How Training For A Marathon Does Help With Heartbreak

By Caitlyn Pilkington

Over the course of our lives, experiencing heartbreak in some form is usually unavoidable. Everyone endures loss in some form or another, whether it’s a romantic relationship, family member, friend or job. And while it’s certainly tempting to wallow in bed with a pint of ice cream, that’s one of the worst things you can do to recover. Instead, engaging in physical activity can help you deal with the pain and heal the heartbreak. Dr. Ken Yeager, Director of the Stress, Trauma and Resilience Program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, says the best cure for a broken heart may actually be running a marathon. Dr. Yeager spoke with us about the parallels between running and relationships, the connection between heartbreak and health, and the incredible physical and mental benefits that come from committing to training for a race.

Women’s Running: Why is heartbreak so detrimental to our mental and physical health?

Ken Yeager: Investing in a relationship is an emotional risk. We not only invest time and effort, but often times we also invest our self-worth and self-identity and place at risk our self-perception when investing in a relationship. If one invests in a project at work and the project is delayed or rejected, there can (at times) be a good business reason for the decision not to move forward.

This is not always the case with a relationship. Frequently, when a relationship fails, persons who have invested don’t have a good reason for why the relationship didn’t work. We may intellectually understand why it didn’t work, but that doesn’t always impact the emotional investment. You can understand why and still be left emotionally drained, hurt and, at times, stunned. To make this even more difficult individuals don’t always emotionally invest at the same level, so naturally the person who invests more is at risk at having a greater negative impact on their emotional and physical wellbeing. Often times, emotional dysregulation leads to deterioration of physical health. People stop taking care of themselves, they stop working out, stop eating right. After all, isn’t junk food one cure for the symptoms of a broken heart?

 

WR: Why should we commit to something as long-term as training for a marathon? Why not just exercise until we feel better and have moved on?

KY: It’s more than just getting to the point of feeling better. It is really more about self-confidence and building resilience. When a relationship ends it is not unusual to question your ability to be a success. Running a marathon is one measure of success. It’s kind of like writing the great American novel—many attempt to do so, but there are few who actually succeed. The boost to self-confidence and self-esteem is remarkable. If you can complete a marathon you are most likely to be able to move forward in many aspects of your life successfully.

There is also the commitment aspect, as both relationships and completing a marathon are about commitment. You have to be able to make a commitment to the training for the marathon. Doing so successfully paves the way for some to be able [to take a risk and commit] to other major efforts—like relationships in the future. There is also the risk factor, as committing to a marathon is a risk, the most obvious being failure. This could backfire if your motivation isn’t that great or if you haven’t ever attempted even a 5K, but the payoff is substantial if you can take the risk and you succeed.
 

WR: What’s the connection between the emotional aspect of heartbreak and the physical aspect of running?

KY: There are aspects of a marathon and a relationship that parallel one another; as stated above, risk and commitment are present in both relationships and preparing for a race of any length. When one runs, it offers a free space in your mind to think and process many emotionally difficult issues. Many runners report their best thinking occurs when running, as running gives them time to process and to really think through difficult issues. It is almost as if running provides a perfect format for processing a break-up.

In many cases trauma can be an accumulation of smaller traumatic events. In relationships that have been emotionally traumatizing, movement and the effort associated with movement is freeing. This, combined with a format for thinking and processing the emotional turmoil, is a naturally healing process. Initially, many run to avoid their emotional pain but find they run toward and eventually through the heartbreak rather than running away from the pain.
 

 

WR: Can running regularly help prevent the pain/anger of future heartbreak?

KY: Running is a tool—the more tools we have in our tool box, the better equipped we are to handle the challenges life sends our way. Running is not a magic bullet or a cure-all for the pain and anger of future heartbreak. It is more of a tool that can be used to help cope. Life necessitates the development of coping skills. The more we work to nurture our coping and the more tools we collect and the better skill with which we use our tools the better prepared we will be to cope with the future challenges life brings us. 

http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2016/09/health-wellness/training-marathon-helps-heartbreak_65249

 

My First Full Marathon Experience

When SCKLM opened for registration, I was contemplating whether to register for FM or 10km, as I've ran HM twice. My aim was to collect medals from all categories. When I found out that the cut off time for FM was 7 hours, I decided to give it a try & that was one of the craziest thing I've ever done...

