The Five Rules of Running Shoes. Rule One--Shoe Weight Matters

For runners, finding the right shoe is not unlike finding the perfect mate.  It can take years, even a life time.  Then you meet for the first time, maybe by chance, maybe by plan.  You date for a while, maybe because it feels right, or maybe because you're getting over a tough break-up.  Then, before you know it, you realize this is "the one".   You make arrangements to "tie the knot".  Then, years later, having tied the knot  (thousands of times with your shoe in this case), "the one" changes.  Version 6 is totally different than the version you first met! Or, heaven forbid, maybe you've changed?

Ok, enough of the perfect mate analogy.  I recently purchased, and promptly returned, three different pairs of shoes. It still feels a little strange, to walk out of a store with a brand new pair, only to walk right back in asking for an exchange or a refund.  I'm pretty sure there is a shoe for every foot, but I know every shoe is NOT for this foot!  I've run in a plethora of brands and models.  Asics, Saucony, New Balance, La Sportiva, Montrail, Mazuno, North Face, among others.  All are great brands. But over the hills and through the years, I've learned there are, for me at least, five immutable laws when it comes to running shoes.  Here is the first.  

Law Number One - Shoe Weight Matters. I never used to think much about shoe weight.  But when I start training a lot I notice it.  Since running is not much more than the application of energy (power) against gravity (resistance), its only logical that less weight equals less resistance, which equates to more efficient running.

While it might seem irrelevant to quibble over a few ounces, here's something to think about.   A runner's foot strikes the ground between 150 to 180 times a minute.  Since every stride requires a runner to lift her foot, the difference adds up quickly.  For example, if your cadence is 170, you're lifting your feet 170 times a minute, or 10,200 times an hour.  Now think of what a difference a measly two ounces could make: 2 ounces multiplied by 10,200 equals 20,400 ounces, or 1,224 pounds, lifted during an hour long run (one ounce equals 1/16th, or .06 of a pound).  Sound crazy?  Ok, maybe.  But I know from my own running that when I'm on a pair of 8 ounce racing flats, my feet feel like they barely touch the ground.   

Now for the absurd...I weigh all my shoes!  I stole my wife's food scale and have quarantined the thing for a couple of years.  This is one of the reasons I've returned so many shoes. It's easy to find information on shoe weight on the internet, but I've found a lot of it is bulls!#t.  Most advertisements for shoe weight are based on a shoe size perfect for a 7th grader.  The shoes I've purchased (size 10.5-11) are always several ounces heavier than advertised. 

What is the right shoe weight?  Much of this depends on what I'm using the shoe for.  For me, if I'm training on the roads, I want something that is average to light with a reasonable amount of cushion, but not too much.  For that I need something less than 12 ounces.  The New Balance 758, a neutral shoe that tips the scale at just over 11 ounces, has worked very well for me.  If I'm training on trails, I look for protection over cushion.  For the last couple of years I've run on Asics 2130 Trail, a great shoe weighing in at 13 ounces, but now discontinued.  The newer version, the Asics 2150 Trail, gained an ounce and is now a little hefty for me (Asics, why did you have to put weight on my 2130s?). For this I've switched to the Asics Trail Attack 6 which is somewhere around 12.7 ounces. So far so good. 

I've also been experimenting with the New Balance MT 100.  I recently ran two back to back 20 milers on some rocky, rutty terrain in these little demons.  They stood their ground and weigh in at a nimble 8 ounces.  I kicked a rock pretty hard and to my surprise they absorbed the blow well with no damage or pain to my toes.  Both the New Balance 100 and the Asics Trail Attack 6 have a rock guard built into the sole of the shoe so you don't have to worry when treading on those nasty, poky rocks on trail.

So, next time you lace up for a run, grab a food scale from the kitchen and give it a whirl.  Better yet, if you're training in heavy shoes, try something lighter.  Your feet might thank you...by barely touching the ground.

"Rule One--Shoe Weight Matters" is the first of five series of posts covering "The Five Rules of Running Shoes".  Coming soon --- Rule Two.
 

