Athletic Intelligence & Pain - What to listen for...

Athletic intelligence is about changing , altering or adapting what you do to the context of training and/or competition. Pain is one thing that you either need to manage, or it will end up managing you - particularly in relation to training, and getting better.

Remember not to confuse true pain with Self Imposed Discomfort (SID). Simply knowing 'to listen' doesn't necessarily help. It's good to know what to listen for.

Here are my four key areas for you to listen for:

1) acute, unusual and sudden pain:
· pressure, stabbing or ‘fullness’ pain in the chest, that may radiate into your arms, neck, jaw and face
· sudden lightheadedness, dizziness, headache or vertigo that doesn’t pass quickly
· unusual shortness of breath - without a cough – when resting, or between intervals
· a stab, shot or sudden-searing pain in a muscle or tendon that makes you suddenly change your action, technique or gait; slows you down or makes you limp or stop
· that radiates from your back or neck and down your leg/arm  

2) health:
· a prolonged low-grade fever or a fever that comes-and-goes; or, an ‘overnight’ high fever
· a fever associated with neck stiffness, chills, wet cough, profuse sweating, headaches
· a persistent cough not associated with a cold or flu
· coughing up blood, or green, yellow or reddish-brown mucus
· persistent abnormal or irregular bowel movements and urine not associated with diet related changes

3) fatigue:
Fatigue and temporary muscle weakness are normal when training regularly and performing some hard training, yet heed fatigue…

· not relieved by a few lighter days (50% volume, low intensity), or days off
· that persists over several weeks, and isn’t changed by improved sleep and diet
· associated with significant appetite change with weight gain/loss, energy and mood swings, and loss of motivation to train
· coupled with other symptoms: unusual pulse, shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, fever, significant muscle weakness
· significantly higher perceived effort or heart-rate at rest or during low intensity efforts
· inability to regularly complete or recover ‘normally’ from moderate or higher intensity sessions
· a persistent loss of technique, concentration and strength/power

4) musculoskeletal:
Some delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and muscle and joint stiffness is normal when increasing or changing the nature of your training load, particularly after a ‘rest’ phase. Yet, be attentive to…

· sudden or acute muscle, tendon or joint pain that gets worse (likely a strain or sprain that will require R.I.C.E.R. and/or medical assessment)
· new or persistent pain, tenderness or swelling around joints, tendons and bones, and shooting nerve pain
· early morning and/or warm-up stiffness that becomes more persistent or painful
· asymmetrical pain – pain in one joint, or muscle group, on one side

Are these what you listen for (in relation to pain)?

Knowing when to listen is a key too...

Athletic Intelligence & Pain - listening to your body (b)

Athletic intelligence is essentially about changing , altering or adapting what you do to the context of training and/or competition. Pain is one thing that you either need to manage, or it will end up managing you...

Your body is in constant communication with itself. Much of the communication is tacit, silent. A plethora of biofeedback loops subconsciously maintain strict ranges within body systems. You have two major communication systems: nervous system, and endocrine-hormonal system. Each does it’s thing – in different time frames – to keep you going about your daily stuff, ensuring you respond efficiently and effectively during sessions, and adapt to training - that is, you get better as you accumulate training.

 Other parts of the communication network are explicit - louder. These signs usually tell you that something out of the ordinary is going down, and that you need to take note. If not, ill-health, injury, staleness, and loss of performance will visit.

Deciphering what these signs are, and what to do about them is the key to listening successfully to your body. The key signs to listen for are those related to pain.

Pain:

Simplified, there are two major types of pain. The first, usually felt in the skin, is described as acute pain, sharp pain, and electric pain. It’s felt quickly - fast pain.

The second, usually felt in the deeper tissues, is chronic, aching, throbbing, nauseous pain – usually slow-burning pain. It is usually associated with tissue destruction (or, injury) and can lead to prolonged pain, and suffering. It can occur in the skin and deeper tissues and organs.

 

Please, don’t confuse these with the pain and suffering associated with tragedy, loss and grief.

