Exercise, Anxiety and Beta Blockers

I've suffered from anxiety for quite a while now.  It's really unpleasant - aside form the emotional effects, he physical effects of feeling anxious can be completely overwhelming.  My heart races or feels irregular, my breathing becomes shallow and rapid, I fidget and feel like running away or hiding or crying.  I have had counselling and learnt a few mindfulness tricks to help manage it and get it under control and they certainly help.  Remembering that "this too shall pass" also really helps, as anxiety can feed itself.  For me, that leads to migraines and nausea.

If I go for a run before I get a headache, then my body deal with the hormones associated with anxiety in the way the body is designed to - after all, the feeling is the fig or flight response.  Unfortunately, during the day I cannot just get up and go for a run … I have a job to do and I'm pretty sure they'd not be happy with me popping on a pair of trainers and disappearing for an hour or so.

So a month or so ago I went to the doctors to talk about it.  I felt that I needed something that would enable me to stop the circle of anxiety, where the physical symptoms feed into themselves to make the feelings worse.  She suggested beta blockers.  During my various exercise courses I had heard of beta blockers.  "Ok" I thought "they cap my heart rate, so I'll not be able to work out so intensively.  I won't be able to rely on heart rate for an indicator of how hard I'm working".  I don't use heat rate monitors much anyway, so I wasn't that worried about their effects.

One day I was feeling particularly anxious and my heart was raving and my breathing shallow, so I decided that I needed to bring it under control and had one of the beta blockers.  Then I remembered that I'd arranged to meet some friends - so I jump on he Nike and frantically cycle up the hill.  I expected to get hot and bothered, but as well as those expected feelings I felt as though my chest was going to explode!  My legs were burning, my lungs felt as though they'd expanded in a vain effort to get as much oxygen into themselves as possible - while my heart just pottered on as though nothing was happening.  It was really confusing for my body.  At least I didn't feel anxious.  But i didn't like the feelings.  "Ok, so don't expect to do anything too intense after having one of them beta blockers" I said to myself.

Yesterday was a difficult day for me.  For no descernable reason I began to feel anxious.  Again my heart began to race and feel irregular and my breathing shallowed.  I had a few pills yesterday and by the evening the physical symptoms were under control and I felt better.  I had a decent nights sleep.

Today I went for my normal Sunday run.  I planned to run 10 miles.  So I start off up the hill.  I can tell early on that my heart was going to cooperate, so I slow right down.  My legs feel as though they were working really hard, but I was barley faster than a walk.  After about 2 miles I stopped.  I just couldn't keep going.  In the end, I resorted to doing intervals to get home - a recommended way of exercising with beta blockers, where you alternate periods of activity with periods of recovery.  I did get home and I felt as though I'd had a work out.  It took me 45 minutes to do 4 miles.  I was not pleased.  So I'll try again tomorrow.

I will probably get anxiety attacks again and I'll probably need to take a beta blocker again - and I will get used to them, but there's nothing quite like experiencing something for oneself to understand what it's like for others.  I don't know how many trainers have tried a beta blocker, but the experience will early help me appreciate and be supportive of others on medication.

New Shoes!

After running many, many more miles than I have ever run before in the last 12 months (three half marathons, that Clevedon to Filton run and the Brighton Marathon), I decided that i was way past time for me to buy a new pair of trainers.

Old faithful trainers

You can see in the photo above just how sorry my old pair had become: the tread is completely worn away, the structure is splitting apart in places, the cushioning has collapsed and you can see to the left of the upside shoe that the sole has completely worn away!  That's because I changed from heel striking to mid-foot striking about 18 months ago.

Heel Strike versus Mid Foot Strike

Above I've doodled a picture of the mechanical differences between heel-strike (how I used to run) and mid-foot strike.  The key thing with a heel-strike is the straightness of the leg - all the forces are transferred directly from the heel up the leg and through the knee joint ... I used to get a lot of knee pains when I first started running.

Over the years I strengthened pretty much every muscle in my body, but particularly in my legs and core; this enabled my muscles to take more of the impact and about 18 months ago I shifted from heel-striking.

