February 3, 1986
Fitness
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOGGERS AND RUNNERS
One of the most unrelenting questions ever to rattle the world of running is mired in philosophy, psychology, physiology, and linguistics. It centers on the difference between a jogger and a runner. And it has far-reaching applications to practically every participant sport, as well as to many occupations, avocations, and hobbies.
It helps define a person who dabbles and a person who lives and breathes the subject. But to complicate matters, the same person can be one or the other at various points in life or during various months of the year.
Many serious runners are contemptuous toward joggers, and joggers find many runners to be unbearable snobs, driving maniacs or intimidating.
During the height of the Running Revolution, there were great debates over which was which, and essays strung together ponderous definitions that would have confused Webster. Some of the simplifications went like this:
# A jogger runs at slower than an eight-minute mile; a runner runs primarily to train for races.
# A jogger never runs more than 20 minutes at one time; a runner never runs less than 30 minutes at one time.
# A jogger runs for health; a runner would run even if it were found to offer no health benefits.
The question becomes even more complex when you mix in the fact that a jogger, by hard work and a dramatic change in outlook, can become a runner, while a runner can fall from grace and sink to the status of mere jogger, although he’ll never be happy down there.
Some people have set up their own definitions of “jogger” and “runner.” For example, if a 40-year-old man is training heavily to qualify for the Boston Marathon (a sub-3:10 qualifying marathon is necessary), he likely sees himself as a runner. But if the training suddenly goes sour and he must cut back on training, he could very well end up being a mere jogger, even though he might be in good enough shape to run a 3:19 marathon.
On the other hand, a 35-year-old in training for 50 miles a week but having difficulty losing pounds might kill just to be able to break 3:30 in the marathon, even though he sees himself as very much the runner.
Some observers with stricter morals feel that a person can never be a serious runner unless he or she has completed a marathon. This argument gets sticky, because Kenya’s Henry Rono, who broke four world track records in 1978, would have been considered a jogger because he never competed at the marathon distance.
As stated earlier, this phenomenon is not reserved for those of us who shuffle along on our daily training jogs/runs. It applies to bicyclists, swimmers, aerobic-dancers, and others who sweat for fun.
Personally, rather than calling attention to such nitpicking, I’d much prefer just to be left alone.
February 10, 1986
Fitness
A FITNESS KIT HELPS AVERT THE CONUNDRUM POSED BY TRAVEL
For most folks who exercise daily, there is a certain apprehension that creeps in with the prospect of traveling.
As creatures of habit, a disruption of the daily routine is a disruption of the daily routine, no matter how much we cherish adventures. For the person whose day is incomplete without a run on a familiar course or an exercise class with familiar faces, the prospect of traveling—especially for more than a few days—can be nearly overwhelming.
Many people who are in jobs or professions characterized by frequent travel are also regular exercisers. Attempting to get the job done while also being faithful to your own fitness convictions is not always easy.
Many people who are frequent travelers—and that includes airline pilots and stewardesses—have licked the negative side of travel by (1) developing a positive attitude about exercise, seeing it as a possibility to explore new courses and meet new people, and (2) creating a fitness travel kit.
Developing a positive attitude, especially if you don’t care to travel much, is considerably more difficult than packing and stashing a fitness travel kit in the corner of a closet, all set to go when you are.
By preparing the kit in advance, you have one less thing to worry about when trying to get through those crazy last minutes before zipping out the door.
The essential fitness kit is a combination gym bag and first-aid kit that is pretty much defined by the size of the shoes you wear, since most of what you’d need to pack can—and should, for the sake of space—be stuffed into your shoes.
Which, come to think of it, is a good place to start when putting together a kit:
#SHOES—The best all-around shoes to pack are good running shoes, since they can be used in a gym, for bicycling, or for taking a hike with friends on the other end of that four-hour plane trip.
#CLOTHING—The most convenient items are, for men, a singlet and running shorts, and, for women, a Lycra triathlete suit. They can be worn for everything from swimming to exercises classes, they dry quickly when hand-washed, and they stow conveniently into one of the two shoes in the kit.
A lightweight turtleneck is a good backup piece of clothing to pack in the event of anything from a drafty gym floor to a summer rainstorm.
#FIRST-AID—Petroleum jelly, because exercise is comprised of movement, and moving parts that rub need lubrication.
Band-Aids, a variety of sizes.
Nail clippers, to keep toenails trimmed and for untimely snags.
Ziploc bags, for ice cubes to treat an ache.
Safety pins, because something you’re wearing may not want to stay where it’s supposed to stay.
Aspirin, to keep down swelling after a hard workout or strain.
Sunglasses, just in case.
Everything listed beyond the shoes and clothing can be placed in a tin Band-Aid box and stuffed into the toe of one shoe. Then, if you want to stuff the whole thing into your suitcase, place the shoes top-to-top, roll them up in a towel, and secure them with a shoelace, which may come in handy should one on your shoe break.
February 17, 1986
Fitness
ICE IS BEST DEFENSE AGAINST ACHES, STRAINS
Few people who exercise regularly do so unscathed. Inevitably, a little too much stress is placed upon the body, it is unable to recover and come back stronger, and something gives.