Similarly, don’t confuse them with the Self Imposed Discomfort (SID) of hard efforts, and racing. The discomfort of lactic acid, aching muscles, glycogen depletion, increased body temperature, dehydration, heavy breathing and high heart-rates and ‘perceptions of effort’ is self-imposed. They’re not pain for us to swim, cycle, padle and run through. They’re our own barriers – imposed by ability, capacity, training, experience, drive and intestinal fortitude.

What is pain to you? Do you know when to draw the line in the sand?

Next I'll outline "what to listen for", and "when to listen"...

Athletic Intelligence - listening to your body (a)

You're a runner, triathlete, cyclist, swimmer, paddler, adventure racer...you live and breathe the endurance lifestyle for one or a variety of reasons: participation, performance, perfection or podium and, in some senses, simply progress and pride.

The basics: you still need to train: run, swim, cycle, paddle, and even climb safely, speedily and economically, and ‘transition’ swiftly in races. Strength and mobility work and smart recovery strategies help too.

Smart Training – the Intelligent Athlete:

Smart training is understanding and applying the differences between hard training and training hard.  Hard training is easy - go out and smash yourself. Swim, cycle and run longer and faster. Rack up the numbers. Anyone can do it. It’s not smart, nor necessary.

Training hard is different. And better. It is understanding what you are training for in a given period of time and training to meet the aim and objectives of that phase, block, cycle, week or session. It is training with identifiable purpose, and necessary flexibility.

Realising when training hard needs to outshine hard training, and vice-versa, all athletes need to be able to change, alter or adapt their actions, movement or skills to the context of training, and competition.  I call this ability to sense and mobilise change, athletic intelligence.

Athletic Intelligence involves listening to your body too: knowing what to listen for when, and what to do or change when you hear something.

What do you listen for, and when? And what do you do about it?

The Sports Gene and Gifts...

Kids inherit all sorts from us: genetic gear and gifts; values, attitudes and beliefs

Ensure that those genes aren’t spoilt by…

DNA ≠ DNA (Do Not Aspire, or Do No Activity)

DNA ≠ DNB (Do Not Battle)

DNA ≠ DNC (Do Not Create, or Do Nothing Challenging)

DNA ≠ DND (Do Not Dream)

DNA ≠ DNE (Did Noble Excuses, or Did Not Encourage)

DNA ≠ DNF (Did Not Finish, or Did Nothing Fun)

DNA ≠ DNG (Did No Gymnastics)

DNA ≠ DNH (Did Not Handshake)

DNA ≠ DNI (Do Nothing Interesting)

DNA ≠ DNJ (Did Nameless Junk)

DNA ≠ DNK (Do Not Know)

DNA ≠ DNL (Did Not Learn)

DNA ≠ DNM (Does Not Mess-up)

DNA ≠ DNN (Do Nothing New)

DNA ≠ DNO (Disown Noble Ownership)

DNA ≠ DNP (Did Not PLAY)

DNA ≠ DNQ (Do Nothing Quick, or Quirky)

DNA ≠ DNR (Did No Running)

DNA ≠ DNS (Do No Skill-training)

DNA ≠ DNT (Did No Team-things)

DNA ≠ DNU (Did Nothing Uncertain)

DNA ≠ DNV (Did Nothing Venturous, or Virtuous)

DNA ≠ DNW (Do Nothing Wholeheartedly)

DNA ≠ DNX (Do Nightly X-box)

DNA ≠ DNY (Do Not Yearn)

DNA ≠ DNZ (Did Nothing Zany)

Let's ensure they can play, experiment, battle, dream, aspire, try and fail, fall and recover, yearn and learn, and work and create. They're not little adult athletes, they are the future. So, as our gift...let’s guide them to it with confidence and competence to approach and shape it…

Sathletes...

The more we learn, the more we realise there is to learn.
The more we know, the more we realise we don't know.

The more we train, the more we think we'll gain. 

