GET IN THE MEDZONE

Running is a tough sport.

Every time we lace up our shoes and hit the roads, we encounter external obstacles like hills, extreme weather conditions, motorized vehicles, and unfriendly creatures.

So before we begin our daily workout, we need to prepare our bodies for the road ahead.

Blisters, chafing, pain, and skin inflammation are problems encountered by every runner. Any one of these issues can often negatively impact our workout or race, and sometimes sideline us if the problems persist.

I am constantly searching for products that will make my running life more pleasant.

Of course the products must work, they must be reasonably priced, and the company must be customer-friendly.

Medzone, www.medzonecorp.com, began in 2001, by designing its products based on requests from medical professionals, athletes and in 2002, U.S. Military Special Forces. Over the years their products have been adapted to work for athletes, law enforcement, military and for certain healthcare needs.

ChafeZone®, BurnZone® and PainZone® BlisterZone have proven to help triathletes, cyclists, team sports, dancers, rodeo, hiking, swimming, hockey, basketball, baseball, football, BMX riders, motorcycle riders, industrial athletes, people who suffer from Chub Rub and with any other high intensity activities. Whether you chafe, sunburn, windburn, blister, ache or have arthritis one of Medzone's products can help you.

Over the past few days the temperatures and the humidity have been unbearable. Chafing in one of those high friction areas can be extremely painful and very common on these hot days. Rub some of Medzone's ChafeZone on those problem spots and you will glide through your workout.

BlisterZone will do for your feet what ChafeZone does for other abrasive areas. Blisters can slow you to a stop. They can ruin a race and they can become infected. BlisterZone is an excellent product for your feet.

Mosquito bites and sunburn are relieved by using BurnZone. BurnZone incorporates a natural, local anesthetic in addition to 1% Lidocaine for maximum pain relief. A proprietary blend of essential fatty acids takes the sting and burn out of blisters and minor burns, relieves insect bite itching, and calms skin irritations.

Finally, PainZone addresses muscle, joint and tendon pain with a no-mess, roll-on applicator. PainZone boasts a concentrated no-water formula with the FDA-required 3 anti-inflammatory agents plus two additional anti-inflammatory ingredients to banish your pain. It uses blend of essential fatty acids transports the active ingredients deep into the tissues for long lasting pain relief.

Arm yourself with any or all of these Medzone products, and your running, walking, cycling, and other athletic activities will be much more pleasant and pain-free.

 

SOCIALLY BENEFICIAL

Social media seems to rule our lives today.

Facebook statuses, tweets, and Instagrams are everywhere. In a world where privacy used to be cherished, we have opened  up our lives to just about anyone, and it's only a click away.

Is it really essential for us to know what someone ate for breakfast this morning?

Do we need to see mutilated dogs, terminally ill folks who are hooked up life support machines, and, of course, endless 'selfies?'

And, yes, we know that your child is the greatest basketball/football/baseball/soccer player on the planet.

Sometimes, it's just too much.

Personally, with the exception of close friends or family, some of whom live many miles away, I have purged many of the negative, narcissistic posters from my friends list. Most of the people on my current friends list are runners.

Social media has been great for running and runners.

Race information and results can be accessed easily. Running clubs are able to disseminate information to members or prospective members.

We are able to compare training information, tips on shoes and apparel, the status of our recent races, as well as advice on injury prevention or rehabilitation.

I am fortunate to belong a Facebook group called Running for the Health of It With the Workout Doctor. Runners from all over the country belong to the group.

Workout reports and race results come in from runners who live in Alaska as well as south Florida.

During the summer, friends Felix Shipp from Mississippi and Ken Shapiro from south Florida, curse my relatively mild Pennsylvania summer, while they boil in the tropical heat. Of course, as the snow falls and the wind whips my trash can lids around like UFO's, I envy their southern winter.

Last year, at the Philadelphia Marathon, a group of us from Running For the Health of It: Felix Shipp, from Mississippi, Mary Landrigan-Ossar, from Massachusetts, Chuck Ziegenfus, who lives in Philadelphia, Eric Koehler, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and I met, face-to-face, something that would not have been possible without social media.

Running is a fun, pleasurable experience for all of us. That's why we do it. It is my belief that anything we can utilize to make our running easier and more pleasurable is something we should take advantage of.

