Why do runners crowd the road shoulder?

 Beep-beep! Road runners (Nope, not the feathered kind.) dash and dart along city streets, county roads, rural highways, and other thoroughfares. We pound the pavement, logging training miles for marathons and more. Frequently, that means we endure honking (and other signals) from motorists, as they roar past us. 

 

For safety reasons, pedestrians (including runners) are supposed to go against traffic.

 Non-runner drivers may wonder why runners often crowd the road shoulder, perhaps even stepping over the line into the actual roadway at times. Quickly, at least 16 reasons come to mind, listed alphabetically.

1. Agricultural equipment – It’s not unusual for rural runners to encounter balers, mowers, planters, plows, sprayers, and other farm tools along the edges of roads that pass farm fields. Short of vaulting over these, joggers have to step sideways to pass them.
2. Broken glass – This is a sticky widget for runners. Who wants to plant a sneaker on someone’s discarded liquor bottle or other glass item?
3. Car parts – Hubcaps, blown tires, and other automotive components clutter roadways. You guessed it: joggers have to steer around them.
4. Chewing gum – Gross! This is a sticky widget for anyone making tracks along a route.
5. Dead stuff – Roadkills are buzzkills for runners. ‘Nuff said.
6. Dog droppings – It’s hard to pick up the pace, if one steps where someone else failed to pick up after pet.
7. Gravel and slippery sand – Got road construction? Navigating such areas in running shoes requires detours, often into the edge of the actual roadway.
8. Ice and snow – Winter runners can bank on it. Snowplows don’t usually clear road shoulders. That puts us right in the path of oncoming drivers, as well as their slushy/salty splashes.
9. Mud – It doesn’t take an unpaved dirt road for a jogger to find mushy mud. And don’t get me started about potholes.
10. Parked cars – This is extra tricky on curvy roads or when drivers park their cars half-in and half-out of driveways. (If I had a nickel …)
11. Pets – Runners appreciate it when pet owners control or otherwise contain their pets. Sometimes pet perimeters extend all the way to the edge of the road. So we might veer away from an excited or seemingly agitated animal.
12. Puddles – Splish-splash, I was taking a run. Wouldn’t you rather step around a puddle than in it? Ask any runner about cranking out miles in soaked sneakers.
13. Ruts – Unkept road shoulders or areas of soft, soggy ground can trip up runners. That puts us in drivers’ path.
14. Tall or thick vegetation – Can you say, “Ticks”? If you’ve ever found an embedded tick after walking or running through unmowed grass or woodsy areas, you get the picture.
15. Toys and bikes – I’m still surprised to see these left along roadways, unless it’s bulk pick-up day.
16. Trash – Whether dumpsters or piles of discards, these send runners sideways to avoid tripping or other surprises.

 Generally, runners do our best to stay out of harm’s way. Most of us are not deliberately trying to interfere with traffic. But sometimes we have to shift our paths a bit.

 Sure, it’s courteous and safer for runners to go in single file, if we’re running along a road. But we still may step into the street, if the shoulder sports hazards. And, of course, runners are supposed to go against traffic, unlike bicyclists and those in/on other wheeled vehicles. It helps when we can see vehicles coming in our direction. But we need drivers to look out for us as well. (Dare I launch into a diatribe about texting and inattentive driving?)

 Maybe that’s why many runners choose to log their miles on trails, rather than roads, whenever possible. Some even stick to walking/biking paths or even sidewalks.

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• Do you plan your run routes?
• Ever change your running route because of creepy people?
• Have you been caught WALKING again?
• Long runs: Shared-track slowdowns don't have to be let-downs
• Outlook optimizes the overcoming of obstacles.
• Power Play: 15 reasons runners often run faster in races than training runs
• Runners: What's the weirdest thing you've ever stepped over on a run?
• Sorry, neighbor. But your dog's gotta stay away from runners.
• Would you stop your run to pick up found money?

 

Image/s: Public domain photo

 

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Can you run with sleep apnea?

 

It’s not exactly sleepwalking.

 Lots of runners find themselves gasping for air after a speedy sprint. Maybe that’s why so many of our finish-line race photos are so comical, or even scary. But what happens when runners (or other folks) experiencing gasping or a struggle for air while sleeping? Doctors call that sleep apnea, and it’s not uncommon among runners.

 

“You can’t have sleep apnea. You’re not fat.”

