you run. When your muscles are tight they can pull on the joints and create more pain. In addition, having osteoarthritis can make your joints stiff. Make sure you stretch your hamstring muscles, quadriceps, periformis and calf muscles. The best time to stretch is right after you run and your muscles are warm. Also, light stretching before you run can help reduce your chance for injury.

Try a Different Surface
According to RunnersWorld.com, some surfaces are better than others to run on, especially if you are living with osteoarthritis. They place the following surfaces in order from best to run on to worst to run on: grass, wood chips, dirt, synthetic track, treadmill, asphalt, sand and then concrete, which they claim is about 10 times harder than asphalt.

In addition, you may want to cross train. Try deep water running during which you wear a special flotation device that keeps you upright and your feet off the bottom of the pool. You then mimic the motions of running with your arms and legs. You get a workout similar to running but without the stress on your joints.

Similarly, I'm training 5 days per week to be ready for this race in March, and the wear and tear caused by running everyday is just more than I could physically handle. I've found the lower impact of an eliptical trainer to be a lifesaver! I run on the eliptical 3 times per week (Mon, Tue and Thurs), hit the treadmill once a week (Fri), and do one long road run on the weekend (Sun).

I hope you enjoy my blog, and check back each week for more! As always, drop me a line or comment...

Health to YOU!!
Tommy

I control my OA! It doesn't control ME!

Half Marathon with Only 6-Weeks of Training

So as you might know, I've been fighting a particularly stubborn case of bronchitis for the last 3 weeks. Today I want to talk about using an abbreviated 6-Week training schedule to prepare for a half marathon I'm running in 7 weeks on March 13 in North San Diego County. This is something I really want to do and feel I can be ready to give the half a go. As an Osteoarthritus sufferer, this race is very important to prove to myself that I can still do the things I love to do. I want to thank Joint Advance for keeping me in the game. Here is an overview of the program I've selected and can easily be adapted to your particular needs.



First, you need to have a good mileage base. One thing you should never do is ramp up your training too quickly. The rule of thumb is a 10% per week increase in miles, max. To be ready for the Half, you should be running at least 20 miles a week by about two months before the race, otherwise consider putting it off until a future half. A training program for a half entails 25-35 miles of running per week for the 6 weeks or so before the race.

Second, do some long runs. For most recreational runners, the long run of the week is 5 or 6 miles. You will need to go considerably longer. Once a week, between two months and 2 weeks before the race, do a run of 7 or more miles at a slower-than-race pace. If you can run 8-10 miles, you can probably finish a half-marathon, but it's best if you do some training runs a bit closer to the actual distance. It'll make the experience more pleasant. At least 3 of your long runs should be 10+ miles, and at least one of those should be 12-14 miles. The longest one should probably be two weeks before the race. For me, I live in an area of North County that has very similar terrain to what I will be racing which is ideal for my long weekend runs. Further, I'm planning to tour the Wild Animal Park Half course itself some time in late February. Scale back starting on the last weekend before the race. Maybe do 7 miles for your long run the weekend before, and don't run from Thursday on (or just do a couple of light jogs to stay lactic acid free). A good plan for your weekly long runs for the last 6 weeks before the race would be runs of 8, 10, 8, 11, 12-14, and 7 miles.

Third. if you want to do more than just finish with a smile on your face, you can do some pace work and speed work. Work some fartlek (Swedish for "speed play") into your medium-length runs and even into some of your longer runs. Fartlek training builds endurance, and is more fully explained on the Old Fartleks web page. You can also go to the track and do some medium distance pace work. Repeated 800 meter and 1600 meter runs at a target pace will help you increase your racing speed and endurance. Do about 3200-4800 meters worth at an elevated pace with a few minutes rest between each repetition. Try to maintain the same pace for each repetition. When you can do this, increase the pace at your next workout. If possible, try to find someone who can run at your speed or who can challenge you to run a little faster.

Fourth, for race day, follow this strategy: Carbo-load. Maybe have some bread and pasta the night before. Eat your fill, but don't overindulge. On the day of the race, warm up well. Jog a mile or two slowly, then stretch, then do a bit more jogging about 10-15 minutes before the gun goes off. Make sure you hydrate pretty well and drink at the water stops. Even on a cold day, you can dehydrate running for 2 hours or whatever. Don't take just a sip. Actually stop and have a whole cup of water. It won't kill your time, and you might even feel revitalized. Bring some energy food like a "Gu" packet (or whatever light, high energy food you can eat that won't upset your stomach). Eat that at around 9 miles. Take water with it, or you'll risk a stomach cramp.


