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Cup of joe. “Go-go” juice. Java, mud, bean juice, or whatever you like to call it, coffee or at least some kind of caffeine has a long history with humankind and endurance. No joke. Because of its widespread availability in many plant species, historians posit humans may have consumed some kind of caffeine tens of thousands of years ago.

Certainly, our stone age ancestors were far from baristas. But it’s easy to imagine how the discovery of a plant, root, or flower that provided heightened focus and decreased fatigue might find some utility. Caffeine has fueled tribal hunts and ancient rituals to the rise of empires and the revolutions percolating their demise. From all-night cram sessions to long drives, from marathons to Monday mornings; caffeine has been civilization’s constant co-pilot.

Is caffeine necessarily “good” for you?

There’s actually no nutritional need for caffeine. Our bodies don’t store it, and yes we can have too much of it or even develop an unhealthy tolerance to it. (Just try and engage with any “coffee person” before that first cup in the morning.) We won’t even wade into the energy drink space here, but when used properly, caffeine can provide some performance and recover benefits for runners and athletes of all kinds.

Dr. Christopher Felton is a Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician with Novant Health. He’s also a runner and fan of HIIT workouts. He says caffeine can improve endurance performance and short-term, high-intensity exercise. Caffeine is a stimulant which speeds the signals between our brain and body. Our pulse rate quickens, our airways open up, blood flow increases to our muscles, our focus sharpens… in short, we’re fired-up and ready for rock!

Timing is everything.

To get the most bang for your caffeinated buck, Dr. Felton points to studies on endurance athletes that show 45-minutes to an hour prior to your run or activity is the best time to consume caffeine. Since caffeine can stimulate other bodily functions, like bowel movements, this should provide for plenty for time for things to literally run their course.

For extended efforts, long training runs or races, additional doses may give you a second wind. Gels, blocks, chews, or even a few swallows of soda can serve up enough caffeine to get you to the finish. Be mindful of how much caffeine each product contains, and experiment with your tolerance levels during training.

How much caffeine is right for me?

Caffeine tolerance is a very personal thing. Your size, weight, and metabolism all play a part in caffeine’s effects on your body, as does your routine caffeine consumption. A regular, daily coffee drinker may require several cups to get the same jolt as an occasional user.

Less than 3mg/kg of body weight (or about 200mg) of caffeine before, during, and after exercise has shown benefits without negative effects, adds Dr. Felton.

Here’s the quick math: 200mg of caffeine is about two (2) 8-ounce cups of drip coffee, one (1) 5-Hour Energy, one (1) 16-ounce can of most energy drinks, or two (2) energy gels. Note: most sodas get their punch from the sugar content, not their caffeine content.

Naturally, there’s a dark side.

Pardon the coffee pun, but there is a yin and yang to everything. And that includes the potential performance boosts that caffeine can provide. Too much caffeine can cause increased heart rate, heart palpitations, headaches, gastrointestinal upset, nervousness, mental confusion, inability to focus, and disturbed sleep.

Caffeine is also a diuretic, which means it will make you have to pee. And here’s a little more math. All that extra pee means you’re flushing essential nutrients faster than normal. That’s food for thought, particularly in warmer weather and extended efforts when salts and minerals are at a premium.

Bottom line here. Caffeine can provide safe, performance benefits when consumed at the right time and in the right quantiles. Take time to see what works best for you, and ask your doctor if you have questions or concerns about caffeine and its impact on your health.

Hydration can be a polarizing topic, not just with runners, or the workout community, but the entire population. We hear things like 8 cups a day, but that doesn’t make sense since everyone is different. You may have heard that you should start drinking when you are thirsty, but that may be too late. What about drinking constantly? That’s also probably not the healthiest option.

It’s just water! When did it become so complicated? Well not anymore!

The RunCharlotte Team was able to sit down with Dr. Christopher Felton from Novant Health to pick his brain about how we should hydrate, and maybe take some of the mystery out of one of the most important aspects of healthy living!

 Now, let’s get into this hydration thing!

Interview

How much water should the average person drink on an ordinary day?

According to the Institute of Medicine, on average 3.7 liters for men, and 2.7 liters for women. They go on to say that about 3L (13 cups) for men and 2 liters for women (9 cups), should be from liquids. The other amount can be from water intake through foods, like fruits and vegetables. So be sure if you aren’t eating foods with high water content that you drink more to compensate.

