Running - supplements and muscles?

Question

I've started running 5km and am going to increase it to 10km (charity run). I run about 2 or 3 times a week. Should I be taking any supplements for my muscles and/or joints? I don't want to get old and have bad knees or anything. Also I'm worried about working away my muscles by just jogging, is it best to do short sprints and then walk for a bit and then more sprints? I don't want to bulk up my muscles or loose weight I'm really happy as I am, just want to make sure I'm not doing any damage to myself. Thanks : )

Answer 1

a)eat energy and power bars they are good for you

B)be sure you are drinking enough water

c)good cloths and sneakers

d)cotton short socks

hope that help

Answer 2

peanut butter sandwiches (protien, healthy low-cal) and lots of water (hydration very important)!

Answer 3

The most important thing to protect your self from injuries is to know your limits.  After practice,  if something is really sore;  stretch it and or put ice on it.  Don't overdo your self if you feel really bad in a particular spot or all over.  Make sure your running shoes are good for your type of running.  Blisters aren't suppose to happen if you take care of your feet.

Answer 4

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Good thoughts about staying healthy, about not doing damage to yourself.  Competition is lots of fun, hard and fast running is fun, but especially being able to get out there and run at all is the best of all!

**A few minor points**

A certified nutritionist may tell you otherwise, from all I've seen and read, it's basic good food that's important when it comes to what you eat.  

And the jury is still way out when it comes to supplements to relieve or prevent joint pain.  I've friends who swear by glucosamine and chondroitin, and others who swear at it.

Running, unless you are doing lots and lots of sprint training (and you're not, and no where near that) doesn't bulk up muscles.  

If you continue to eat as many calories as you burn off each day running and in daily activities, you're not likely to lose much or any weight.  However, you may find yourself on the whole toning up, and usually that's a good thing!

Alternating walking and sprinting, going all out, is going to increase your capacity for training and racing (you are inadvertently following an approach I've recently heard of called High Intensity Training - HIT).  However, the best approach for you is continuous jogging, or even better, running.

**To the main issue**

Your basic concern is not hurting yourself over time.  Having run for over forty years, I am at a point of running still about 40 miles a week and currently have no tissue or joint problems.  But I've also had former running mates who've had knees and hips replaced.  Not pretty pictures.

I suspect it's difficult to prevent some joint problems - there may be some genetic influences that predispose some to joint issues that nothing will stop.

However, in general, a few tips to stay healthy "for the long haul."

-when increasing distance (as you are), or speed, increase gradually.  If running 30 minute a day right now, increase by only 5 minutes a day, per week, until you reach your desired time and duration.

-get great-fitting running shoes, shoes that fit extremely well, for YOU.  Badly fitting running shoes is the number one cause of running injuries.  Go to a running specialty shop to get fitted for shoes that work for YOU.

-consider alternative activities for fitness and for strengthening your muscles and joints.  I bike, Spin, weight lift, swim.  All of these contribute, either by strengthening the joints and muscles, or by providing my running muscles with a break.

-attack any soreness or strain.  RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevate) when needed.  Some say NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) - but that's up to you, I can't and and am not and don't and shouldn't dispense medical advice.  Use the Stick (google for this) for trigger points.

-I can't tell you about stretching - I am just looking into yin yoga for that.  Apparently that can help avoid strains in the long run.  I am infamously inflexible, and still running.  I do thank God for every day I can run, knowing that, per what's happened to others, this could be the last.

-keep reading and learning about running, good running style, good workouts.

-which reminds me, you can run often, and even daily, but you do put yourself at risk if you run long or hard on consecutive days.  So run hard, easy, hard, easy days, giving yourself time to recuperate.

Regards,

Phil

Answer 5

have some protein b4 a race and big races make sure u carb load. also,  recover after a race is just as important, H2O stretching, eating. listen 2 your body and have fun