43 Ironman finishes at 43; Dr Kaustubh Radkar’s core secret to endurance

Q: What are some of the early warning signs that one is overtraining?

Dr Kaustubh Radkar: As a newbie or even someone as experienced as I am, it is always better to work with an experienced coach who will increase either mileage or intensity, or both, in a safe manner. The line between increased mileage and overtraining is often crossed, and athletes only realise it after the fact. Some of the signs of overtraining include persistent fatigue or feeling drained even after rest days, elevated resting heart rate or unusually high HR during easy runs, trouble sleeping or disturbed sleep despite exhaustion, frequent illness or slow recovery from colds/infections, unexplained muscle soreness or joint pain that lingers, loss of appetite or weight fluctuations, menstrual irregularities (in female athletes) and digestive issues or reduced gut tolerance during workouts.

Q: How to safely increase mileage without getting injured?

Dr Radkar: To increase mileage, for newbies, it is important to follow the 10 to 20% rule, which simply means increasing mileage only by 10 to 20 % week to week. Take the third or fourth week as a recovery week, where you either run a lot less or do cross-training to reduce load on the lower body.

Q: What specific strength exercises do you recommend for runners?

Dr Radkar: For most runners, they need to do basic exercises in the gym, keeping in mind that strength training is complementary to their running. It’s an important part, but not one where they are so drained or sore from the strength programme that they can barely do their runs during the week. A good full-body conditioning programme, done twice a week, will yield good results for runners. It’s important to add core exercises, as that’s a key element.

Q: How important is mobility or flexibility training in your routine?

Dr Radkar: Mobility and flexibility are extremely important for all athletes. The more nimble you are, the lesser is the chance of getting injured. Also, mobility helps improve one’s running posture, which will indirectly help you stay injury-free.