How much MORE water do runners require?

It all depends! Water intake for runners can be dependent on the climate, the exercise duration, and the exercise intensity, and thus can vary from person to person. However, some general tips would include:

• 2-4 hours before exercise you should already be thinking about hydrating for your run. Consider about 500mL (17 fluid oz) of water or sport beverage. This will allow your body enough time to optimize hydration and get rid of any excess water before your workout.
• Drink fluids during exercise when thirsty and at a rate that does not fill up your stomach. Overall, runners want to avoid losing more than 2% of body weight in a single exercise bout. This is obviously hard to gauge mid run, but drinking the second you become thirsty should work as a good rule of thumb.
• After exercise, your body should let you know to eat and drink to replace lost water and calories. However, excessive dehydration can be replenished by consuming 16-24 oz of fluid for every pound of body weight lost during exercise.
• Don’t forget that adding salty foods to meals or snacks will help your body retain fluid and replace electrolytes lost as well.

 Can you bank hydration, or does any “extra” water we drink just end up being passed through our system?

It might not be a great idea. Hyper hydration is discouraged, as this only increases the need for runners to urinate during competition or exercise. It also has not been shown to provide greater performance advantage over maintaining balanced hydration. So there isn’t any benefit to that fourth Gatorade unless you really need it.

If feeling thirsty is really a sign that we’re already dehydrating, what other signs should we look for?

Signs of dehydration can include muscle cramps, muscle fatigue, decreased performance, or dizziness. More severe signs include dry mouth, urinating less, darker urine, confusion, and lethargy. The goal is to either catch dehydration very early or not experience it at all by using your training runs to practice hydration.

We see a LOT of people with those 3 gallon water jugs. Is that necessary? Should we be drinking that much? Is that too much water?

Drinking a total of 3 gallons of water per day is not necessary. (We know we just lost a few readers.) This far exceeds the recommended average intake. However, intake is also dependent on your exercise duration, intensity, and environmental conditions. If you are exercising more and sweating more, then your water replacement needs can be greater. But for the average person, no you don’t need that much water.

Any tips on making sure we get enough water?

• Drink when you’re thirsty and with meals
• Utilize other fluid options to diversify, including milk, tea, broth
• Avoid sodas and alcohol, as these can cause more urination, plus adds extra calories to your meals
• Utilize fruits and vegetables in your diet. This increases water intake too!
• Add flavor to your water, like lemon or lime juice to make it more palatable.
• Keep a water bottle with you throughout your day.

Wrap-Up

Phew, is anyone else getting thirsty? Time to hydrate! Now you have the knowledge to stay well hydrated all day so that you can perform to the best of your ability in your training runs and races. We can’t thank Dr. Felton enough for taking the time to talk to us about hydration and how to make sure we don’t under or over do it. Hopefully you feel like a perfectly hydrated future has been demystified and is now well within your reach. If not maybe go back and write some of Dr. Felton’s tips down so you can try them on your next training run.

Picture it! Race day is here! You’ve done your training, watched your diet, and slept well. You get to the start line and everything is looking great. Cut to 20mins into the race and your stomach feels ready to explode. All you can think about is running to the next aid station and hoping that they have a Port-a-Potty.

Runner’s trot, bubble guts, indigestion, or upset stomach, whatever you call it, can ruin a race just as easily as wearing the wrong pair of shoes. While it might be impossible to eliminate it fully what if we could lower the chances of it happening again? Well, we interviewed Dr. Keith Anderson from Novant Health to get his thoughts on keeping your stomach in check for your upcoming training runs and races.

 These credentials are more than enough for use to take his word, but if you still needed some convincing Dr.Anderson has also trained for and completed an Ironman race. So when you get advice from Dr. Anderson you can trust that it is not just a theory. He has been exactly where you are.

 Without further adieu let’s talk Runner’s Trot with Dr. Keith Anderson.

What is Runner’s Trot?

This term can mean different things to different people.  Some runners refer to this as the urge to use the bathroom once they have started running. Others are referring to having diarrhea while running.

What is happening in our bodies when we start to feel the dreaded runner’s trot?

The urge to have a bowel movement is typically triggered because stool has moved through the intestines and is now in the rectum, the terminal part of the digestive tract.  This tells the body that it is time to go!

What Causes Runner’s Trot?

This is typically caused by ongoing or increased digestion while running.  Digestion can be increased through several different mechanisms, including cortisol release, bouncing of the organs while running, and change in blood flow to the digestive tract.