I read. A lot. Maybe too much at times. I like to read in areas well beyond my interests, passion and expertise. It's one simple way of keeping me rounded and grounded.

I read books, articles, blogs and links via social networking sites - including Facebook and Twitter.
I even read my emails. And instruction booklets.


A while back, athletic development whiz Vern Gambetta (www.gambetta.com/‎)   introduced me to the wit and wisdom of philosophy and marketing king, Seth Godin (www.sethgodin.com/‎).

Seth writes good stuff. (As does Vern.)
Much of it, especially the principle/s behind his message, is applicable to us in our roles as coaches, athletes and runners. Like good training sessions it takes a little creativity -  moulding and shaping.

Watch for Sathlete stuff...gear from Seth for athletes, and you.

Be wary though...the athlete that sat too much became grounded, and more rounded!

8 Keys to Giving Hills a Hiding...

Just like runners, run training sessions come in all shapes and sizes. So do hills. To become a better, faster and more resilient runner or triathlete, learn to use hills to your advantage - in training (and racing).

Here are my 8 keys to making hills yours...

 1) run hills -  ‘avoidance is rarely a path to success’

 2) plan them – execute a 4-8 week block of hill-related training before your race-specific phase, then only a maintenance session once every 7/10/14 days. Juxtapose your cycle and/or other (leg) training; hill running helps it

 3) run by feel and heed Mother Nature’s lessons – leave the HRM and GPS at home
  

4) prepare your body – with a 2-6 week block of strength training beforehand (2 days/week); or, if you're a seasoned runner, with twice a week for 2 weeks of easier rolling hills or 5-6x100m hill stride(r)s 

 5) prepare your mind  - ‘run over hills, not up them’. See hills as opportunity, not obstacle; as a challenge, not dread; as character and strength building, not effort

6) mix it up  - vary the hills and terrain you run.  Don’t risk getting better at running that one and only hill at the expense of becoming a stronger, more complete runner-triathlete. Use: long mountain walks; cross-country, trail and rolling hills workouts of 45-90minutes; tempo long climbs of 30-45 minutes; solid climbs in intervals of 3-5 minutes; sand-dune efforts of 20-45secs; and, hill strides (70-85%) and sprints (>85%) of 8-15 seconds. Use appropriate sessions to meet the objectives of each phase of your plan.

7) watch the gradient: above 6-8% and you begin to climb, less and you can still run with good technique and form

8) learn and refine technique for running up, over and down hills, and for how running over a hill differs from climbing a hill

     There is nothing new about running hills: champions, improvers, and beginners have and will continue to use them. 

     The trick is in getting them to work for you...

Inner space

Running takes us here,
And takes us there;

It opens doors,
And makes us aware.

To some it's joy,
Even escape;
Some find it a ploy,
To wear a cape.

It may be a trail,
A track, road or path;
For all alike,
A journey you craft.

It can take you away,
A smile upon a face;
Bring you back,
From a far away place.

It can be quiet,
Running your forward pace;
Lest we forget,
All find peace,
Running...
The Inner Space.

I've GOT the formula to success...

I've been around running a long time.

Although I ran and ran as a kid - sometimes away from things, other times to things - I remember the day, place and time I officially became a runner. That was 32 years and some 835,000 kms ago.

I've learnt a few things in that time - read, listened too, heard, seen, attempted, tried, discarded, remembered, reworked, remodelled, reshaped, retried, and nearly retired. I still learn.

The formula to success in running is something I have always chased, and will continue to do. Not so much for myself, yet for others: those beginning or re-starting, those looking to get better - to go faster and further with more ease; for the experienced and the pros; for those returning from ill-health, for those wanting to prevent and/or come back from injury; and those I coach, mentor and consult.

And, for those prepared to listen, and act -  to learn quickly from what has taken me nearly a life-time to come to know, understand, value, deconstruct and reconstruct, contextualise and apply.