Usually I can sleep early especially when I was tired but I couldn't sleep the night before. I went to bed at 18:40 but I think I slept at 22:++, that also, was not deep sleep. I think I was nervous & excited as it's gonna be my VFM. I don't remember having sleeping problem for Newton 30km two weeks ago, which was also my first attempt.

Having rested for about 3 hours, I got myself ready for the run. My net time should be about 4 minutes later from the gun time. Up to KM 8-9, I was able to keep up with Pacer for 06:30 hours. This was something new & I think I shouldn't have done that cuz that's much faster than my normal pace, I should have kept with my own pace, maybe I'll do better. I was able to stay in between Pacer 06:30 hours & 07:00 hours up to KM 27-28.

The crucial checkpoint was at KM 31 & I managed to reach about 8 mins before they close that checkpoint. This was when everything started to slow down 😔

The weather was scorching hot & we passed by Bukit Tunku which was quite a hilly route & although I tried to pick up when we were going downhill, I was few minutes late & therefore I was categorised as DNF.

I didn't manage to complete my VFM & will try better the next round. 37km was not easy either so I'm still proud of myself :) I didn't choose to give up but was forced to give up, & I believed that I would be able to complete the race within the cut off time, albeit a close call.

I still get the Medal & Finisher T; had I completed the race this would be my 28th medal (28 is my birthday date :) )

The Medal & Finisher T would serve as a reminder that I've come thus far in my journey as a runner (Did I just call myself a runner? 😶). I guess it took me a lot of courage to register & appear on race day & try my best to complete the course.

Ganbatte! Hope the next round I post on FM, I'll be able to officially declare that I'm a marathoner:D 

 

Runners don't give up~~

 

 

Me with the medal :)

With Wendy who came to support us & Zihao who had completed his VFM :)

 

 

 

10 Signs That You Need a Rest Day

Pay attention to these body indicators to know when to run and when to back off. 

 

By Jayme Otto Monday, July 11, 2016

 

 

If you don’t take time for proper R&R, your body won’t adapt to the stress of your training—you won’t get stronger or faster, explains Stacy Sims, Ph.D., at the Stanford Prevention-Research Center, School of Medicine. Neglect recovery for too long, and you will start to lose strength and speed. You’ll sink into the black hole known as overtraining.

First, your sleep patterns and energy levels will feel the effects. Eventually, your immune system crashes, and you lose your appetite. It’s like burning out your engine. And you don’t have to be logging 100-mile weeks to suffer. Recreational runners can overtrain, too. “With deadlines, chores, bills, kids, and lack of sleep, it’s more challenging to recover properly from your runs,” says Sims.

Pay attention to the following 10 markers. If three or more of these indicators raise a red flag, you should consider a few easy sessions or off days so you can return to running strong.

 

 

1. Body Mass

You lost weight from yesterday 

A two percent drop in weight from one day to the next indicates a body-fluid fluctuation. Most likely, you didn’t hydrate enough during or after your last workout. Dehydration negatively impacts both physical and mental performance, and could compromise the quality of your next workout. 

2. Resting Heart Rate

Your resting heart rate is elevated

Take your pulse each morning before you get out of bed to find what’s normal for you. An elevated resting heart rate is one sign of stress. It means your nervous system prepared for fight or flight by releasing hormones that sped up your heart to move more oxygen to the muscles and brain. Your body won’t know the difference between physical and psychological stress. A hard run and a hard day at work both require extra recovery.

 

 

3. Sleep

 

You didn’t sleep well or enough

A pattern of consistently good sleep will give you a boost of growth hormones, which are great for rebuilding muscle fibers. Several nights in a row of bad sleep will decrease reaction time along with immune, motor, and cognitive functions—not a good combination for a workout.

 

 

4. Hydration

 

Your pee is dark yellow

This can be an indicator of dehydration, barring the consumption of vitamins, supplements, or certain foods the evening before. The darker the color, the more you’re struggling to retain fluids, because there’s not enough to go around. You need H2O to operate (and recover).

