Runner up – Last Rites

This story was voted 3rd place in the First Person Fortnight competition. You can read the winning story here.

Last Rites, written by Mark Vorenkamp.

The once brilliant blonde hair was nearly all gone and what remained had turned grey-white. The fit physique of a country-boy had become the ponch of an older man in the age of easy divorce and fast food. The boyish charm and easy smile of long ago had been replaced by a pleading look and a slight quiver at the edges of his mouth.
How I hated him.
We had met a lifetime before, 1953, before civil rights, in a small town in the Deep South where even today crosses are burned in front yards and “good old boys” were the celebrated norm. I had the misfortune of having been born there. I walked an hour every morning to the small run-down school in the next town while my neighbors climbed into school busses and rode in comfort to the new brick structure standing as a monument in the center of town. That particular day I had been running late, having stayed after school to finish my work in one of the dozen communal-textbooks shared between the three classes of senior math. I had no choice but to take a short cut through a local farm to get to the elementary school before my brother and sister were released. They weren’t allowed to walk themselves back to town. Read More

Running up – Evidence based tips for runners to avoid injury

With the beginning of a new year come new goals, many which include starting a new exercise program or setting new goals in existing programs. Runners often set goals of running a certain mileage (ie marathon), or goals of a personal best time. Here I’ve compiled some tips for runners to avoid injury when starting a new running program, this is how fit after 50 works.

1. Plan well in advance to allow for adequate training time.

Preparing for a run requires time. Repeated studies have found that rapid increases in running distance, speed, the introduction of hills, etc will increase your risk of injury.^1,2

One can follow the 10% rule when increasing training volume to minimize one’s risk of the following injuries: patellofemoral pain (runner’s knee), iliotibial band syndrome, medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints), patellar tendinopathy (jumper’s knee), greater trochanteric bursitis, and injury to the gluteus medius or tensor fascia latae ³ How long you need to train depends on the race and your fitness level. Visit gobiofit.com for more detailed information about dietary supplements.

2. Include strength training.

There is no evidence to suggest that concurrent strength training impedes running ability. Results of a 2017 study show that runners who also do strength training improve their efficiency of running, strength and speed.^4,5 Strengthening may also help prevent injuries. Check this
resurge review.

3. Include slow runs in your training.

Total training time spent at low intensities is associated with improved performance.⁶

Elite runners typically spend about 80% of their training below their ventilatory threshold – that’s below 77-79% of their maximum heart rate. You can calculate your ventilatory threshold using the following formula:  V=(220 – age)x 0.77 in beats per minute. Its also at about the point where you can run and still have a conversation.