If you have never run a long race, whatever you do, don't go out fast (like your 5K pace). You will definitely pay for it. On the Wild Animal Park Half course, the first 1+ miles are mostly downhill, so it's easy to get a false sense of security. Miles 2 through 4 are uphill with a steep climb of more than 150 feet in elevation, and take their toll. The downhill to mile 5 is very steep then settling around mile 6. You want to flow with this section. Don't tighten your quads (upper front leg muscles) too much to try to brake, otherwise you'll feel brutalized toward the end of the race. After mile 6 the course flattens out with one last little climb right at the end. Settle into your rythm during this part of the race, and don't be afraid to say a word or two of encouragement to runners you pass (or who pass you). It'll help make you feel better, too!

It's always good to get a spectrum of opinions on training programs. Here are a couple links to other Half-Marathon training programs:


http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_0/134.shtml
http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/adv.htm

Yours in Health!
Tommy



With 7 weeks to go:
This Week - 22 Miles
5mi Sun
4mi Mon
4mi Tue
Off Wed
5mi Thur
4mi Fri
Off Sat

Next Week - 25 Miles
8mi Sun
4mi Mon
5mi Tue
Off Wed
5mi Thurs
3mi Fri

Training Setbacks... Fight or Flight?

Hi Everyone,

Today I want to talk for a bit about training setbacks. We've all experienced times in our training schedules when it's just not physically possible to train. For me, I'm at the beginning of week 3 of my 10 week training schedule for a half marathon I'm running on March 13th. Unfortunately, the last two weeks have been lost to a bout with bronchitis, and I'm feeling like I'm WAYYYY behind where I wanted to be right now.

So how do we deal with training interruptions and setbacks? The first thing you should do is establish whether you should even race your goal marathon at all. Every training setback is unique in terms of timing, severity, impact and so on, so there’s no simple way to determine the "perfect" compromise. But the following tips will help you evaluate your situation and allow you to make the most of the training you’ve done.

Ask the Hard Questions:

How much time have you missed? As a general guideline, if you’ve lost three or more consecutive weeks of training and are within two months of game day, scale back your expectations or, if possible, delay your marathon by at least the amount of time you missed. If you’ve been out one to two weeks, enjoyed a consistent block of training before the layoff, have at least four weeks before your race, and are 100 percent healthy, you can probably shoot for your original goal.

Have you been injured or "merely" ill? If it’s the former, hopefully you’ve been maintaining fitness via cross-training, but you risk re-injuring yourself by diving back into regular running. If it’s the latter, your muscles and joints are presumably in good shape, but your ailment will have weakened you to some extent. If you’ve become friends with the elliptical trainer or the pool during your hiatus and a few days back on the road suggest that your body is ready for the rigors of marathon training again, you can probably return to your planned schedule of workouts and use these to determine whether your original marathon goal is still feasible. If, on the other hand, you’ve been knocked out by a severe cold, you’ll need a couple weeks of cautious rebuilding before you can crank your training back to its pre-malaise levels.

What was your pre-layoff fitness level and how was it reached? If you’ve been running consistently for years, all else being equal, your fitness won’t erode as quickly as it will if you’re relatively new or have had other recent setbacks. The more consistent you’ve been leading into a break, the more "savings" you have to draw on, within reasonable limits.

How experienced are you? No cheating. If the answer is "not very," just getting yourself to the starting line healthy is your best bet, with "must-do" time goals tabled until another day. If you’ve done numerous marathons and have a realistic sense of how your overall preparation relates to the effort you can expect to put forth in a race, then it’s worth taking a close look at your schedule and figuring out how you can make things work in your favor despite possibly having to abandon a crack at your dream time.

So, what's my answer? For me, I've missed the first two weeks of a 10-week program that will ready me for my very first half-marathon. I still have 8 weeks to train. My illness is such that I am still not able to return to a full training schedule, as my chest is still congested, but I am able to resume light workouts on the eliptical machine. I will continue training and re-evaluate my readiness in the next few weeks.

Stay tuned....

Yours in Health!
Tommy

8 Weeks to Go:
Wednesday - light run/fast walk of 3 miles (including 1 mile climb of 300 vertical feet)

Thursday - light run/fast walk of 3 miles (including 1 mile climb of 300 vertical feet)

Saturday - light run of 5 miles (depending on how I feel)

Next Week:
Monday - Eliptical 6 miles (around 1 hour and 15 minutes)
Tuesday - Eliptical 5 miles (around 1 hour)
Thursday - light run of 5 miles
Saturday - 7 mile run with climb of 300 vertical feet starting at 2 mile mark