So, feel free to look me up. Check out my Joe Muldowney, or my Joe Muldowney Running Facebook page, and find me at: rdrunnr00 on Twitter.

THE ONE "RUNNER'S HIGH" THAT WILL KILL YOU

 I recently receive an article from Jean-Marc Saint Laurent which contained some very pertinent information that can be used, and should be heeded, by all runners. 

Here in the northeast, and in many parts of the country, we are in the middle of the summer's most dangerous heat wave.

Following is Mr. Saint Laurent's article.

A few short years ago, in a summer like this one, a young man named Jeff Fink was rushed to a Kansas City area hospital after suddenly collapsing during the Warrior Dash, one of many adventure races happening across the U.S. at any given time.

Crawling in so much mud that you ended up looking like a human earthworm was to be expected; the 20 foot vertical wall called the Dead Man’s Drop that sent adrenaline addicts speeding towards solid ground at breakneck velocity was even old news—but some suspect it was the intense heat empowered by the accompanying wall of blazing fire that cut his racing career and life short.

THE KILLER RUNNERS’ HIGH

And while we might not be 100 percent about everything around this case, this much is clear, his body temperature had risen to the insurmountable height of 108 degrees.

In some locations this is not far from the summer average.

STOP HUGGING YOUR OWN SWEAT

According to the LiveStrong Foundation, choosing the right training clothes could be a matter of life and death in the heat:

“Cotton is the worst material to wear in the summer heat,” says Sports Editor Dan Capello. “It soaks up sweat like a towel, holding the moisture against your skin and causing your body temperature to increase. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend you wear lightweight” clothing.

Lightweight running tees like Lumiere’s  InnerStrength EXO Tee are made with a fabric blend that keeps you cool, fights odor-causing bacteria and keeps your body dry longer.

The CDC also recommends that if you are out exercising in the heat you should remember to:

· Limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours.

· If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each hour.  A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. Warning: If you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage. Remember the warning in the first “tip” (above), too.

· Try to rest often in shady areas.

RECORD HIGHS ARE HERE TO STAY. PROTECT YOURSELF.

As late as 3 months ago, the Weather Channel reported that some portions of the Western United States “reached 104 degrees setting a new record for all-time March high temperature” and places such as Phoenix, Arizona often clocked five consecutive days within 10 degrees of that mark. They are predicting from “Above Average” to Severe Heat for both the Western and Eastern Coasts through September. Be sure to keep yourself protected.

For more info on the InnerStrength EXO Tee from Lumiere, visit http://jolljo.com/lumieresportswear/

FREE TRAINING PROGRAM

The Fourth of July has come and gone, and right about now most runners are looking toward the fall racing season.

Not everyone can afford a personal coach...or can they?

Visit my website: www.muldowneyrunning.com, and I'll personally coach you...FOR FREE!

Ok, you ask. What's the catch. There's always a catch.

The catch is that you purchase some great summer reading material, in the form of one of my books: Running Shorts, or Personal Best. Both offer a great deal of running advice in their own right, but when you purchase a book, which I'll personally sign for you, I'll design a six-week personalized training program, just for you.

Here's how it works.

Buy one of my books, at: www.muldowneyrunning.com, then scroll down to the 'Contact' form.

Tell me your racing or training goal. Give me a short description, including your age, approximate weight and fitness level, and we can get started. Then I'll create a six-week training plan just for you.

It doesn't matter if you want to train to lose weight, to return to running, to run your first 5K, half marathon, marathon, or anything in between. I'll write a program that will get you there.

Believe me, I've been there. I've been at this for 39 years. I've run a 2:22:54 marathon, and I've gone back to square one after tearing my hamstring in 2013.

So, don't wait. This promotion will only last for a month. In August I'll be devoting my coaching time to my cross country runners at Penn State Schuylkill campus.

Run YOUR personal best...for free.

ACCLIMATIZE

In mid-May, a good friend, Samantha Snukis, and one of the runners I personally coach, Father Chris Zelonis, ran the Run for the Red Marathon in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. After a cold winter and a cool spring, the athletes, who had prepared diligently for the race, awoke to morning temperatures approaching 80 degrees. By the time they finished, the mercury hovered near 90 degrees, with high humidity. While both runners ran their personal bests, their times were negatively impacted, and Chris Zelonis suffered severe dehydration.