Other causes include:

• Dehydration and Overhydration
• Eating too close to the start of your run
• Anxiety and Stress
• Even tight clothing

 Are certain foods more likely to cause stomach issues?

Certain foods and drinks can also contribute. It might be best to avoid high-fiber, spicy, high-fat foods and caffeine before a race. Fructose has also been known to cause problems in some athletes.

What should we eat the day before? Not eat the day before?

Most importantly, try and find foods that work for you.  Practice with different foods the night before a long run and if they are successful eat those the night before a race.

We’ve also found that eating at least 2hrs before strenuous physical activity will reduce the likelihood of runner’s trot.

 

Does carb loading help or hurt?

It depends on the person. But you should absolutely avoid overdoing it the day before which can add to GI distress.

 Are certain sports drinks or nutrition more likely to cause us stomach issues?

Each person needs to find out what works for them. Some runners don’t do as well with fructose. When you train, ensure that you are testing things for yourself because your friends have the best intentions, but what works for them might send you sprinting for a bathroom.

What do we do if we start having stomach problems in the middle of a race, but still want to perform well?

Sip water. Slow down for a bit. Go poop. Plain and simple! You might think that stopping in a race will ruin your PR, but you may end up saving time overall.

Wrap-Up

We all know the feeling when the Runner’s Trot starts to sneak up on us. But now you also know how to take some control over it! As Dr. Anderson noted in his interview, there is never going to be a surefire way to prevent it but with a few simple tips, we can all have more races without the fear of Runner’s Trot.

 

 

Phone, Keys, Watch, Wallet, Headband… Ready to Run! Oh wait, we almost forgot the Headphones! For some of us, headphones and a good playlist are just as important to a run as shoes and socks. But is there any method to the madness? What songs help us get in the zone and have great workouts? Does picking the right music really matter? Of course it does!

We know there is some debate among runners as to whether or not running should involve music (really any technology) or not but we know that the right song can add something to your workouts. Your performance in your easy runs, speedwork, long runs, and races can all be improved with a killer playlist.

Science of BPM

It’s impossible to talk about working out with music without mentioning BPM. BPM stands for beats per minute and it is one of the most important things to consider when you are picking songs for your playlist. The higher the BPM the faster you will take steps to stick with the beat, which can help you maintain a faster cadence. The opposite is also true.

So if you are hoping to push your pace with a fast cadence, faster songs are for you. This means for the slower runs something with a slower BPM will help you keep your pace in check.

Music for Every Run

Easy Runs (Approx. BPM: 120 to 140)

It’s easy to think running faster is always better, especially if you are training for a race, or to set a PR. But just like your speedwork,  you have to respect the pace of easier runs too. For these runs you’ll want to pick music with a BPM around 130bpm.

In general, these will be genres like Jazz, Punk, Rock, and Hip-Hop.

Speedwork (Approx. BPM: >150)

Heart Rate, Cadence, and BPM should all be high for these workouts! Keeping your songs above 150 BPM will keep your leg turnover quick and can even help you maintain the pace once you’ve found the rhythm.

For these runs we suggest Rap, Hype Music, Metal, and Dubstep.

Long Runs (Approx. BPM: <130, or alternative)

Slow and steady wins this race. The name of the game here is keeping that heart rate low and just maintaining it over a long period of time. When you are creating this playlist you should think about the kinds of music that you can listen to for an hour or more. Keep the BPMs as low as you can though so you don’t start picking up the pace in the middle of your run.

We suggest Reggae, Pop, and R&B for a great long run vibe.

Bonus: When it comes to the long run (depending on how fast you are running) it can be difficult to find music slow, and interesting enough to hold your attention so for these we also recommend audiobooks and podcasts. Check out some of our podcast recommendations below!

Running On Podcasts

Races (Approx. BPM: ???)

Race day can be very exciting for some of us, but for others the nerves might take over as soon as we get to the start line. For your race, choose music that you like the most and won’t get your heart beating out of your chest. It is important to remember your race day goals and choose your playlist accordingly. For example, your 5K PR race will have a very different playlist than your first attempt at an ultramarathon.

We suggest thinking through your race and what kind of music you will need for a conservative start, powering through the middle, and sprinting to the finish line. But it all depends on how you want to run your race!

Wrap Up

Using the BPM of a song to help you maintain your pace and effort levels can be a great running hack and may also help you through some of the harder or more boring miles.

