Five weeks to go to Comrades 2014! You have done all the training and it is now time to taper and sharpen 
yourself for the big race. Make sure you are all sleeping enough and maintain your immunity. Visualize the race at every opportunity you have. 
 
Identify one or two short races and run them at 30 seconds faster than your anticipated Comrades pace. If 
you haven’t done any speed training, take it easy so that you do not injure yourself.  You can still do hill repeats on a Monday with the club and two Klapperkop runs on a Sunday just to get the final heat exposure you need. We have the Wally race on Thursday – please come and support/run this well-organised event. The Jackie Mekler 25 km run should be an easy run though. 

Please support the training sessions organised by the club. 
 
Happy running. 
Coach Rossouw

With Comrades in mind, the run on the Easter week-end was our last real long run – we are now going to start tapering in distance with the Magnolia run (45 or 30 km) the last official longish run.

Make sure you are all sleeping enough and maintain your immunity. Visualize the race at every opportunity you have. In two weeks’ time we will start with speed training to ensure that you all peak 1 June! Please support the training sessions organized by our club. 

Happy running!

Coach Rossouw

Introduction

Muscle cramps are disabling, involuntary spasms that may occur during training or racing, most often in the large muscles of the lower leg, although they can occur anywhere. Some runners or walkers will always get cramps provided they run/walk far enough while others are almost never affected. Cramping due to exertion tend to occur in runners/walkers who run/walk further or faster than they do in training.

Free radical production during exercise (or due to excessive lactic acid build up) may contribute to muscle fatigue, possibly leading to muscle cramps.

What can you do?

Risk factors for cramping may include older age, higher body mass index, longer running/walking history, no stretching, and a genetic inclination to cramping (family history). Exercise-related activities viz. hard running/walking, muscle fatigue, hills, and long-distance running/walking also contribute to the development of cramps. The following can however reduce the risk of cramping:

• Do more training, especially long distance runs if you run/walk marathons and longer races. On race day, running/walking faster or farther than you have trained will overwhelm your muscles making them more susceptible to cramps.
• Do not run/walk too fast early in the race.
• Adequate pre-race stretching is very important provided that you normally do stretch.
• Attention to adequate fluid (take note that an excessive fluid intake may dilute the amount of sodium in the blood (hyponatraemia) which could lead to cramping), and carbohydrate replacement before and during exercise. It is important to stay well hydrated since it may lessen the severity of the cramps.
• If you cramp while you are sleeping it may be due to a relative magnesium deficiency. Take a magnesium supplement to rectify the deficiency and take a magnesium/calcium supplements on a regular basis. There are also different formulations on the market specially formulated to prevent cramping. Experiment with these and see which one works for you.
• Take on a regular base a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement rich in antioxidants to keep the free radicals in check.
• Take a supplement that is capable of buffering lactic acid during training or racing.
• The most effective form of prevention for cramps is to undertake a regular stretching programme that focuses especially on the muscles that are prone to cramp during exercise.

Treatment

Even if you take the necessary precautions, cramps may still strike. To prevent injury to the muscle, stop running/walking immediately and stretch the affected muscle. Stretching helps relax the spasm; you may however have to stop and stretch a number of times before the cramp abates. In order to provide relief, apply deep pressure at the site of the cramp by pressing with your fingers into the affected muscle and hold for 10 to 15 seconds. Icing the area may also be of benefit.

It is also important to drink a fluid with electrolytes - sports drinks that contain electrolytes can help resolve cramps as well as prevent them. About an hour or two before the run/walk take 450 ml of fluid and then between 150 and 350 ml every 15 to 20 minutes during the run.

When you start cramping, slow down for a while. If the muscle is sensitive after the race use an anti-inflammatory, ice and rest.

REFERENCES

1. Schwellnus, M.P. 1999. Skeletal muscle cramps during exercise. Physician and Sportsmedicine, 27   (November): 109-115.
2. Noakes, T. 2001. Lore of Running, Fourth Edition. Oxford University Press Southern Africa, Cape         Town.

Coach Rossouw

Recovery time after an event is largely determined by the training done in preparation for the event, the intensity of the event itself and nutrition following the event. Scientific research suggests that intensive physical exercise, acting as a potent stress stimulus, suppresses the immune system in the two-week period (‘open window period’) following prolonged endurance exercise. Although sports people training for an endurance event may be at an increased risk for upper respiratory tract infections during heavy training cycles, they must train intensively to compete successfully. The question therefore arises, what can you do about the effects of heavy training and the event itself on your immune system?
 
With current lifestyles e.g. very intensive training, fussy eaters, fatty diets, vegetarian diets etc. it is essential to have adequate nutritional support to complement the diet of every individual. The digestive system prepares the food we eat for use within the body; vitality is dependent on an active and regular digestive system - for an athlete this ‘petrol tank’ is of utmost importance. For this reason everyone is supplementing their diets with amongst others vitamins, minerals and amino acids. It is true that many of the vitamins and minerals play an important role in metabolism, recovery from exercise and injuries and adaptation by acting as co-factors in important reaction in these processes.

Nutrition experts have set a Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for most of the vitamins. A diet that provides less than the RDA for a vitamin is not necessarily deficient in that vitamin because a large safety margin has been set. However, if the diet constantly supplies less than 70% of the RDA, the diet ought to be changed to overcome the deficiency.

Antioxidants are natural substances which act as reducing agents trapping free radicals (which cause cellular damage and aging), thus preventing their harmful effects on the body. Antioxidants have been scientifically proven to lessen muscle tissue damage during exercise and may therefore speed up recovery. It has also been proven that antioxidant supplementation is indispensable for sports people during altitude training.

Eating for recovery is a very important, but often neglected, practice. The body needs two major nutrients after a workout: carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates restock fuel stores and protein helps repair any muscle damage. Research indicates that proper nutrition within two hours after an endurance event can greatly enhance recovery. To give the restoration of muscle fuel stores a "kick start", about 1g carbohydrate per kg body weight should be consumed as soon as possible after the training session/competition/heat. The snack (50 - 100g) can be in liquid or solid form and should be repeated every two hours until you eat your first mixed meal.

Examples of 50g carbohydrate snacks (Burke, 1998)

• 250ml of a carbo-loader supplement 
• 250 - 300ml of a liquid meal supplement
• 800 - 1000ml of a sports drink

• 50g packet of jelly beans or boiled sweets

• Three medium pieces of fruit

• A large Bar One

• One sports bar

Massaging the aching muscles after the event can also aid recovery by increasing blood flow to the muscles and removing by-products.

Rest enhances the recovery process, reduces risk of injury, and invests in future performance. To replace depleted glycogen stores completely, the muscles may need several days of rest with no exercise and a high-carbohydrate diet. So do the right thing and rest, you sure earned it!

References:                                                                       
Burke L. 1998. Food for sports performance – peak nutrition for your sport. 2nd ed. Australia: Allen & Unwin.