Many injuries involved with exercise are preventable—if the exerciser is willing to put in the time needed to create a wise program, follows basic preventive routines (regular flexibility exercises, for example), and listen to the reports the body sends back.
Many people who seem prone to injury are simply following unwise training techniques. On the other side of the coin, there are people who can seemingly do almost anything to themselves, no matter how unwise, and go years without suffering so much as a stubbed toe.
Almost universally (there are exceptions), the best first defense against a potential ache or strain from overdoing it is to apply ice. In fact, the application of ice to a potential trouble spot during the first 24 to 48 hours is a good rule of thumb. The exceptions: if you suffer from Raynaud’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, allergy to cold, diabetes, or a rheumatic disease.
According to Dr. Ben E. Benjamin, author of “Listen to Your Pain”: “Ice can be very effective as treatment, especially when applied immediately after an injury. Ice permits your body to heal quickly in two ways: It promotes even greater blood circulation than heat, and it numbs the pain so that you can move the injured area.”
Being able to move the injured area is beneficial, since movement increases blood flow (and thus healing), and prevents the build-up of scar tissue.
Benjamin advises exercisers and athletes to “chill the injured area for six to 20 minutes, or until it gets numb. Then begin to move it, starting with small movements and gradually increasing your range of motion.” It is essential that the movements be made gently. When pain returns, repeat the process.
Harry Hlavac, a podiatrist and author of the excellent “The Foot Book,” explains what ice does to the injured area: “It constricts the superficial vessels, thereby limiting swelling and pain; it dulls the nerves and numbs the area, which breaks the cycle of pain to give mental relief, and, when the superficial circulation is inhibited and the cold sensation is felt deeper, it causes a reflex dilation of the deep vessels to bring in healing cells and move out the damaged cells.”
Frank O’Neill, a veteran physical therapist and trainer with football’s Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams and basketball’s Los Angeles Lakers, put it this way: “Ice any bruises, sore arms, sore elbows, sore feet, so forth. Ice is immediate first aid to stop internal bleeding and reduce swelling. Although it may look like an old cartoon, runners should not be too shy to soak their feet or legs in a tub of ice after running. All you need is a tub or container or some kind of ice or even cold water.”
A tub of ice water may not be handy after a workout, but there are ways to simplify the process:
# The Ace Bandage Company makes reusable ice packs that can be strapped to the injured area. An alternative is to keep some Blue Ice in the freezer and then wrap against the injured area by using an elastic Ace Bandage.
# Freeze water in a Styrofoam cup. After your exercise, peel away the top of the cup to expose ice and rub it along the affected area. As the ice melts, peel more of the cup away to expose more ice.
# My favorite is to buy frozen corn in a plastic pouch. When you need to ice up, pull the pouch of corn out of the freezer and apply it to the injured area. It can fit around the contours of the injured area, and is reusable Just be sure to mark the pouch so no one uses it for dinner after it’s been thawed and refrozen a dozen times.
February 24, 1986
Fitness
CLEVER NEW WAY TO MEASURE BODY FAT
There is almost an obsession with numbers these days.
For many of us, this numbers mania becomes a bit much: Social Security, banking access, telephones, driver’s license, license plate, credit cards. On and on—the mind boggles, strains, and stalls.
For most people, the most important single number is one that constantly changes their age in years. For image-conscious Americans, the second most important number is body weight in pounds.
In many instances, the number of pounds one weighs, even taken in combination with height, is not always the best measurement of whether a person is fat. Especially when the matter of body type is dialed into the equation.
As an example, a large-boned middle European coal miner might tip the scales at 200 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame, but he may very well be lean and hard from his line of work. On the other hand, a 5-10 Frenchman who weights 165, who is delicately boned and who lives on rich French sauces and chocolate eclairs may be quite overfat.
It all depends on body fat percentage, not on total weight.
There are two accepted methods of measuring body fat, but neither one is perfect.
The most common is measurement by calipers. A trained person uses special body-fat calipers to take measurements of a fold of skin at a half-dozen places around the body. Unfortunately, it would take superhuman perfection for a person to take the skin-fold measurements precisely on every try.
The second common method is by hydrostatic measurement, which involves placing the person in a sling seat suspended from a scale and lowering him (while wearing a weight belt) into a pool. Once underwater, he is supposed to exhale as much air from the lungs as possible and then sit slumped in the chair for a count of 10. Easier said than done—especially if one fears drowning.
A few years ago I tried both methods and found there was a difference of more than 5 percentage points between them. Not very accurate.
But technology has caught up with the challenge of determining body fat. Although an individual may now want to lay out the several thousand dollars it costs, the Berkeley Medical Research Co. in San Leandro has come up with the BMR 2000, a clever, computer-driven device designed for health clubs that, in two minutes, analyzes total body composition (including percentage of fat) by sending sonar impulses through the arms, legs, and trunk.
It is quick, painless, and accurate, and even provides a printout of basal metabolic rate. The second and third pages of the printout even offer training advice to bring the body fat down. The advice is based on goals and preferences of training methods of the individuals.
It also prints out suggested daily caloric intake needed to reach certain weight goals, breaking the calories down into carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
The BMR 2000 almost makes slimming down fun.