Getting Through It

When snow was pelting the east coast this week, I initially thought my flight into Minneapolis Tuesday afternoon was a blessing.  Then I heard the temperature.  The low was supposed to hover in the single digits, somewhere between 5 and 8 degrees.  Hmmm….I wasn’t quite sure if I was the weather guru or the simple fool, having brought along a snow cap, gloves, warm-up pants, long underwear and warm socks.  Prepared?  Yes.  But do people really run in 5 degrees?  I managed a nice 5 miles on a tread mill Wednesday morning.    

I was booked to fly onto New York Wednesday evening, right smack into the heart of one of the worst snow storms in recorded history.  As the day progressed, I found out thousands of flights were being cancelled as snow battered Washington D.C and New York.  Sure enough, my flight was cancelled too.  I was minutes away from aborting my trip to the east coast altogether when I learned I was now booked on the only flight into New York Wednesday night.  Yea, right.  Like this plane is really going to fly into the middle of this raging monster when no others would dare.  I started making plans to spend another night in Minneapolis.

But as the clock ticked closer to the 6 pm boarding time, I kept checking for a cancellation notice.  Nothing.  I started making my way to the airport.  When I arrived I quickly looked at the departure monitors, sure to see a big “Cancelled” next to my flight.  Nothing.  Come on guys, now you’re going to make me go through security and walk all the way to the gate, only to tell me my flight is cancelled like the thousands of others into New York.  But as I approached the gate, it finally hit me.  This plane is going to take off.  And I’m supposed to be on it.

“We are scheduled to touch down at 11:45 p.m.” the pilot announced.  “But it could take longer because we’ll probably be in a holding pattern for a while due to the storm” he added.  Great, I thought.  We are taking off and we don’t even know if we can land!  In the end, we made it.  And when we touched down, the entire plane erupted in applause.  I was making my way off the jetliner and I heard one of the ground crew saying our pilot was a hero because ours was the only plane that landed that night.  Nice. 

As I was running through Central Park early Thursday morning, it dawned on me that, as runners, sometimes we just have to “get through it”.  Be it snow storms, cancelled flights, late-night arrivals, just “getting through it” means simply lacing up our shoes and getting out there.  Then comes Friday morning, and I’m now in Boston, running next to the frozen Charles River.  The sky is clear, and the sun is rising in the blue sky.  I made it over the bridge to Cambridge, where I get my first glimpse of the MIT campus. 

As I’m heading back,  a youngish college kid runs by me at a good clip.  I shuffle along, taking in the scenery.  Not knowing, my feet begin turning over a little faster.  Now a couple hundred yards ahead of me, I notice the youngish one isn’t taking any more ground.  I’m gaining ground.  I look down at my GPS.  7 minute pace….6:45, 6:30…Now I’m shadowing him by a few yards.  Ok…feet.  When he looks over his shoulder, his pace quickens.  My stride is steady.  I quietly pull up next to him, listening.  I hear labored breathing.  With miles in the bank, I gently shift into the next gear and begin to separate.  My legs carry me now.  Yes.  These are the moments. 

Getting through it. 

Are We Lunatics?

It's a mystical place, the moon.  Surface temperature over 450 degrees;  one quarter the size of the earth, very close to the size of the Pacific Ocean.  No other object in the night's sky has captured our imagination so deeply.  On July 20, 1969, after circling the earth for some 4.5 billion years, the moon's soft surface was, finally, touched by a human .  It's said that this "one small step", firmly planted where wind and water do not exist, will remain intact for some 10 million years.

Historically speaking, the moon has also gotten a bad rap.   The word "lunatic" stems from the Latin Lunacus or luna, which translates to the English word moon.  Oddballs, or those considered to be "not playing with a full deck" have been labeled "loonies", likely due to the old belief that madness in humans was directly related to the phases of the moon.  What are now referred to as mental institutions or even assisted living facilities were, in the day, simply "loony bins" or "lunatic" asylums.      

On June 26, 2010, at 9:01 p.m., over the rocky peaks and foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a full moon will rise from the east.  With it will come its own light, gaining strength as the twilight fades from the setting sun.  Underneath this same moon light, several hundred runners will be making their way toward the finish line of the Western States 100 mile endurance run.  I'm looking forward to that moment. 

Sometimes people ask me why anyone would want to run 100 miles.  Honestly?  I don't have a good answer.  Marathons are one thing, but 100 miles just seems so "crazy", I often hear.  Crazy?  Maybe.  Loony?  For sure.