 My primary-care physician actually said that to me, while I was training for another marathon. “If you can run a marathon, you surely don’t have sleep apnea,” he added.

 My Garmin watch/activity tracker consistently showed respiratory and heart-rate fluctuations and awakenings overnight, during hours when I thought I’d been sleeping.

 

One sleep study later, I was diagnosed.

 Based on that experience, I began researching apnea and running. Here’s what I learned.

 Sleep apnea affects some 10-30 percent of all adults in the US, according to the Sleep Foundation. It’s a sleep disturbance, marked by plentiful nightly episodes of cessation of breathing. These not only affect respiration, but they also increase blood pressure and heart rate, as the body struggles with the lack of oxygen.

 Basically, apnea causes breathing troubles and poor sleep, which domino into all sorts of complications. Apnea sufferers may experience choking or gasping. The lack of quality sleep can cause morning headaches, daytime drowsiness, reduced energy and endurance, slower muscle recovery, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, memory issues, weakened immunities, dramatic snoring, and more. What’s more, apnea increases a person’s risk of heart and brain issues over time.

 Contrary to my own doctor’s pat answer, apnea isn’t restricted to those with excessive weight, although it’s most commonly associated with obesity (and frequently with diabetes). It’s found among those with narrow palates and necks, as well as those with thicker palates and fattier necks. Men are more likely to have it than women, and it’s more often diagnosed in folks aged 50 or older. Not everyone who has apnea actually snores. And it can run in families.

 Once diagnosed, apnea sufferers are generally prescribed CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy, wearing masks with hoses connected to monitored devices.

 

Where does running come into play?

 Exercise has been found to help those with sleep apnea for multiple reasons:

• encouraging cardiovascular health
• gaining lung capacity
• reducing stress (and stress hormones)
• increasing endorphins (How we runners love our endorphins!)
• helping with weight loss
• reducing abdominal and neck fat (common with obstructive sleep apnea)
• improving strength and fitness
• bettering sleep habits

 These benefits combined can help to reduce the severity of sleep apnea effects for lots of people. Of course, sleep apnea experts urge everyone to consult their own physicians before embarking on new or increased exercise programs (including running).

 

Running can be especially helpful with sleep apnea.

 Pounding out a few miles in the great outdoors, while rhythmically breathing fresh, open air, has been lauded as therapeutic for those with sleep apnea. Actually, running or walking can be helpful.

 The trick is to choose an optimum time of day for running (or workouts), while energy and endurance may be as high as possible. For many runners with sleep apnea, that means lacing on sneakers early in the day.

Additional frequent advice for those with sleep apnea focuses on weight loss, healthy diet, good hydration, non-smoking, side sleeping, and regular exercise.

 

Related Items:

• 10 safety questions to ask before going for a run
• How cold is too cold to run outdoors?
• Mixing it up: Cross training adds spice and fitness
• What’s the difference between a runner and a jogger?
• Winter weight: 8 ways to stay trim during the holiday season

 

 Image/s: Creative Commons Licensing, Wikipedia Commons photo

 

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Have you been caught WALKING again?

 

Cue the blush here.

 OK, I’m totally kidding.  But sometimes it feels like that, when a runner is spotted out walking.

 A non-runner might say something like this:

“I saw you out there yesterday, but you were walking.”

 It’s as if we are expected to maintain an all-out sprint the whole time we are out on the trail or the road or the track in our sneakers.

 

It doesn’t really work that way.

 Even elite marathoners begin their jaunts with warmups and end with cool-downs. These may include giant steps, backward steps, lunges, and butt kicks. But they also include walking – plenty of walking.

 And plenty of fitness fanatics walk miles and miles and miles, burning countless calories without ever breaking into a jog. They’re on-the-move for hours, which is almost harder in some ways than running faster for shorter time spans.

 

Walking may be purposeful.

 It usually is exactly that.

 Walking is a primo plan for beginner runners, but also for those who have run countless races and are still committed to practicing physical fitness (perhaps past their primes). Professional trainers and physical therapists prescribe walking for those who are recovering from injuries or long races.

 Additionally, more than a few runners mix walks into their weeks for cross-training, socialization (with other runners and non-running friends), dog-walking, sightseeing, stress relief, or even phone calls on-the-fly.

 Let’s not judge one another, or ourselves, for slower steps.

 

Runners build one another up – at any pace.

 Mostly, the running community acts like a fellowship of mutual encouragement. We say things like “Your race, your pace,” and “You’re lapping everyone who’s at home on the couch.”

 Sure, runners want to become faster. We want to beat our own personal records, racing the clock more than one another. Some of us even want to win race titles – or at least place in our age brackets.

 But we generally enjoy waving at each other (at the run or the walk). We salute one another for getting out there and cranking out the miles, from 5Ks to ultras. We “like” each other’s online posts. We basically celebrate running, hoping to inspire anyone who’s getting up and trying.

 

So why do we almost apologize for walking?

 We act like we’ve been caught in a crime when another runner catches us walking. We trip up into a trot when we approach race cameras (if we spot them). We jump into a jog when a car comes along, if our routes take us on the roadway. We pick up the pace when another runner (or even a walker) approaches.

 Why are we embarrassed to practice a slower pace?

 

There’s no shame in walking.

 All miles count. And just by stepping out there, we are all burning calories, building endurance, improving our cardio condition, and doing the distance. All that makes us stronger … and yes, faster.

 

Related Items:

·        Long runs: Shared-track slowdowns don't have to be let-downs

·        Long runs: Sometimes ya just gotta walk a bit

·        Mixing it up: Cross training adds spice and fitness

·        Some training runs are simply dreadful

·        Walking works wonders for warmups and workouts

•   What’s the difference between a runner and a jogger?

 

 Image/s: public domain photo

Feel free to follow Runderdog on Twitter, as well as Run Run Run in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois (Runderdog Runs the Midwest) on Facebook. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.

Marathon recovery: Did I race again too soon?

Marathon experts and running gurus trumpet the value of post-race resting. Lots of them urge runners to take time off, perhaps calling for one day of rest for every mile (or five miles) they ran in the big race. Some advocate reverse tapering, with athletes gradually increasing their distances (and speeding up their paces again). Others simply suggest easing up a bit for a while and listening to one’s own body.

Toss MS into the mix, and well ... I probably should heed that advice better.  But sometimes it's worth the risk.

Oops.

I kind of got off-track recently, while recovering from the Chicago Marathon, which took place nearly three weeks ago.

My intentions were good. I skipped my morning-after weight training class. I eased up on my training mileage for the following week or two.

Then I headed to Washington, DC, with friends.

I’d signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon 10K, rather than the full 26.2, acknowledging that my body still needed some recovery time from the Chicago race. 

But things didn’t exactly go that way. And I’m honestly glad they didn’t.

Marine Corps race day arrived, along with crazy-heavy rains and strong winds that overflowed puddles and the Potomac River.  Runners slogged through ankle-deep (and higher) waters to follow the race course. It was a mess. Then the sun came out, bringing system-shocking humidity.

Runners were dropping like flies. Skilled, well-trained, fit runners climbed (or were loaded) into rescue vehicles.

Two friends and I completed the 10K and then checked in electronically on two others, who were slugging their way through their first-ever full marathon. One was tired and hurting around the midway point. She’d come back from major surgery (with complications), but she wouldn’t let any of that stop her from doing the marathon.

We 10Kers jogged to the nearest subway stop and made our way to that friend’s next mile marker on the marathon course. Once we spotted her, we tucked our 10K finishers’ medals into our shirts (to keep them from beating our chests) and fell into step with her to offer some encouragement for a mile or two.

The other back-of-packers at that point didn’t seem to mind our company, either.

We shared our goos and pickle juice and other snacks (along with shoulder taps and words of encouragement) with total strangers, as we all trudged along together. I handed one lady a tiny snack bag, with just 4-5 pretzels left in it, and she actually hugged me.

We made it to the final bridge, a dreaded gauntlet, not long before many later runners were swept off the course into buses. We outran the final pickup bus and passed the final turn-off, sharing a cheering roar with fatigued runners all around us.

But we didn’t stop there.

We actually ran almost a half marathon, accompanying our intrepid friend all the way to the start of the marathon finish line chute, before veering off to let her conquer the final battle alone and receive her well-earned finisher’s medal.

Our two marathon-entry friends completed their first 26.2 races. The other three of us totaled about 19 miles, between the two races, although only 6.2 officially counted.

All in all, the day was worthy of true celebration.

Today I’m a little tired. That was more than I ought to have done, so soon after my own full marathon in Chicago. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. The glow on our friend’s face, as she beat the marathon dragon at his own game, was well worth it.

My next race is just under two weeks out. It’s a 10K. And I promise I will leave it at that.

Images:

Public domain image.

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