Until this morning, in reviewing some old coaching notes of mine, I'd thought that the formula to success in running was easy, simple, yet not complete.  I call it the GOT formula

• Get Out, Train
• Get Out There - now, wind, rain, hills, snow, sand, heat
• Go Often, Training
• Get Off The couch
• Get Over iT

You GET the idea, right?

Well, how about this then? From The Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sport, the proceedings of an International Seminar on the Art & Science of Coaching (December 1979)...

 To those who do have "the answer" or "the formula" good luck to you.  I'm still working on it, and have GOT to get back to it!

Starting with more...

You've found your mojo, and built some momentum.

A few extra runs per week have found their way into your diary or log, and you've discovered that 'frequency is your friend'. You've played around with going a little longer/further and, at other times, going faster. 

My 10 Tips to help you start - successfully, speedily and safely:

1. Take Stock
   
2. Do Some Homework
3. Be Inspired
4. Make a Decision
5. Enlist Support
6. Build-in Success
7. Some is Better Than None
8. Find a Coach or Mentor
9. Hang In There
10. Sometimes Less is More

You've considered that 'if some is good, more must be better'. There is some truth to this. Importantly, to get better, you will need to do more - more over time, not all the time...

10. Sometimes, less is more:

• you can never start too easily, nor progress too slowly
• doing less occasionally is a great way too
• successfully meet some of life's interruptions and demands 
• provide a mental break, and keep the fire alight
• give your body - particularly your tendons and joints - an opportunity to adapt to the demands you have been putting on it
• keep you away from your doctor and physiotherapist
• reward yourself for your journey to now
• be wary of aiming to do too much (too fast) too soon - this is the cardinal error for most runners: beginners, experienced and pros alike. Humans make errors. Repeating an error means your making a mistake, and haven't learnt much
• more - often, further, faster - isn't always better
• aim to do roughly the same thing for all your sessions for the first week or two - if it's way to easy, add a little; if it takes too much effort, you can't finish it, or you're really sore for afterwards, do less
• every 3rd or 4th week reduce how much you do by 30-50%. Start up again at 65-75% of your previous level for a week (and maybe 100% for another week), before progressing again
• rather than running every day, you may consider a non weight-bearing activity like cycling, swimming, deep-water running, skating, skiing, rowing, or strength and mobility work through weight-training, yoga or pilates to add to your fitness, and complement your running for 2-3 days per week. They can help protect your from injury, build your all-round fitness, and prevent motivation loss.

It only takes 2 steps to become a runner: (1) choosing to start, and (2) acting upon it. 

The above 10 tips can help you start, and keep you going long and strong...

Finally, starting...

Beginning is beginning.
No matter how you look at it, the start is the start.

You've made a great decision - to start running. You've taken stock, you know where you're at. You've found inspiration, and enlisted support. You've managed to get out the door, realised that some is better than none', and even considered a seeking a coach or mentor.

My 10 Tips to help you start - successfully, speedily and safely:

1. Take Stock
   
2. Do Some Homework
3. Be Inspired
4. Make a Decision
5. Enlist Support
6. Build-in Success
7. Some is Better Than None
8. Find a Coach or Mentor
9. Hang In There
10. Sometimes Less is More

Here are more strategies to help you keep the momentum...

9. Hang in There:

• enjoyable running comes from being regular, yet regular running helps make you fit enough to enjoy it
• frequency is your friend - aim to go 'more often' before 'more distance' and 'more speed'
• some of the early jiggling, bouncing and jarring caused by impact with the ground will take some getting used to
• it may not be all plain-sailing and black-slapping - you may even experience some chaffing or a blister or two. It may also cause some delayed muscles soreness (DOMS) and joint stiffness. Again, small doses frequently will help reduce the likelihood of these and allow you to do more (in time)
• running through parklands and on trails and grass will reduce the impact shock to your body. If you can, avoid concrete, asphalt and hills for your first few weeks
• some days will be tougher than others to get out - energy, time, motivation - but do get out. You'll be glad you did!
• patience and persistence are powerful

And for when you're ready for more...