Better Health 34 ENG

+++++ Sports Medicine
Preparing your body
for a marathon
14
“ At least one week
before the race, a
participant should
do a practice run.”
Dr. Montinee Sangtian
Marathon running is gaining
popularity worldwide. It’s
now common to see communities
in numerous countries
hold running events, including short
distances of two, three, or five kilometers,
mini-marathons (10.5 km), half
marathons (21 km), and full marathons
(international standardized distance
of 42.195 km). For those wanting a less
intense and competitive experience,
there are also numerous short-distance
walking and running events, often called
“fun runs”.
In this edition of Better Health, we
talk with Dr. Montinee Sangtian, who
has experience in organizing running
events, which include marathons and
triathlons in the USA. A specialist in
Emergency Medicine, EMS, and holding
a Disaster Medicine Fellowship Certification,
Dr. Montinee reveals how to
get your body ready for the challenges
of running a marathon for the first time.
Why a marathon?
For many runners who have long
trained and achieved personal running
records, completing a full marathon
is the ultimate test. However, this
demanding form of exercise is not
suitable for everyone.
“Marathon running is classified as
an endurance sport, requiring muscular
strength and endurance, as well as a
robust cardiovascular system, where the
runner performs repetitive movements
in the same plane of motion for an
extended period of time,” Dr. Montinee,
says. “Marathon running requires a
high and continuous amount of energy,
which is a clear distinction from shorterdistance
running or sprinting. Athletes
must specially prepare for the unique
rigors of running a marathon.”
Those considering running a
marathon must evaluate their physical
ability before they get to the starting
line. “Some people are careless about
running marathons because they think
that they can stop at any point of
exhaustion, or that they can probably
endure. However, a marathon should
be no different from swimming,
for example, where most people do not
dare participate if they are not sure
that they can make it to the finish line.
In fact, with no physical readiness or
sufficient preparation, running beyond
our physical ability is dangerous
because we may not be aware that we
have exceeded our limit and we risk
having a heart attack.”
Get ready before the race
Physicians recommend that before
you run a marathon, you get a comprehensive
annual health check-up.
Many people do not get these regular
assessments, however, when you intend
to run a race of any distance, you
should at least, initially consult a doctor
to check your physical health and get
specific advice. A check-up ensures
that you have no underlying chronic
disease or other conditions that could
jeopardize your health. These problems
include bone and joint diseases,
hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and
heart disease especially ischemic heart
disease, cardiac arrhythmia and hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy.