Ask an Expert
Welcome to our Ask an Expert Page
We invite you to send your running related questions our way and we will seek out an answer for you. Send your questions to us at brainsport@brainsport.ca and we will forward them to some of the experts we are lucky to work with. We will then post your question and answer here as well as sending you their comments if there are details that are personal and perhaps too individualized for the website.
Our resources include;
Brad Spokes
Brad is a Certified and Licensed Physiotherapist and Acupuncurist practising at ZONE SPORTS PHYSIOTHERAPY. He is a Physiotherapy consultant of the Saskatoon Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Centre, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a Certified Specialist in the Prevention of Running Injuries, 2004 Saskatchewan Triathlon Men's Provincial Champion, and the Educational Co-ordinator for the BRAINSPORT Running Clinics.
TIMES ARTICLES from Brad
HILL TRAINING FINDING TIME TO RUN
EXERTIONAL HEADACHES ILLIOTIBIAL BAND FRICTION SYNDROME
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AT ZONE SPORTS PHYSIOTHERAPY
Contact ZONE for current offerings.
Heather Hynes
Heather is a Registered Dietitian and Sport Nutrition Consultant with the Sports Science and Medicine Council of Saskatchewan. Heather obtained her undergraduate degree from the U of S College of Pharmacy and Nutrition in 2002 and completed her Master's degree in 2009. With the Sport Medicine and Science Council of Saskatchewan she conducts the Dairy Farmers of Saskatchewan sports nutrition high school education program. She conducts the nutrition education sessions for the BRAINSPORT running and walking clinics in Saskatoon. She is also available to work with the general population doing presentations on healthy weight loss and proper eating for endurance and strength training.
Dr. Kevin Sutton
Kevin is a Chiropractor practising out of the Second Ave. Family Chiropractic Centre and Pro-Sport Rehab and Fitness. He has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, Bachelor of Education, and is a Doctor of Chiropractic. Kevin is a regular at Wednesday night Running Club and usually leads the advanced running group. He is an accomplished runner and triathlete with many years experience in sport. He has been involved in many sports as a participant, coach, official, and health care provider. He is even F.I.S.T. certified for bike fitting! He says he is "happy to be of some assistance in making your active lifestyle as enjoyable as possible".
Brad, Heather, and Kevin all have long been associated with BRAINSPORT and Running Club. The above bios are abbreviated versions of their many accomplishments. We are lucky to have them as resources to our members.
Along with the above, we have a strong background of running experience amongst our staff who can help answer your questions as well.
Qustion #5 is for Heather
This question is for Heather or Brad. I've have been taking an Omega 3-6-9 supplement
for some time now (in capsules). I believe that I benefit from it. We have had a running argument (lately) about which supplement is better: Omega 3 or Omega 3-6-9?
Tks.
db
Ps. I've tried, but couldn't stomach Udo's oil. (no matter what I mix it with).
A.
Health Canada recommends 1.1-1.6 grams of ALA each day. To follow a healthy diet, eat at least 2 servings of fish per week which provides an average of about 0.3- 0.45 grams of EPA or
DHA per day.Heather
Question #4 is for Brad
You recently spoke about injury prevention at a running clinic session. During your discussion you mentioned that the long run should not be more than 33% of our weekly running mileage. You also mentioned some other percentages, i.e. speed work vs total mileage. Could you give us those numbers again?
A. 1) Increasing your volume too quickly
Your body enjoys slow gradual progressions. I think everyone has heard of the 10% rule when increasing your training volume. A safer rule of thumb that I use with my athletes is to increase their training volume by 7% per week. This allows for the progressive overload that is needed to boost the athlete's fitness, but more importantly aids in the athletes ability to absorb the training. My philosophy is "It isn't how much training you do but how much training you absorb". Also remember that volume=duration x intensity x frequency.
2) Too much hard running
An appropriate training program should include no more than 20% of the total mileage done at a high intensity. When increasing your intense running, increase by no more than 3%/week to allow for proper adaptation. Speed and interval work are cornerstones to a successful build up to your key event, but too much can push an athlete over the edge. The amount of speed and interval work an athlete should do is dependent on the athlete's history and background in running.
3) Too long of a long run
Many athletes' long run comprises too much of their weekly mileage. To ensure you recover properly from your long run, make sure it is not greater than 33% of your total weekly mileage. If your long run is greater than 33% of your weekly mileage, your recovery will be slowed due to the excessive muscular breakdown that occurs because fatigue sets in. With my high volume athletes we limit the long run to 20-25% of their total weekly volume. In preparing for a marathon you only need 6 quality long runs to maximize your aerobic potential. The long run should be built up to 2.5 hours, and no longer for the age-group athlete that plans to run a 3 hour+ marathon. Running longer than 2 hours depletes your glycogen stores and causes excessive eccentric muscle damage. both of which slow the rate of recovery. If you are a sub 3 hour marathoner, build up to 2 hours or 32 K which ever comes first.
Question #3 is for Brad
I recognize the need for a day off for recovery but working and training for Ironman distance takes a lot of time commitment. Does a 24 hour break between workouts count as a day off? Example, I swam yesterday at 8AM and then today did a 20 min spin and 20 min of Bowflex. Then run club tomorrow morning and then swim the next morning. Can/should I work out 7 days a week as long as there are 24 hours recovery between or do I need to take at least one day/ week with no training at all?
A. Good question! If you are under the age of 30 then yes you can use those guidelines and space out workouts by 24 hours to get in a complete day of recovery. If over 30 you need one complete day off per week if you work full time. If you are 45 I recommend 2 days full days off (or at least one complete day off plus another 24 hr window between training sessions). This recovery will maximize your training time instead of building a big hole of fatigue. It isn't about the amount of training you can do but the amount of training you can absorb.
Question #2 is also for Heather
Kendrick asked "what are some foods that naturally act as anti-inflammatories? This is to help some tendinitis heal".
A. Here is a list of anti-inflammatory foods:
Fish (salmon, tuna, cod, halibut, etc) for fish, it’s recommended that we consume 2 servings per week (1 serving = 2 ½ oz. cooked fish)
Nuts and seeds (remember that ¼ cup = 1 serving), Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc.), tomatoes, numerous vegetables (broccoli, sweet potatoes, peppers, cauliflower, kale, spinach, etc.), green tea, black tea.
Our first question goes to Heather.
Q. I have a question for 'Ask an Expert'. I am currently training for a half marathon and have run a couple of other halves so I am doing long runs of 9 miles (90 minutes) and up. A side effect of the long runs seems to be that I tend get grouchy later in the day. My feeling is it has something to do with either diet (ie eat better the day before or afterwards) or being tired but I don't necessarily need to sleep. Does this happen to anyone else?
Grouchy on Saturdays
A. It's important to increase your intake of carbohydrates on the days before a long training run and following the workout. You might find that your mood is improved by having a couple more servings of fruits and 1 more serving of grain products on the Friday before the workout. Also, make sure that you recover quickly from your Saturday workout by having 50 to 100 grams of carbohydrates and 10-20 grams of protein within the first 15 to 30 minutes after the workout.