The reason for their diminished performances was simple. There was just no way they could acclimatize themselves to the temperature increase that quickly. Now, place the race in September, and their results would have been different.

Even during the coldest winter months, the body heats up rapidly when we run. During the summer months, we need to take precautions in order to avoid heat-related issues. But, sooner or later, we are going to be forced to run races under hot conditions, so, we need to acclimatize.

Last week, I left Pennsylvania for a week in Myrtle Beach. Each day my Weather Channel app warned me of "dangerous heat." My daily runs were conducted between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m., yet, most of the days, the heat index stood above 90 degrees. Like a moth to a light bulb, I darted toward shade whenever possible, and used the Atlantic Ocean for my cool down. I ran every morning, and my workout times improved each day. On Saturday morning, before we left for the airport, I ran my fastest workout of the week.

It was dismal  here in Pennsylvania yesterday. It was cool, temperature around 68 degrees, cloudy, and breezy. My dogs didn't want to go outside. Finally, around 3:00 p.m. I decided to go for my longer run of the week. My legs felt light. My breathing felt as though a plastic bag had been removed from my head. I ran my fastest 9-miler of the year.

Running through the Myrtle Beach blast furnace had helped,

The moral of the story?

If you're gonna race in the heat, you gotta train in the heat.

Be careful, but select a hot day here or there and train in the heat. Plant water along the way if you have to, but get your body accustomed to the brutal conditions. Granted, your training time may be slower, but come race day, you'll be better prepared when others aren't.

Get home to a garden hose, a cold shower or bath, a swimming pool, or an ocean and cool down immediately.

Embrace the heat in order to race in the heat.

www.muldowneyrunning.com

                                             Samantha Snukis

FLYING UNDER THE RADAR?

It seems to never end.

It was hot and humid on Tuesday. I ran easily through the streets of my hometown, phone strapped to my arm, listening to inspirational "running" music.

A car approached, driving slowly toward me. the driver, a woman, rolled down her window and said something. Thinking she may need directions, I removed an ear bud, slowed to a near stop and leaned toward the car. To my astonishment, her question was not a question at all. It was an admonishment.

"Slow down. You're sweating," she barked.

Many thoughts went through my mind, but the wisdom of age tempered me and I simply replied, "Thanks for your concern."

Lately, I've taken to stealthfully sneaking back to my home after a run.

The reason?

After I hit the 'stop' button on my watch, I like to walk for a bit to cool down. And, ever since I sustained a hamstring tear, my post-run walk has been a bit labored, my gait a bit slow.

I have grown weary of the sometimes well-intentioned, "Are you ok?" "I can't believe you're walking," or "I saw you the other day and you didn't look too good."

I have even used my lawn mower to carve a path near the back of my yard so I can slip home unnoticed.

In my first book, Running Shorts, www.muldowneyrunning.com I wrote a chapter entitled, "Why Do They Hate Us So Much."

Why is it that our simply act of running evokes so much ire in folks.

Why are we heckled, scolded, buzzed by vehicles, cursed at, and even the target of thrown objects?

When was the last time you went to a basketball court, a golf course, or tennis court to heckle the people engaged in those activities?

One of the answers is that we, as runners are too "In your face."

Our activity is public. It is not confined to a court a gym, course, or field.

As obesity numbers increase, as people become more stressed with their lives, as texting and other concerns increase, the loathing of us and what we do seems to grow.

Another factor is jealousy. In our busy lives, we always find time for our workout. Our detractors do not. While they sip their $6.00 latte, we sweat. (and get told about it) They may hate us, but they envy us as well.

And when someone who runs dies prematurely, or is hobbled by an injury, folks are quick to pat themselves on the back for their sedentary lifestyles.

So, the bottom line is, simply fly under the radar. Don't provoke the haters. Smile, wave, thank them for their concern, but most of all, remain safe. Get out of their faces and run on trails or the beach when possible.

Now, get out there and sweat!

TRAIN FASTER...BE FASTER

You've run your first marathon, or 5K, or even the 1600 meters (mile). You like this running stuff. After a couple of races, your times get faster, but then you level off, become stagnant, or, God-forbid, your times get slower.

If you want to get faster, you need to train faster.

Grinding out long runs are a necessity for a marathon, but they are not an absolute necessity if you're concentrating strictly on 5K events. And once you've gotten that first marathon in the books,speed is essential if you want your time to come down.

