Former financial services professional Lee Chimerakis spends his retirement fundraising and supporting charitable causes across Palm Beach, Florida, as an ambassador for the famed Honda Classic golf tournament. Lee Chimerakis is also a running enthusiast and dedicates much of his time to fitness and strength training.
Avid runners are prone to several types of overuse injuries, including Achilles tendinitis and runner's knee. However, appropriate strength training can reduce the likelihood of sustaining an overuse injury by half.
Strength training builds up the density, flexibility, and resilience of the bones, tendons, and other structures. Thicker muscles also help cushion thinner ligaments and joints against the stress that running can place on the body.
Just one to two 30-minute strength training sessions a week can be enough to obtain protective effects. Beginners should start training using only body weight and add additional loads as they build strength. Runners with previous overuse injuries can benefit from a modified strength training routine, but should consult with a physical therapist prior to starting.
Lee Chimerakis is a retired Palm Beach, Florida, resident who had a successful Wall Street career in finance. A running enthusiast, Lee Chimerakis participates in a leadership program that provides opportunities to teen runners in his local community. One essential aspect of running is proper nutrition, which can include moderate supplementation.
According to a recently released International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) guide, whole foods are the most important source of fuel for running, including fiber- and carb-rich vegetables and grains. When it comes to supplements, caffeine is recommended, as are nitrates, which are naturally found in beetroot and leafy greens. Drinking beetroot juice is a way to access the benefits of concentrated nitrates, which the body converts into nitric oxide when available oxygen is low. This in turn enhances metabolic and vascular processes.
Another important supplement is the antioxidant beta-alanine, which is found naturally in meat, fish, and poultry. It helps to delay fatigue resulting from the limits of the body’s anaerobic metabolism. This is particularly important in 400-meter through 1,500-meter running events, where maximum effort is exerted over a sustained period. The IAAF also says bicarbonate and creatine have been shown to improve runners’ performance. However, athletes are cautioned to focus on good training and nutrition first, before considering supplements.