 

 

5. Energy Level

 

You’re run down

If your energy level is low, there’s something amiss. The key is honesty. Athletes can block out signs of fatigue to push through it, thinking it will make them stronger. It won’t always work that way.

 

 

6. Mood State

 

You’re cranky

When your body is overwhelmed by training (or other stressors), it produces hormones like cortisol that can cause irritability or anxiety. Stress also halts chemicals like dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that has a big bummer effect on mood when depleted. Crankiness probably means not enough recovery.

 

7. Wellness

You’re sick

Any illness, or even a woman’s menstrual cycle, will increase your need for energy to refuel your immune system, which is having to work overtime. This means fewer resources available for recovering from training.

 

 

8. Pain

 

You’re sore or nursing an injury

Whether you’re sore from overworked muscles or an injury, your body needs more energy to put toward repair, lengthening total recovery time.

 

 

9. Performance

 

Your workout went poorly

This is a subjective measure of workout quality, not quantity nor intensity. If you felt great on yesterday’s run, you’d evaluate that as good. If you felt sluggish on that same run, you’d count it as poor. Trending workout quality—multiple poors in a row—is one of the easiest ways to identify the need for more recovery.

 

 

10. Oxygen Saturation

 

Your oxygen level has dipped

The amount of oxygen in the hemoglobin of the red blood cells can be measured by placing your fingertip in a portable pulse oximeter, a gadget available online for about $40. The higher the percentage, the better: Above 95 percent is the norm at sea level or for an athlete who is fully acclimated to a given altitude. This is a new area in recovery science, requiring more research, but there may be a link between low oxygen saturation and the need for more recovery.

 

 

How to Run Happy During THAT Time of the Month

http://nashata.com/blog/?p=5519





Girls hardly talk about challenges while running during period openly even though they are common problems faced by many female runners. Sometimes, we would pray very hard not to get our period during running events so that we wouldn’t have to worry about what to wear, what pain would strike us while running, extra items to bring for the run and the list goes on. All women have different problems and symptoms, and they do in a way or the other affect performance; bloating, headache, stomach cramps, heavy bleeding, hormonal imbalances and others. Whatever the challenges may be, there are ways to overcome.

The nashata runners decided to put together some best practices based on our experiences and share with our sisters.

Pre-Run 

 

Plan your race

Before you register for any running event, check your menstrual cycle and see if the date falls during your period. Avoid racing on the first two days or during heavy flow. If you are comfortable to run during period, go ahead and register. 

Consume the right food a week before the race

Balance hormones and a well nourished body help reduce pain, cramps and mood swing. Every body is unique, hence there is no food combination that fits all. However, you can enrich your body with the right nutrients to:

1. Balance hormones
Consume food that promotes hormone balance. So girls, avoid taking too much sugar and processed food but do ensure you consume sufficient protein. If you suffer from headache during period, sometimes it means your estrogen level is low. Therefore, you need to eat natural food high in phytoestrogen to increase estrogen level. You can try green vegetables like broccoli and green beans, while fruits like dates and apricots, seeds and grains like flax-seeds and sesame seeds are among the delicious high phytoestrogen food.

2. Reduce cramps
Eat natural food that is rich in calcium & iron like spinach and chickpeas. Other natural food that contains magnesium, vitamin B6, potassium, bromelain like bananas and pineapple helps to relief cramps as well. If you like something meaty instead, add salmon into your diet. It is rich in Omega 3 and vitamin D. Lastly, add dark chocolate moderately into your diet!
Keep body hydrated, drink plenty of water.

Prepare Feminine Kit

Make sure these item fit in your pockets / running belt together with other items

1. Sanitary Napkin / Tampon
We find tampons are not favorable among runners. Perhaps many do not feel safe with the method all together. Therefore, if you use sanitary pads, make sure you get the ones with surfaces gentle for skin and ultra thin. Look at the product description and search for the ones labelled “cottony surface” and avoid dry surface, micro-dry cover or dry net sheet. If you have sensitive skin and plan to run long hours, avoid wearing the ones with wings. This is to avoid chafing, blister or abrasion on your skin. Estimate and pack enough for your run. Wrap sanitary pads discreetly in a plastic bag before you toss into your pocket.