Last summer, I was contacted by the father of a young man who runs on a local high school track team. The boy was a sophomore with terrific desire and a great deal of running potential. His coach seemed insistent on steering him toward the 3200 meters (2 miles), but he appeared to me to be ideally suited to the 1600 meter race. In addition, the coach seemed to stress slow runs of 5 to 7 miles, with few speed workouts.His best time for the 1600 meters was 4:54. Beginning last summer, I placed him on a steady diet of a weekly speed workout. Distances ranged from 200 meters to 1600 meters, with plenty of repeats. He was diligent and dedicated. Two weeks ago, he completed his junior season at the district track meet by turning in a time of 4:33 for the 1600 meters, a personal best, and some 20 seconds faster than a year ago.

On the other end of the running spectrum, good friend and one of the featured runners in the chapter entitled, 'Extraordinary,' in my latest book, Personal Best, Father Chris Zelonis, began his marathon career by running a 3:36 in September 2013. Together, we designed a program that would bring his time down. It featured a weekly long run at a faster pace as well as a weekly speed workout. He followed the plan religiously. (sorry) In November, he brought his marathon time down to 3:08, qualifying him for the 2016 Boston Marathon Two weeks ago, despite tropical conditions at the Pocono Run for the Red Marathon in Pennsylvania, he lowered his personal best further, crossing the finish line in 3:03:12

In order to run faster races, you have to train faster. It's just that simple. If you need help with a training program, I can write one for you. (I've written hundreds of them) Go to my website: www.muldowneyrunning.com and check out the personal training option. Or, you can check out my gigs on Fiverr, www.fiverr.com, Look for me under, 'Runnin Shorts.'

Train faster, cut down on 'junk miles,' do your speed workouts, and your times will plummet..

SUMMER SAFE

Following is an article I wrote for this month's edition of Myrtle Beach's Grand Strand Running Club's (GSRC) May newsletter. Check them out at: www.grandstrandrunner.com

The summer season has arrived. Stay safe out there!

They dubbed it, "The Duel in the Sun." Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley, America's top marathon runners, battled for 26.1 miles, in 85-degree, mid-April heat at the 1982 Boston Marathon. Salazar prevailed, edging Beardsley in the final tenth of a mile. But Salazar paid a steep price. His body was severely dehydrated, and his core temperature soared to a near-death 105 degrees. He was plunged into an ice bath, and intravenous fluids were pumped into his arms. By his own admission, he was never the same runner after that race.

Make no mistake: running in the heat can produce potentially deadly results. If proper measures are taken, however, blast furnace temperatures and tropical humidity can be dealt with safely.

First and foremost, be sure you are properly hydrated. It is nearly impossible to drink too much during hot conditions. Water, the principal component of our bodies, is the best form of hydration. Drink plenty of it, before and after you run. Be sure to plant water along your route if you plan on doing a long run. Many of us enjoy the refreshment of a cold beer after a summer run. Keep in mind, however, that alcohol will dehydrate you, as will caffeine. Be cautious with both if the temperature is hot.

Seek shade, which can drop the temperature by as much as ten degrees. Try to run early or late, when the rays of the sun are not as direct, and apply a sunscreen that is designed for athletes.

Get to the nearest pool, hose, or ocean when you complete your run, as water will drop your body temperature quickly. Spraying cold water from a garden hose on your legs will refresh them for your next run.

Take advantage of the many quick-drying fabrics available for runners these days, and wear light colored clothing that reflects, rather than absorbs the sun.

Finally, summer is a time to go short and fast. Take a few weeks off from long runs, and concentrate on short, fast workouts.

And, if you feel dizzy, disoriented, or if your body stops producing sweat, these are signs of severe dehydration. Stop immediately, cool down, and drink water.

Summer is a great time of year for runners. By taking a few simple precautions, you can keep your summer running both safe and enjoyable.

**Joe Muldowney has been a competitive runner since 1976, owning a personal best marathon time of 2:22:54. He is a veteran of 54 marathons, 48 under the 3:00 mark, and 12 under 2:30. At age 57, he turned in a marathon time of 2:58:54. Joe has run the Boston Marathon 16 times, and in Personal Best, he writes his account of the events at the tragic 2013 race. Check out his website www.muldowneyrunning.com