Two Fit Chicks and a Microphone

Ask Julia: What do you think of barefoot running?

Another running question for dear Julia:

What's your take on barefoot running? Is there really any scientific evidence to support it?

Julia says:

When I was in high school in the mid 70’s I had a history teacher that was a recreational runner. He would go running every single day at lunch circling the perimeter of the football field, barefoot on the grass. After more than thirty years barefoot running has made a huge comeback in the States, mostly after the success of Christopher McDougall’s best seller book “Born to Run”. If you haven’t read his book yet, I highly recommend it. It’s probably the most entertaining book I have ever read on running, and I’ve read them all!

In the second week of my Base program I wrote a paragraph about the importance of using your feet while you run:

“Most of us think about our legs while running, but the one most important aspect of how well you run is how you use your feet. In running your feet not only land you as you “fly” through the air, they’re used to push you off the ground as your body is propelled forward. How you use your feet is going to determine how fast you run and help you fend off a lot of running related injuries. In fact, people that complain about knee problems when running are most often “shufflers”. They land flat on their feet, absorbing all the impact on their knees.”

What Christopher McDougall emphasizes quite strongly in his book is on how running shoes are now constructed to immobilize your feet rather than allow you to use them the way they were meant to function. With all the cushioning, wedges and “air”, we can now run with no pain, and that is not always a good thing. Your feet need to move and push and “feel” the ground so they know how and when to shift or change position based on what kind of surface they’re on. A good runner has good biomechanics while running, and that starts with landing properly on your feet and then pushing off with them.

That said, I am not ready to go out and run barefoot. I think there are many ways that you can rehabilitate your feet so that you are using them while you run without taking off your shoes. Read on for the list!

Ask Julia: What to do when running is a pain in the side

Today's running question comes from RunningStart. She asks:

When running, what do you do about the awful side stitch? You know. Where you get that pain in your side that won't go away until you stop running? When I'm running, my legs, my breath, and my head are all saying, "Keep running!" but my side says, "Oh! No! You'd better stop and stretch that out again." Please help!

Our running guru Julia Jones says:

In order to cure yourself of a side stitch, you have to first understand what is happening to your body. The pain you feel is actually caused by a spasm of your diaphragm muscle. The diaphragm muscle separates your lung cavity from your abdominal cavity and moves up and down while your inhale and exhale. So when you inhale (try this while you’re reading!) your lungs fill up with air and pushes your diaphragm down (see how your stomach pushes slightly out?). As you exhale your lungs contract and your diaphragm rises back into place. Now try that a few times: breath in and vision your diaphragm pushing down, breath out and see it returning back up.

While we run the rising and falling of the diaphragm is happening at a faster speed than normal with this added catch: most runners exhale when their left foot strikes the ground, while about 30% exhale when their right foot hits the ground. Why is this important? Most stitches occur on the right side, which is why a lot of people attribute a side stitch to a liver problem! As your right foot hits the ground, gravity forces your internal organs down also which in turn are attached to the diaphragm pulling that down too. So if you’re exhaling at the same time as your right foot hits the ground, your diaphragm is being pulled DOWN on one end just as you are exhaling and having it pulled UP by contracting your lungs. I know, you’ll have to read that over again to really understand what is happening. It’s like the diaphragm is being pulled in two directions at the same time and then... SIDE STITCH!

Also, please note that side stitches are exacerbated with downhill running, there's a lot more jostling happening with the diaphragm and those internal organs while you scoot downhill!

Now that you understand what is going on, here’s how to take care of a side stitch so you can start running normally again:

• Stop or slow down. Stop for a few seconds while you get your breathing under control. You can keep walking while you get your breathing in sync. If you have more running experience and the stitch occurs while running at a faster speed you can also try just slowing down.
• Push up on the right side of the diaphragm. Take your fingers and push right up underneath the right hand side of your rib cage. Just a gentle nudge will be enough to alleviate some of the pain.
• Take full, deep breaths. Avoid any shallow breathing, take nice deep, controlled breaths for a few minutes.
• Get your running and breathing in sync. Try exhaling when your left foot hits the ground. Once you have everything under control and you beginning running again, concentrate on exhaling every four counts when your left foot hits the ground. This should avoid any reoccurances for the rest of your run.

Two Fit Chicks - now loud and clear in Two Ears!

Oh people, never edit a podcast after midnight. Some eagle-eared listeners noticed that Carla's voice was only coming through one of their headphones. Turns out that I had accidentally turned the balance on Carla's track to the left. Whoops.

The podcast has now been corrected re-uploaded:

• All the links and in-browser players have been updated on yesterday's podcast post.
• If you're an iTunes subscriber, go into Podcasts then click on the Refresh button. Or right-click on Two Fit Chicks in your subscriptions list and select "Update Podcast".

Welcome, SparkPeople people!

Hello to any visitors arriving from SparkPeople today - thanks for dropping by. Here's some helpful links for you:

• Listen to our brand new episode: Getting STARTed 2010
• Find out more about your hosts, Carla and Shauna
• Browse through our episode archives
• If you're new to podcasts, check out our How To Listen Guide

We hope you enjoy the show if you have a listen, and perhaps we'll be hearing your news or question on the air in 2010!

Episode 07 - Getting STARTed in 2010

This is the episode that almost didn't happen due to a wide range of technical screw-ups, least of all Shauna forgetting to press Record and not noticing for twenty minutes. So apologies in advanced for the slightly shambolic nature of today's broadcast!

Today's theme is Getting STARTed in 2010, and those uppercase letters means we have another of Carla's fabulous acronyms for you! If you're looking to get healthier this year she's got some great ideas for getting started.

We also talk to a few fantastic bloggers about how they kicked off their journeys o' health. And as always there's news from blogland.