The great thing about listening to music on your runs is that you get to experiment and figure out exactly what BPM, artists, and genres work for you. After all the testing you might even find out that you prefer audiobooks, podcasts, or even no music for your runs so you can hear the natural world. Now it’s time to get out there and do some testing.

Phone, Key, Watch, Wallet, Headband…. HEADPHONES!

You did it! You committed to training for the big race. We all know that the training is the hardest part of any race and the commitment to those weekend runs, that just get longer and longer, is where real runners are made.

But now that you are running those longer runs consistently, you are probably starting to really feel them. That full-body soreness and complete exhaustion from pushing your body past where it thought it couldn’t go are what we love about the sport right? We’ve been there, we get it, and the Charlotte Marathon Ambassadors have got some tips on how to treat yourself and “treat yourself” after you finish those really tough long runs.

The Essentials

• Hydration and Refueling – If you do nothing else in this entire article, Rehydrate and Refuel. Even if you feel great after your run your body is running on adrenaline and good vibes and those will quickly start to fade if you don’t start intaking some calories and hydrating liquids!
• Stretching – Your muscles have been through a lot today. Whether this was your first time running the distance or you are used to it, stretching them after is crucial if you want to recover faster and continue performing at your peak. The Ambassadors are partial to adding foam rolling and the percussive massage guns to the mix.
• Shower/ Change Clothes – This one probably doesn’t need much explanation, but just in case, we decided to leave it in. And hygienically speaking, getting out of those wet clothes can limit the time moisture-loving bacteria and fungi have to set up shop.
• First Aid – With all of the adrenaline and good vibes we mentioned earlier, it might be easier than you think to ignore any injuries or issues that have popped up as a result of your long run. Take a quick once over of any injury-prone areas.

Advanced Recovery

Let’s take the recovery to the next level with technology specifically designed to help you recover faster so you can train harder. You may not need these options if you are a more casual runner, but regardless of where you are in your running journey you can benefit from them.

• Compression Calf Sleeves and Socks – These tighter-than-average socks and sleeves provide all-over support for tired muscles. Unlike regular socks, compression stockings, sleeves, or socks use stronger elastics to create significant pressure on the legs, ankles, and feet to speed recovery.
• Massage Guns – Battery-operated or rechargeable massage “guns” are handheld devices that use vibration or percussion to massage irritated muscles. They’re great for use on large, bulky muscle groups, like your quads, hamstrings, glutes, calf, and upper trap muscles.
• Cryotherapy – Ambassador Bekah Eljoundi swears by the cryo tank. If you can handle the cold, this is a great way to relieve pain and swelling after a particularly hard run. Not to mention it is a very quick way to cool off!
• Pneumatic Compression Boots – Intermittent pneumatic compression boots use cuffs around the legs that fill with air and squeeze your legs. This increases blood flow through the veins of your legs and helps prevent blood clots. Totally worth it.

Socializing

Some of us may need to be alone after a long run but others, especially those that like to do their long runs with a club or group might socialize as part of their recovery. We all know that carbs taste better when we eat them together! And of course you have to let all of your social media followers know that you are still on your training schedule.

• Brunch – Brunch is always a good idea, but going to brunch with your running partners can also benefit your training. Having a post run brunch with your training partners ensures that you begin your refueling earlier and also have time to debrief on the finer points of the run while they are still fresh in your mind. Ambassador Lissa Nypaver says, “Brunch is life after a long run.”
• Social Media – We all know that social media can have its problems, especially when it comes to comparing your life or workouts with those of the people you follow. But it can also be used as a source of inspiration and support. A great digital community will hold you accountable and encourage you to keep reaching your goals! Ambassador Marty Flores says that it is kind of like you didn’t go running if you don’t share it on social media. 😉

Feeling a Sense of Accomplishment for the Rest of the Weekend

Probably the most important “treat” you can give yourself is the well-deserved acknowledgment that you went out there and did your long run. It may not have been your best long run ever, but you, yes YOU, decided to go do a long run instead of pushing it back to tomorrow, or next week. Congratulations, you deserve to tell people all about it at work on Monday too!

Wrap-Up

You are training to reach your goals and the long run is a big part of that training, one of the most essential parts actually! Just finishing those runs is a big accomplishment and with any luck, this article has given you a few ideas on how to treat yourself and “treat yourself” after a long run.