2. Pain killers
Sometimes the pain can be unbearable and pain killers can help you focus on your run instead of enduring the pain. So bring along a couple of tablets with you.

3. Ointment (if necessary)
If you know certain remedies that could reduce pain and discomfort just bring it with you. Pack your remedy in a travel-friendly size.

4. A few pieces of tissue paper
Just in case you don’t find any in toilets

Know the Route in Advance

Make sure you study the route and know the location of toilets and portable toilets. Pace, time your run and stop accordingly depending on your condition

Pack Clean Dry Clothes

Pack your best post-running outfits and bring to the race!

Yoga

Prepare your body. There are a few yoga poses that can relief cramps and period pains. You could take a few minutes of your training to perform Cobra Pose and Camel Pose that can be therapeutic for mild back pain and menstrual discomfort
 

During Race 

 

Wear suitable attire

Dark color pants would make you feel more confident. Wear pants that have pockets for you to carry feminine kit. Wear sanitary pads that are as described above. Soft lining, non-wings (to avoid chafing), ultra thin

Estrogen-Friendly Bar

Know the nutrients you need for your hormonal condition and packs them in a form of bars for the race. You can make your own or you buy from Marathon Baker. Find the ones made of dark chocolate, flax-seeds, bananas, dates, apricots and turbo-charged with protein.

Access Health Level

Before you start the race, listen to your body. If you are suffering from severe period pain, headache or heavy bleeding before flag-off, don’t push yourself. There will always be other runs.

Stop and Seek Help if in Pain

Time and pace your run and know where and when to stop to check your period (based on your flow). As much as you wanted to perform, if you feel pain while running, give yourself a break, and if paramedics are easily accessible, get help from them. You can also make use of feminine kit you have packed to relief yourself; pain killer & ointment. When your condition improves, continue the race. Again, listen to your body all the way to finish line.

Focus to Finish the Race

Chin up and keep running. Focus to finish strong!

Post-Run 

 

Quickly Change into Clean Outfit and Rejoice

Make yourself feel better by changing into a clean outfit immediately after your run.

Replenish Your Body Immediately

Bananas and fruits are good for immediate consumption. If you are a slow runner, be prepared to reach finish line to find no food available for you. Therefore, if you are running long distance, pack some fruits (don’t carry them with you at the run).

Improve Preparation for your Next Run

Every body is different and what works for you may be different from others. As long as your remedy works for you, keep doing, keep improving your run during menstrual period. 

I did it :)

Firstly, to thank my jogging & marathon kaki for encouraging & supporting me all along, especially Wan Theng, Zihao & Rachel Chong :)

My aim last year was to collect 10 medals in total after realising that I've collected 6 thus far back then & this year, I aimed to collect 10 medals in a year. I was not sure if this was crazy nor was I sure if I could achieve it & now I'm happy to shout out that "I did it! " :)

Running had indeed changed my life! I'm healthier & it helps me to release stress (imagine stomping your feet on whatever that caused the stress in you) & it also helps to clear my mind (being few hours on the road, with close to zero distraction is a good way to clear the cobwebs in mind).

20 medals over a span of 3.5 years since June 2012:)

Description from top left:

Year 2012 - 30km

TM Fan Run - 8km

BSN Night Run - 10km

Newton Challenge - 12km

Year 2013 - 57km

Brooks Marathon - 21km

SCKLM - 21km

Newton Challenge - 15km

Year 2014 - 78km

SCKLM - 21km

PBIM - 21km

New Balance - 21km

Newton Challenge - 15km

Year 2015 - 160.2km

100 Plus Run - 12km

Malaysia Women Marathon - 21km

Shape Night Run - 11. 2km

3R International Marathon - 21km

Sg Long Fun Run - 10km

ASEAN Unity Run - 21km

PJ Half Marathon - 21km

Lion Charity Run - 12km

NB Home Run - 16km

Newton Challenge - 15km

Total distance - 325.2km

Total Half Marathon - 9

This year, due to haze, I missed SCKLM & BSN Night Run & due to the condition of my knee, I forgo PBIM (full marathon).