Initially, I went full on toe-strike - this works for some people, but not for me - it was just too unnatural.

The I compromised and started landing more middle of the foot.  The effects were quite surprising.  My speed increased slightly (don't get me wrong: I am still just a plodder, I just plod slightly faster), and my injuries went down (until very recently - and that was nothing to do with how I was running, just a big increase in distance in a short time).

Mid-foot (and forefoot) running requires much stronger legs - you can see from my amazing artwork above that more joints are flexed so that muscle, rather than bone and cartilage, is taking the strain: and muscle repairs much faster than bone. 

So off I go to Easy Runner.  A small shop just off St Michael's Hill in Bristol - it's the place I've bought three of my last four running shoes.  The one pair I didn't have specially fitted were a real mistake: injuries in next to no time and I had to go back to Easy Runner to be fitted properly.

There was as bit of a wait, but I knew it was going to be worth it: they spend a lot of time assessing how you run and trying different shoes on you.  I lost count of how many pairs I tried on, but the chap knew his stuff: he could see that I no longer needed shoes that compensated for a large amount of pronation (an foreseen benefit of mid-foot strikes are that my feet no longer collapse inwards as I move from heel to toe - and that lack of collapse had transferred itself all up the kinetic chain so that my knees stopped hurting from impact and twisting inwards).

The assistant-chap was really knowledgeable and with some careful observation and gait analysis using a treadmill and a slow-motion camera was able to reveal a few things about my running that I could never know on my own.  I need to do some more glut, hamstring and abductor strengthening work.

Gradually, this chap edged me towards what he described as "transitional" shoes - something half way between the heavily padded types that I'd worn previously and the "bare foot" types that were the vogue a few years ago.

These new pair are even lighter than my last pair and are way more flexible so that they don't fight against the mid-foot striking that I've been doing, but still offer some stability.

So I'll be off for a run soon (when the rain stops) to trial out my new shoes.  Easy Runner are so confident that they'll get the fitting right for me that they'll replace them if they don't work out (as long as I've not been wading through mud).

Shiny New Shoes!

If you're interested, this is Easy Runner's website: http://www.easyrunner.co.uk/

Started Training for the Brighton Marathon!

Well, I've started my training for the Brighton Marathon.  I do have kind of a head start in that I'm still pretty fit from he summer run from Clevedon to Filton and my PB at the Bristol Half Marathon.  Having said that, I'm starting with a distance of 7.5 miles - that's the best I could do last Saturday!

There is just about enough time to train and be fit enough to complete the marathon.  I will say that I'm dreading it!  I love running, but two hours is currently the upper limit of "comfort", mentally, a marathon is quite a different affair: it's going to be around four hours.

Again, I'm taking advantage of Society Generale's generous contribution that will match donations made in support of my fund raising by up to £500.  I've done a separate Just Giving page (http://www.justgiving.com/AndySkingsley), as it'll make getting the donation from Soc Gen easier.

Run from Clevedon Pier to St Peters Church, Filton to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society in memory of my Nan (Anne Philp)

Originally, I'd planned to start at 6:30 in the morning, but the weather didn't look so hot and I fancied having a bit of a lie in, so my Mum picks me up at 8am.  We drove part of the route in reverse, just to remind myself of what to look out for.

Dad was waiting at the pier and so I started off at around 8:45.

Heading toward Lady Bay the sun was shining over the estuary and it looked really picturesque.  One of the great things about running is being part of the scenery and being able to really explore and enjoy what's around.  I always start a little more slowly and gradually build up to a sustainable pace.

I passed the only other runner that I saw in Clevedon before I left the coast and started heading down towards the town and the motorway.  I always say hello to people I pass - there were some cyclists and later on there were a couple of ladies on horseback - but I especially say "Hi" to other runners - I find it encouraging myself when others smile and acknowledge me.

Under the motorway and through Tickenham.  Normally, I'd be whizz ing through there in a car, but again it was lovely to be able to appreciate just how pretty the village is.  There are some amazing houses and gardens and I realised that there were more garden centres round there than I could shake a stick at.