Step by Deliberate Step

Today I happened upon a few minutes that stood still.  It was during the final miles of 18.5 mile run.  Above Newport Beach's back bay, along the green belt, I glanced ahead and a tiny sliver of white caught my eye.  I slowed to get a better view.  Gently, in the distance, the figure began to take shape, sending clues through its slow, deliberate movements.  Alone amid a background of green leaves and a silent wind, a great White Heron stood before me. How close can I get?  I slowed to a walk.  Then slowed some more.

One hundred feet, fifty feet, twenty five. I inched closer. Fifteen feet! He turned to walk, cautiously, step by deliberate step, away from me. When I looked at his feet, then my own, I realized that we were walking in sync. We continued this slow waltz for less than a minute, and as I ambled along, I couldn't help but wonder how many more times I could lift my knee before this master would simply lift his wings and disappear into the sun.

Lift he did, and as I made my way through the last few miles, my pace quickly followed.

2010 – The Road Ahead

Wow, it’s here, the new year.  Just like that, I lift my head again and look forward to new opportunities.  What does the new year hold for me?  Better yet, what will I grasp from the new year?  Will there be goals for me?  Will I lift the bar higher for myself?

I’ve been a big believer in committing to specific events as way to draw a hard line for myself -- to set daily, weekly even monthly training goals.  With Western States 100 on the calendar now, I’m in the process of  formulating my plan, and I expect there will be a few changes in store for my training and racing compared to the last couple of years.

I’ll lay some of those out here in this blog over the next few weeks.  In the mean time, I'm learning that being   motivated to run 365 days of the year is not realistic, nor necessary.  Running takes a lot of work, especially in the winter, at night, alone, in a hurry, when I’m beat down, from work or other things in life. To plan, train and then run through the season, including 50 and 100 mile events, I've learned I have to pick my battles, and carefully focus my energies toward specific events and periods.  I believe now, more than ever, that the more focused and tactical I am about directing my energies, the better I do as a runner.  Running 80 to 90 weeks is doable, but should be done for the right reasons, at the right time, with the event in mind.  Hill training, speed work, long runs, weight training, heat training, stretching, diet, good sleep and rest are all factors that will play a part on my path in 2010.

Capturing all these factors in my plan will be a balancing act, but it is my desire.  Whether I succeed on this path I cannot guarantee.  What I can guarantee, though, is that my success will come down really to one thing, the same thing that binds all of us to our goals and ambitions: Motivation.

Saltwater 5000 -- 2009

Standing Aloft Santiago Peak - 5,687'

What started six years ago as a dubious quest between two runners, has now grown to an annual pilgrimage; a 32 mile holiday journey from the edge of the Pacific ocean to the top of Saddleback Mountain, Orange County’s highest point at 5,687 feet. On December 19, 2009, ten of us leaned over and touched the cold, blue water of the Pacific Ocean then turned to make our way to the summit. This year’s Saltwater crew was the largest to date, with six returning runners and four first timers. Also Included in the lineup were two female runners.

Unlike last year, we started under a dry, pristine sky. Darkness hung over us for most of our trek through El Moro canyon and the winding single track below the toll road. Leading the charge was Kevin S, who just a few weeks earlier had announced via email and Facebook that he had scouted and marked the trail along this section. Kevin’s one assignment as a newbie was to see the group safely through this section. However, when I realized Kevin and the group had run right by the turn and were lost, I could only wonder what the little guy had been smoking.

The next section usually brings some of the most breathtaking scenery, as the sky fills with yellow, orange and then deep red from the rising sun. We all made our way over the ridge and down to Laguna Canyon. But with runners, of course, nothing is sacred, especially when the moon is rising (and I’m not referring to the celestial moon here). When nature calls folks, what can you say?


We moved easily through the Serrano section of the run, with the normal stops along the way. Thanks to our hardy and ready crew Dawn and Trina, nothing was missed, except for an “embarrassing” moment for Bino when Trina was picking up ice (we’re all winners Bino!). Fast forward to the Skate park, where Al, Dawn, Trina, and Marshall met us around this midway point, a good transition for the more difficult terrain to come.

