Navigation
Sports Medicine
The Three Magic Principles of Performance and Health
By Neil McLaughlin and Ron Kulik
March/April 2009
For the Washington Running Report
Injured patients and runners we coach often ask us what is the magic "key" to improving performance and staying injury free. They wonder how the elite runners manage to train so hard for so long with world-class performances without getting injured while they are falling apart on far less strenuous training. The truth is that there is no magic key, but there are three simple principles that must be followed to achieve these goals. The funny thing is that we are not going to tell you anything you have not heard before, but we will reinforce just how important these simple principles are for health and success.
The first principle is the Hard/Easy Concept. Everyone has heard it, but most runners do not understand what it truly means. Hard running workouts include fartlek runs, tempo runs, hill workouts, track intervals, and long runs. It is amazing to us when we hear an injured runner describe his training schedule and insist he is following the Hard/Easy principle. He will tell us, "I ran a hard hill workout on Saturday but I only ran an easy 18 mile run on Sunday." The fact is, these are two hard efforts, one due to intensity but the other due to distance and time spent. Triathletes can be even more frustrating as they insist the 90-minute spinning workout on the bike the day after the hard track workout was an "easy" day. An easy day in our terminology is a shorter easy aerobic run, a low intensity cross training workout, or a day off.
The second principle involves Recovery. Without proper rest and recovery the body cannot get stronger and improve. When the breakdown process exceeds the build up process, illness or injury will be the result. Not following the first principle above will interfere with recovery. If you are training hard and are not sleeping a restful eight hours a night, you cannot recover from hard efforts adequately. We have had numerous patients over the years with this situation: They claim they are following the hard/easy principle and getting enough rest but then upon further questioning we find they have a retail job that has them standing in high heels for hours a day on hard surfaces. Unless you have significant down time off your feet away from similar situations as described above, you cannot recover from your hard workouts.
Another example is the personal trainer who does not count the time spent working out with clients as additional workouts above and beyond his or her already intense training. You need to look at your overall time and energy expenditure each day to assess whether you are getting adequate rest and recovery. What most runners do not know is that the very elite runners of the world, including the Kenyans and Ethiopians, will take several weeks off from running each year to allow their bodies to recover from the stress of training and racing. Even Michael Phelps took several months off out of the pool after the Olympics to let his body recover from years of hard work. Don't you think your body might also appreciate some down time now and then?
The third principle is Nutrition. Many athletes assume that because they work out so hard they can eat or not eat anything they want. The fact is the breakdown process of training must be met with proper and adequate nutrition so the build up process will lead to greater strength and improved performance. We had one very hard training athlete who thought that drinking water and eating lots of salad was adequate nutrition and could not understand why he continually broke down and got sick. The body requires specified amounts of carbohydrate, protein, fat, and other nutrients to maintain proper metabolism and replenish muscles. The ultimate "window" for this nutrition intake is in the first 30 minutes after running. The longer you wait the less the body is able to absorb the necessary nutrients. One easy trick after a long hard effort is to initially drink water, but within the first 30 minutes have a glass of chocolate milk. It is a very absorbable drink (unless you are lactose intolerant) that has a good balance of carbs, protein, and fat for replenishment. There is a lot more to good nutrition than this short conversation but it points out the fact that a focus on better nutrition is imperative to better performance and staying healthy.
All in all, there is no "magic" solution, just a simple consistent approach over time focusing on the Hard/Easy, Recovery, and Nutrition principles that have been discussed.
Remember that your life outside of running has a big impact that cannot be ignored or it will catch up with you. If you use some foresight, you will not have to depend upon our 20/20 hindsight to discover what went wrong.
Dr. Neil P. McLaughlin, Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician, and Dr. Ronald S. Kulik, Chiropractor, have been evaluating and treating runners in the National Capital area for 17 years. They are also well known for their running and coaching exploits and are sought-after public speakers on topics of health, wellness, and fitness. If interested, please contact them at Commonwealth Chiropractic Center of Reston, or via E-mail.