There were a few right-angle bends at the far end of Tickenham that I had to take care with; I'd often step back and let the cars go past as I'd rather they didn't run me into the nearest wall or thorn bush.

Then came The Hill.  Hills don't really bother me too much usually; I live in Eastville and regularly go running over Purdown, up Muller Road or sometimes down round the harbour and then up through Leigh Woods, however this was a much bigger hill than I'd ever tackled before.  But I was distracted by some amazing views (and being able to really appreciate the environment - ie other people's gardens!).

Half way up the hill I saw my mother ready with a camera, cheering me on!  That was encouraging.

Up and up and up - just a steady and continual pace; probably a minute a kilometre slower than my normal running pace.

The next bit was pretty boring.  Long straight roads with not much to look at, other than my Mum appearing every few miles to take photos and cheer me on.  Somewhere in Failand I passed the half-way point and was feeling great!  It was a bit like being stalked by my own familial paparazzi.

I was glad when I turned left towards the Clifton Suspension Bridge, past the top of the Ashton Court Estate.  I began to see many other people, even a few runners (although they were all coming towards me).  I did pause briefly at the bridge to take a photo.

On the other side both my parents were there taking photos and cheering.  I could have died with embarrassment!  But I really appreciated the encouragement.

When I got to Pembroke Road I was officially as far as I'd ever run: thirteen-point-one miles as I got to the junction and still feeling good.  Psychologically I knew that I had another hill to climb.  Pembroke Road is much shorter than the hill by Tickenham and much less steep, but somewhere up there my legs began to really ache.
 Al
I had a phone call from a friend when I got passed the Downs.  Not wishing me well: he'd forgotten about the run.  Just for a chat!  So I was on the phone for 10 minutes "yeah, I can't really - sorry - I'm in the middle - sorry - I - I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF AN 18 MILE RUN!"

Kellaway Avenue is quite undulating, but I was losing speed.  I couldn't give up though as I had no idea when the paps would appear next … and I had had so very much support from friends, colleagues and even a large number of people I have never met.  I couldn't stop.

Horfield Common saw me with 2.5km to go - the final push.  My legs alternately ached and were numb.  I wasn't sure which I preferred more.

The finish came about ten minutes later - it was really emotional!  My family, my partner and Mitsy the dog were there and they'd done a special finish-line for me to run through!

Initially I just sat down, but then I was a good boy and did my stretches before walking down to my parent's house for a cold bath.  They didn't have ice, but even a decent cold bath speeds recovery and so on Monday I was no more achey than I'd been the first time I ran thirteen miles!

I want to say an enormous thank you to everyone who supported me.  I've not collected all the sponsorship yet, but together we've raised over £500 for the Alzheimer's Society.  I now need to put the application into ALD, who may double the amount!

http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Skingsley
   

Why Footballers Should Study Ballet

What a weird opening!  What's that about?

Training for any specific activity requires specific training - if you want to be a runner you need to do lots of running, if you want to be a swimmer you want to do lots of swimming and if you want to play football - you have to play lots of football!

However, training for specificity can have its drawbacks when it's excludes any other component of fitness.  And there are adaptations that your body can make in one activity that can be of huge benefits in another activity.

There's an idea called Cross Training where other sports and activities are taken that complement particular aspects of the actual spirt or activity that's being trained for - for example, swimming is largely an upper body exercise, however it requires a good cardio-pulmonary system (strong heart and lungs) that can extract maximum oxygen from a breath due to being able to take fewer breaths while swimming - the effect for running can be an increase in the body's ability to work aerobically.

Cross Training is also a good idea where a particular sort or activity largely ignores an energy system or muscle group - for example cyclists spend a lot of their time hunched over their handlebars, which can be really bad for the back - back strengthening exercises can help prevent longer term problems.

So what's that got to do with footballers and ballet?  Well, footballers often suffer from hamstring injuries which caused by the rapid extension of the knee as the hamstring (the big set if muscles at the back of the leg) contract eccentrically (ie lengthen under tension) … and that can cause a tear.