It can be said that life is comprised of the little things, those brief moments we don’t notice at first, that we remember in the end. This year’s Saltwater 5000 didn’t disappoint.


As we climbed up the infamous dreaded hill, the sky seemed to open up before us, and presented some of the most amazing views I’ve seen in my 40 years in the OC. The higher we climbed, the farther we could see. Once on the mountain, every turn seemed to present another unbelievable view. At such an altitude, we stood well above the curvature of the earth, making San Clemente island appear larger than ever. Snow topped peaks of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains stood beside us, lending to a panoramic playground.


I’d like to say congratulations to all the runners this year, especially Laura who worked long and hard to prepare and get through this day. And to Bino, who also trained specifically for this year’s Saltwater. Seeing these two getting to the summit was sweet. Seeing Laura and her dad, two generations, making their way up Modjeska grade trail was a special moment. And we are all honored to have Gerry, our master, who at 68 years young raises the bar every time he steps foot on the mountain. Fellow first timers Kevin, Joe and Sue ran very well, as did third timer Jeff D. Keeping the faith is also a big part of Saltwater, and I was happy to share the trail yet another year with Jeff and Rob.

Keep it real Saltwater!

There There, Marathon Snobs

Today I was thumbing through the January/February 2010 issue of Running Times. I came across the following quote which was also carried in the New York Times:

“It’s a joke to run a marathon by walking every other mile or by finishing in six, seven, eight hours. It used to be that running a marathon was worth something—there used to be a pride saying you ran a marathon, but not anymore. Now it’s, ‘How low is the bar?’” (Adrienne Wald, a college cross country coach).

Yo Adrienne, please reboot your ego. Hopefully when you login again you will know, as a runner, what running is really about. If you don’t, you should read a few books by George Sheehan, who taught us that running is just as much about self awareness as it is times and competition. Sheehan once wrote that “the mind’s first step to self-awareness must be through the body”.

If you still don’t understand what running is about, then I suggest you go out on a Sunday and volunteer as a support crew at the finish line of a marathon. But don’t quit after the fast runners are done, wait there until the 6, 7 and 8 hour finishers to come through. You will likely see people who are in their 60’s and older. You might even see people who’ve never done anything athletic in their life, some of whom have struggled for years with physical or emotional problems. When these runners cross the finish line after battling for 26 miles, look into their eyes. When they look back at you, tell them what you really feel.

We runners are all individuals, and we all come in different shapes and sizes, and with varying abilities and ambitions. A fast pace for one, is ultimately slow to another. But we runners share one thing in common, something we should be loath to forget. When we run, we feel alive.

Western States 2010 - I'm In!

I’m really not the superstitious type. In fact I laugh at some of the superstitious things people have done to get an edge. Like Michael Jordan wearing his college shorts under his NBA uniform. Hah! Like that really helped him. I wonder if he wore them inside out? Because its said that clothes worn inside out bring good luck. Ok, lets get real here.

When I walked out the door for a run this morning, I was sure to bring my blackberry, because the 2010 Western States lottery was about to be held. There was no way I could wait to see the results of the lottery after my run when I could see it during my run using the web browser on the device. It was, after all, the same blackberry I used to see my very own name selected in the 2008 lottery. Superstitious? No way.

Today I was also sure to wear my Western States sweatshirt for my run. It only made sense because I’m in Chicago for the weekend and its 20 degrees outside with a wind chill. Sure, I could’ve worn my usual long sleeve shirt with a wind breaker, but today was a special day. It’s the Western States lottery. Superstitious? Nope.

As I was running along Lake Michigan, the clock counted down until it struck 9 a.m., the lottery had begun. I looked up and saw four Canadian Geese fly directly over my head, and the song Right Here by Jesus Jones started. Are these good signs? I don’t know, but they couldn’t be bad. I continued on my run around Soldier Field, checking my blackberry every mile or so.

Turning back toward the hotel, the wind was at my back, and my stride seemed effortless. I stopped, and glanced at my handheld. I scrolled down through the last names and there it was, my name! I’m in! My arms lifted to the sky, as I savored the moment. I quickly called my wife. “I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news, which do you want to hear first? The good news, I got into Western States again, and the bad news, I got into Western States again!” We laughed together knowing what would be in store in the months to come.