Here's how to listen:

• Find us in iTunes
• Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed
• Download the episode to your computer (34MB, mp3 format)
• Listen right here in your browser:

Powered by Podbean.com

And in case our podcast host craps it again, here is an alternative download link and another in-browser player below:

07 Getting STARTed in 2010

UPDATE 12 Jan: The podcast players and links above have been updated ,as Shauna had accidentally turned the balance on Carla's track to the left, meaning her voice was only in one of your ears! The links above are now all working properly :)

Please let us know if you have any problems listening - we're here to lend a hand.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• MizFit's Virtual Blogger Talent Show

Our contributors today:

• Jen of Prior Fat Girl
• Diane of Fit to the Finish
• Jennette of PastaQueen
• Kepa of Fat Lazy Guy's Log
• Caro of On The Weight Watch
• Mary of A Merry Life
• Roni of Roni's Weigh
• Lynn of Lynn's Weigh

Blogger news from:

• Tricia of Endurance Isn't Only Physical
• MB of Why The Weight?

Today's inspired Let's Get Back On That Horse outro tune is (Just Like) Starting Over by John Lennon.

Share your news! Submit a question! Email us at hello@twofitchicks, pop a comment or tweet @twofitchicks.

Best wishes for a happy 2010 and thanks always for tuning in!

Ask Julia: Does body shape affect your running?

Another running question for the lovely Julia! This one comes from Renee:

I've been walk/running regularly for a little over a year, but at 5'6" and 195 lbs I'm obese by BMI standards, and am worried about increasing the running portion of my workouts beyond about 30 minutes. (Distance? I'm dead slow so probably not even 2 miles.) I was at 180 lbs at this time last year and can sure tell the difference in my running with the increased weight - it's way harder and I've had to downshift from Laughably Slow to Very Slow Indeed.

I am in process of losing weight again, but in the mean time, should I be concerned about too much impact on my joints? Don't know if body type has any affect, so I will share that I'm pretty classic pear shape with a relatively small waist and shoulders, wider hips, and very big thighs.

Julia sayz:

Body weight does have significant impact not only on your joints but mostly on your running style. In order to accommodate the weight you carry around you move your body in a different way, which usually isn’t the most efficient running style. In most cases you end up causing yourself an injury, usually in the lower leg area (knees, ankles, shins, etc). This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t run, but you need to use a little more caution while you work on losing the extra body fat. Here’s a few suggestions:

• It’s important to be moving for at least 40 minutes. That doesn’t mean you have to run for forty minutes, you can warm up with a fast paced walk and then throw in some some 30 second running stints before beginning the longer running portion of your workout. Twenty minutes is usually the mark where your body starts to burn fat during a workout, giving yourself 20 minutes more to really rev it up will help you lose weight faster.
• Don’t knock walking! Taking walking breaks between runs actually allows your muscles a “breather” and can help you run longer and faster.
• Add strengthening exercises to your routine. Have a look at my 5km base program and pick up on a few specific running exercises (or do the whole 8 weeks!) so you can build up muscles and joints before they break down.
• In order to lose weight you need to be “running” four days a week. I’ve seen women lose weight with three workouts per week, but four is optimum for weight loss.

Ask Julia: Running gear for nasty weather

Listener Tessa from the Netherlands had a question for our running guru Julia Jones:

Could Julia give some tips about what to wear in autumn/winter? I live in the Netherlands and, like Scotland, it's possible to experience all 4 seasons in one day... At the moment it's mostly (cold) rain, a little sunshine and freezing gusts of wind.

I've tried running a long time ago (also in winter) and I usually ended up then freezing because my 'warm' clothes got dripping wet. I have some 'quick dry' fitness clothing but those really are not warm enough when I start my workout. I could start out wearing a vest but where do keep it when I start to get warm?

Money is an issue for me so I would rather not buy expensive 'professional' runners clothing. At least not until I know if I want/am able to keep running. Could she give some cheap but brilliant tips?

Here's Julia's answers:

Hi Tessa,

You need to dress in layers that you can take off as needed during your run, here's my suggestions:

• Running tights. In winter I always use capris unless it's below 0°C/32°F, then I'll go for full length.
• Top, to about 4°C/39°F:  The first layer (closest to your skin) should be a short sleeve Dri-Fit shirt. The second layer should be a long sleeved Dri-Fit shirt. 
• Top, below 4°C/39°F: Make the first layer a long sleeve Dri-Fit shirt and the second layer a long sleeve Polartec type sweatshirt. 
• This is the only thing you might have to buy: an all weather jacket with removable sleeves. This is something I LOVE and totally recommend to everybody who runs outdoors in the winter. I actually don't use the jacket as a jacket that much, but rather use it as a vest. If it's raining the vest keeps my body dry and warm but doesn't overheat me since the sleeves are off. Then again, you could start out with the sleeves on and then take them off if you get too hot. Make sure you get a jacket with pockets so you can stick the sleeves in. 
• Polartec gloves. I start out most of my winter runs with gloves on. Once I'm warmed up I stick them in my jacket pocket or down my sports bra.
• Hat or head wrap. - If it's really cold out I  wear a Polartec hat, otherwise I love wearing cotton wraps around my head. You can actually make them yourself out of cotton-like elastic fabric. Just sew a tube about 8 inches long. While running outside you'll want to cover your ears. If you get hot with it on, just roll it down and it can cover your neck for the rest of the run.  If it's really raining and I'm determined to run anyway I use a cap with a visor so the rain stays out of my eyes.

With all of these layering elements you can just play around with them and see what is most comfortable for whatever temperature Mother Nature hands out for the day. Mix and match and see what works best for you!

Happy Winter running!

Julia