Ballerinas almost never suffer from such injuries because they work on both strengthening their legs and their flexibility.  A study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine also concluded that lower extremity injuries in solders could also be drastically reduced by increasing hamstring flexibility.

Perhaps footballers should do a spot of ballet!  Ok, the ballet thing isn't really a serious proposition for cross training footballers, but the idea that drawing on components in one activity to support another activity you do, possibly even on a recovery day, can yield great benefits.

So what else do ballerinas have in common with footballers apart from a need to be able to flex the hips and extend the knees without rolling on the floor in agony?  Both are Drama Queens!

Bristol 10k 2013

This year my partner decided to run the Bristol 10k.

Its an extremely well organised event that's great fun to participate in; I've only done this one once but this year my partner's running the Bristol Half Marathon in September so I was there cheering for this race.  This will be the second time he's run a Half Marathon, so since he always comes to cheer me on when I run, I'll be going to cheer him on when he runs.

Don't underestimate the role of supporters - the number of times that I've felt myself flagging and a well time shout of "you can do it!" or "not far now!" (as long as it really isn't far to go!) is incredibly appreciated and I know has made the difference between giving up, just finishing and my best ever times.

Being a spectator is enormously rewarding: the effort and dedication and (sometimes) joy you see on the runners' faces is absolutely amazing and utterly inspiring.  So many running for charity - sometimes with heart wrenching photos and names of lost family and friends.  All of them just trying to be better, healthier and happier than they are - just improving themselves.

Sadly, I didn't see my partner!  I watched and watched and somehow he slipped past me and I missed my chance - it has happened before that I've missed him, but when I do we both feel so great afterwards.  Certainly I know that when I see him, that I get a real boost and I appreciate it so much.

I'm really looking forward to supporting him in September for the Bristol Half ... even if you're not running, why not head down to the harbourside and cheer on some runners?

Look at how amazingly happy that chap in the background is - he's just seen his family!

These girls look like they're having a great time - they've done about 9.5k at this point

Snow Run

I've just got back from running in the snow. Went up to the top of Purdown and back along the river. It felt like such a buzz to be out - and now I feel like I've run 10 miles rather than the 5 it actually was: having to really control balance on ascent as well as decent added a real challenge to what was a familiar route.  My legs ache like I've spent an hour doing squats!  That's hill running for you!

How would it feel to run a marathon?

For many of us the feeling of running any kind of distance simply fills us with horror. When you first start running (or any kind of exercise) never having done it before, you may well find it really uncomfortable!

But try and think how it feels for those people that do manage it - they have looks of triumph and elation when they pass the line - even if earlier in the race they looked like it was killing them. Look at others in the race, they actually look as though they are enjoying the process - they may not be the fastest, but they are loving every minute of it.

Many run for a charity and that motivates them to finish the race when they are struggling - and then they have the double whammy of finishing and doing good for other people.

The amount and type of training that people do to run varies wildly - there are a few lucky ones that can "just do it", and there are others (like me) who have to really work at it. Actually, I think that I am one of the lucky ones: it it didn't require effort, I don't think I'd get nearly as much from running as I do.

When I started in 2005, I couldn't run a mile. It took me a month to be able to complete my first lap of the park. Then I did two laps, then three and then started heading off and exploring. Many people managed better then me when they first started training, others struggled for longer. I admire those that found it tougher than me and kept at it: in my opinion, theirs is the greater achievement!

So keep at it, foot in front of foot, any one can do it if they want it!

The Evening Run

I've just got back from me weekend run. Sundays (usually in the morning) are my long run day - in the summer this will be about 15-20km, in the winter I usually try and keep a 10k banked - I don't like the cold and dark!

In the winter I'll do lots if endurance leg work, lots of repetitions with lighter weights (12-15 repetitions plus with 30-60 seconds rest between sets), to keep my energy systems from atrophying. Training this way encourages lactic acid build up, which in turn keeps my body's aerobic energy system in tip-top shape as it keeps my heart and lungs strong, my capillaries open and my cells' tiny power stations (mitochondria) busy.

So it's back home, stretch out, the mandatory handstand followed by a bath.