As I was heading up the elevator I glanced at the mirror. Something was sticking up on the top of my running cap. As I looked closer, I realized it was the tag. I’d been wearing it inside out the whole time.

No way!

First Tracks

November 28, 2009. Trial 2N15, San Bernadino Mountains.

Of Travel and Training

So I woke up Tuesday morning 3,000 miles from home. Twenty five stories over Times Square, I could hardly roll out of bed, being 3 a.m. pacific time and all. What? There’s a Starbuck’s on the corner? Gatorade has its place my friends, but not at this moment.



Still sore from last Sunday’s 23 miler, I sipped hot java walking up to Central Park. Drink bold coffee. Walk progressively faster. Warm body up. Run. But wait! Trees glowing of orange, yellow and red beckon me into an out door mosaic. My breath slows. Autumn enters.


Now it’s Wednesday morning, and I’m 1,000 miles west, then a little north. That would put me in the twin cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Land O Lakes, original home of the Lakers. It’s 4:30 am and again I’m struggling to get to my feet. But it’s not the time zone this time, rather the Asian restaurant “Big Bowl” from the night before. I was feeling Big Bowl’s spice, but not in a perky kind of way. I finally made it out the door, five miles along a bike path to the town of Roseville, just in time to see six Canadian Geese fly gently over my head, aloft and amidst a cold, 28 degree Midwestern sky. Yes!

Thursday comes, another day on the road, but now I’m 450 miles due south of the Twins, closer to home, and smack dab in the center of the contiguous 48. As I walked out the door for a late afternoon run, I turned north out of the city, headed for the 12th &Vine Monument anointed by the song “I’m Goin’ to Kansas City, Kansas City Here I Come”. But why don’t tourist maps ever tell you where NOT to run? As I passed the Greyhound bus station and then the city rehabilitation center, I thought, do I want to be in this neighborhood? I finally made it to the piano monument, and promptly turned around as the fading daylight started to outrun me. I passed a very crowded bus stop. Are they yelling at me? I felt my heart rate as a scampered by. From arms length I heard a shout, “what the F*#K! are you doing here? Ruuuunnnnn!!!” And that I did.

Now its Friday afternoon, I sit quietly on an airplane typing this post. A song from the Foo Fighters creeps into my headphones….and the lyrics begin to capture my spirit.

…I, I’m a new day rising
…I’m a brand new sky to hang the stars upon tonight
…I, I’m a little divided
…Do I stay or run away and leave it all behind?
…Its times like these you learn to live again

Travel on!

Hydration for the Long Haul

After suffering through a miserable cold this week, I finally decided today to set out on trail, feeling well enough for the first time in several days. I used to run with a cold all the time, but found that doing so gave the virus easy pathway to my lungs. Not that I’m 100% yet, but I’m well enough to get out under a crisp blue sky and sun drenched trees.

I’m pretty sure today was the longest time I’ve spent on foot on a single run since Western States. Total time logged was 4 hours and nine minutes, which felt like butter for the first 2 ½ hours, while I stayed well below my max aerobic heart rate, climbing gently up San Joaquin Hills road and under good shade, until crossing over to the Coyote Canyon trail that parallels Ridge Park Road. Along this trail, which sits in the heart of Newport Coast but is unused if not unknown to most, the fall shadows loomed over the rocky terrain and ancient caves. Fall is most certainly here and with it is a brand new season to explore.

One of my objectives today was to go the distance self supported, without refueling along the way. I want to know how long and how far I can run without a water source, and what kind of equipment I can reasonably carry on a long sustained run. The system I used a few weeks ago, a Patagonia hiking pack with 120 ounces of water, a sleeping bag, a mat and bug net was a disaster and I don’t know what I was thinking when I started up Holly Jim trail. Sometimes naïve enthusiasm can carry you a long way, and it did, until I realized I couldn’t run in the contraption without the bag bouncing up and down more than a worn out Cadillac hurling over massive speed bumps.