I wish I'll be able to complete one full marathon to qualify myself to be called a marathoner :)

P.S. Photo is blur, paiseh :p

Eat And Drink Away Sore Muscles

BY MATT FITZGERALD 

*Courtesy of Competitor.com

For runners, sore muscles come with the territory. If you can’t handle tender calves and aching hamstrings, you shouldn’t run. In fact, according to surveys, muscle soreness is one of the major reasons non-runners don’t run.

While you can’t avoid muscle soreness completely as a runner, there are things you can do to lessen it. When you think of treatments for muscles recently beat up by the roads, you probably think of things such as ice baths, massage, topical analgesics and anti-inflammatory medications. But there are also nutritional measures that can address muscle soreness in a few distinct ways.

One of the simplest things you can do to reduce the amount of tissue damage your muscles are subjected to during running is to consume a sports drink during your longer runs. When muscle glycogen stores fall low late in long runs, the muscles rely increasingly on breaking down their own proteins to provide an alternative fuel source.

It’s kind of like removing clapboards from the outside of your house to keep a fire burning in the fireplace inside. The more muscle proteins are broken down to keep you running, the more sore you are likely to be the next day. Drinking a sports drink throughout your long runs will keep your muscles well supplied with their preferred carbohydrate fuel and preserve your muscle glycogen stores longer, delaying the point at which the muscles begin to rely on their own proteins for fuel.

A second effective way to reduce muscle damage during runs is to consume some protein or amino acids before them. A little pre-run protein increases blood amino acid levels during the run, which appears to serve as a kind of biochemical signal that tells the muscles not to break down protein for fuel.

Consuming protein after a run is also a good idea. It won’t reduce muscle soreness, but it will reduce the negative effects of muscle damage on your ability to run the next day. This was shown in a 2008 study conducted at the University of Brighton, England. Subjects performed sets of machine leg extensions to test their muscle strength before and twice more after running downhill to induce muscle damage and soreness. On one occasion, the subjects consumed protein immediately after the downhill run. On another occasion, they consumed a placebo.

Markers of muscle damage and ratings of perceived soreness were the same in both trials, but whereas the subjects lost a lot of strength after the downhill run that was not followed by protein ingestion, they performed just as well in the post-run leg extensions test after protein ingestion as they did before the run.

Your overall diet can also reduce the amount of muscle soreness you experience as a runner. A lot of the muscle damage that occurs both during and after runs is caused by free radicals. A diet that is rich in antioxidants will strengthen your internal defenses against exercise-induced free-radical damage. The best sources of dietary antioxidants are, of course, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Getting plenty of essential fats will further protect your muscles against free-radical damage during and after runs by strengthening muscle cell membranes. Most of us do not get enough of the omega-3 class of essential fats. Correct this problem by increasing your consumption of fish, nuts, and flaxseeds and/or by taking an omega-3 supplement.

Speaking of supplements, there are a few supplements that have been shown to attenuate post-run muscle soreness. One such supplement is creatine, which is best known for its muscle-building effects in weightlifters. A 2004 study reported that creatine supplementation before a 30km running race significantly reduced signs of muscle cell damage and inflammation afterward.

And then there’s caffeine. Like most runners, you are probably aware that caffeine enhances running performance. What you may not know is that it does so partly by reducing the perception of pain during exercise. What’s more, this effect continues after the workout is completed. A 2007 study at the University of Illinois found that even regular coffee drinkers felt less sore after exercise when they consumed caffeine before the workout.

Doesn’t a nice hot mug of pain-killing coffee sound good right about now?

****

About The Author:

Matt Fitzgerald is the author of numerous books, including Racing Weight: How To Get Lean For Peak Performance (VeloPress, 2012). He is also a Training Intelligence Specialist for PEAR Sports. To learn more about Matt visit www.mattfitzgerald.org. 

Read more at http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2015/08/nutrition/eat-and-drink-away-sore-muscles_45191#IrPWd3TAfpuzYetm.99