Thanks to a fellow ultra runner and blogger Ian, I realized that they actually make bags for runners that can carry this kind of gear and water. I purchased one he recommended to me, the Camelbak Rim Runner, which holds 100 oz of fluid (3 liters) 1590 cu in of cargo. I loaded the bag up with about 80 oz of water, some bars, a sweatshirt for girth, and set out on trail. They bag worked great, had minimal bounce (I’m still trying to get used to Camelback because I’ve been using a Nathan hydro pack for over a year), and I made it the full 4 hours without having to stop for water. I felt so great around 2 hours that I called my wife and said I was going to be out for a couple more hours.

From the top of Newport Coast, I dropped into El Moro State Park along the Fence Line and Missing Link, and over to Laguna Coast Wilderness on the southern most ridge, and then down to Laguna Canyon Road, and back via the Ranger Station hill. The climb out, well, was not so fun and the butter it felt like earlier was beginning to curdle inside of me. Oh how I miss these long runs!

Running vs Cycling - An Interview with PhD Pam Hinton

Imagine two piers. Both are built using the same solid design and quality material. These piers are identical in every way, with one exception. Pier One is built over the ocean and is regularly subjected to storms and rough seas. Pier Two is erected over a small lake with calm waters. As years pass, Pier One takes regular beatings from high surf and gale force winds. Builders are constantly repairing and replacing its pillars and support beams. Pier Two, on the other hand, gets very little abuse in its placid environment and, on the surface, shows little need for repair.

Fast forward 50 years. Pier One sits majestically above the same rough seas and storms. With its pillars and support beams continuously replaced over the years, it still stands like a fortress. Pier Two, well, Pier Two collapsed some years ago. Its decaying pillars were never repaired or replaced and it eventually buckled mercilessly under the force of neglect.

Now imagine your bones as a Pier. If you are a runner, chances are your bones are like Pier One - constantly abused, but always being repaired and replaced. If you’re a cyclist, well, your bones might be like Pier Two, a shrine of tranquility but getting weaker beneath the surface.

This isn’t a joke guys and gals. According to Pam Hinton, PhD and associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Missouri, running promotes stronger bones, while cycling does the opposite.

Hinton co-authored a study this year comparing bone densities of elite runners to those of similarly accomplished cyclists. Her work was published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Metabolism. I recently caught up with Pam via email to learn more about her research on this topic and what it all means to runners and cyclists.

Will: Pam, first of all thank you for doing this interview.

PH: You’re welcome. Thank you for the opportunity to talk about our research and to increase awareness of this important problem that affects apparently healthy and fit individuals.

Will: I’ve read that you were a competitive runner in college, but a car accident ended your running career. You then became a cyclist. Can you talk a little about this experience? How does this motivate you and your research?

PH: Well, a great thing about my job is that I have the freedom to study problems that interest me—both professionally and personally. Some of the best career advice I ever received was from my postdoc mentor at Cornell University, Dr. Rasmussen. She told me that I SHOULD study what I am passionate about. She said that the odds of being a successful researcher are much greater if you’re passionate about your work. I’ve been interested in the interactive effects of nutrition and physical activity on bone for a long time.

Since my days as runner for the University of Wisconsin, I have been interested in how energy balance affects bone health. At that time, I was interested in how being in an energy-deprived state results in loss of bone mass, even if the skeleton is exposed to high-impact loading. As you mentioned, I was hit by a car and suffered a fracture that required surgery and almost a year of physical therapy. I took up cycling as a result. The inspiration to look at bone density in male cyclists hit me on a group ride one day.

We know that there are three key factors for maintenance of strong bones: adequate nutrition, especially calcium and vitamin D; normal hormonal status; and, regular loading of the skeleton. Although the men I ride with get enough dietary calcium and do not have endocrine issues, I wondered what years of spending so much time in a non-weight-bearing sport would do to their bones.

Will: I’ve always thought cycling was less damaging to your body than running. But your study on the bone densities of runners and cyclists would appear to indicate the opposite. Can you explain the results of your study?

PH: High impact (ground reaction) forces exerted on the skeleton during running or other high-impact physical activities are both good for the bones and bad for the joints (especially if your anatomy or biomechanics are not suited to running). What we found in our cross-sectional study is that cyclists had lower bone density of the lumbar spine than runners. In addition, ~65% of the cyclists we studied had osteopenia of the lumbar spine or hip. Osteopenia can be viewed as “pre-osteoporosis.”

The clinical definition of osteopenia is bone mineral density that is one standard deviation below the mean for young adults, while osteoporosis is less than 2.5 standard deviations below the mean. On a population level, fracture risk increased 2-3-fold for each standard deviation below the mean. So, it appears that the cyclists in our study were at increased risk for fracture of the lumbar spine.

Will: Can you tell us about the number and type of athletes that were involved in this study?

PH: We had 43 amateur runners and cyclists aged 20-59 years in the study. The athletes who participated in our study were competitive at the local and regional level.

Will: What kind of questions did you get from the athletes when they learned of the results? What kind of feedback did you give them?

PH: Most of the participants who learned that they had low bone density were surprised to learn that they had low bone density—typically a disease of older women! Their reaction was understandable, as these were otherwise very healthy and fit individuals. Some did not believe that the results were anything to worry about—“I’ve crashed many times and never broken anything!” However, the majority were concerned and wanted to know what they could do. We recommended that they contact their physician for follow-up treatment.

Will: I’ve known many runners who have had to hang it up because of various injuries. Doesn’t running pose other risks that aren’t present in cycling? How do runners avoid these debilitating injuries?

PH: Yes, although running-related injury is not my area of expertise, life-long runners often develop joint or soft-tissue problems that are associated with the repetitive impact of running. From a bone-strengthening perspective, however, it doesn’t take much running to achieve the maximal benefit. Unlike most benefits of exercise, more is not better when it comes to bone. This is because the bone becomes refractory after 100 loading cycles (i.e., impacts or foot strikes). Bone recovers after 8 hours of rest and will respond to additional loading. So, from a practical point of view, it makes the most sense to do more short bouts of high-impact activity as opposed to longer bouts less frequently.

Will: Do swimmers have the same risk as cyclist when it comes to bone strength?

PH: We have not studied swimmers, but, yes, we suspect that swimmers would be at increased risk. Swimming, like cycling, does not produce ground reaction forces on the skeleton.

Will: At what age should someone be worried about osteopenia?

PH: The key to prevention of osteopenia or osteoporosis is maximizing peak bone mass during periods of skeletal growth. A normal consequence of aging is loss of bone mass. Thus, the goal during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood is to put as much bone in the bank, so to speak, as possible to minimize the negative consequences of age-related loss. However, unless an individual is at risk, e.g., use of medications that cause bone loss, endocrine disorders, or decreased estrogen, clinically significant bone loss does not typically emerge until after menopause in women and age 70 in men.

Will: How can one find out if they suffer from or are at risk of osteopenia?

PH: They must have their bone density measured. The most accurate assessment is measurement by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Will: Can supplements help minimize risk of osteopenia?

PH: Adequate nutrition, especially calcium and vitamin D, but other nutrients, too, is necessary but not sufficient. In other words, supplemental calcium cannot “make-up” for lack of weight-bearing activity or inadequate estrogen.

Will: What can we expect to see from you next? Are you planning any future studies?

PH: Just last month, we were awarded a 3-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to determine the efficacy of one-year exercise-based intervention to increase bone mass in men with osteopenia. We are going to compare plyometrics (jump-training) and resistance exercise.

Will: Thank you Pam. Your work is very enlightening. I look forward to hearing more about your next project!

Padilla's 60th Mile

Last weekend welcomed a 60 mile run by my good friend Jeff Padilla. Jeff turned 60 years old and decided, in true ultra fasion, that he would run 60 miles to celebrate his entry into the next age group. Friends of Jeff ran with him every step of the way and we all met up with him after the run at his favorite spiritual center, Blackies Bar in Newport Beach. Happy Birthday Jeff! It was great to run and celebrate with you! Click on the video below and enjoy...

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Trail post--Santa Ana Mountains

This is a first for me. Today I'm doing my first overnight, self supported run. I started with a sleeping bag, 134 oz of water (yes, very heavy), some bars and dried fruit, and a few other odds and ends. I sarted at the base of holy jim trail and made it to blue jay, about 14 miles. Running with a full back pack was brutal, but I'll be returning a lot lighter now that half my water has been used, which is more than enough to return. Now I lay under a full moon.

Keep it real!

Trail Post #1

Today I plan to do a first effort with overnight equipment on trail. This is a test to see how posting from the trail via blacberry works. More to come...