Training

by V_gritcamp

You probably will have heard of a few cases in the last week or so, spreading across social media, of mud racers who finished with more than just the typical bruises and scrapes. There were the 1000 unfortunate racers in France getting diarrhoea, a young woman losing sight in one eye, and an Olympian rower passing away after exposure to infected waters.

We’re going to go beyond the viral headlines today to discuss the diseases lurking in the mud. It only just hit me as well, after two years of racing, that every race does feature an invisible set of obstacles which we should be more aware of. Let’s be real though – when was the last time you read a race waiver before signing it?

We’ll cover all of the dangerous diseases in obstacle races in detail, but first, let’s revisit some of the viral stories…

1000 mud racers get disaster pants (Link)

We all know how tough the first couple of days after a race can be, with muscle pains and other aches kicking in. A group of OCR enthusiasts in France had it even worse when a large number of them reported feeling ill in the days after completing the race. The cause of their discomfort? Norovirus. Mayo Clinic describes this disease as “highly contagious and commonly spread through food or water that is contaminated by fecal matter”. Indeed, the race course had been exposed to cow manure. The end result? Out of 8400 racers, a whole 1000 got what you would call a severe case of disaster pants.

Once the word got out, you could see some of the participants posting on Facebook that mud pits throughout the course smelled like excrements. From our experience with muddy races, this isn’t an uncommon smell. You should know that the fields a a lot of OCR events are hosted in, serve to raise cattle the rest of the year. Yet it is the rugged, back-to-nature conditions are a major attraction to obstacle mud races.

Girl loses sight after a mud race (Link)

Around the time of the French incident, media also reported about the case of a young mother who had lost sight in one eye after completing an obstacle race just 12 hours earlier. She had felt something was wrong with her eye, however as most of us do in the trenches, she just brushed it off and continued racing. Turns out she had contracted flesh-eating bacteria (Necrotising fasciitis), common in warmer climates, which infected her cornea. Twelve hours later, her vision disappeared as the whole cornea became white and it was too late to act on this. Because of severity of damage, the mud runner will unfortunately require a full cornea transplant in order to get her vision back.

Weekend warrior or professional racer, please do consider these common diseases lurking among our favourite obstacles. Being aware of common symptoms could save your life.

The common diseases to be wary of

E. Coli, Norovirus and other common bacteria

These are probably the most common bacteria types to cause extreme cases of poisoning through contact with infected water, mud etc – anything you would encounter in an obstacle course. Much like the poor French racers from the example above, this virus causes stomach aches, diarrhoea and vomiting but it can result in severe complications too.

Although none of these are very common among mud racers specifically, a common thread for most of the reported cases is ingesting mud or dirty water. So a clear way to prevent suffering would be to close your mouth while going through mud, rinse your mouth and face at every water station and spit the water out.

A trick I personally use is to bring a toothbrush and some toothpaste to rinse my mouth right after the finish line. This is a critical moment where people start ingesting drinks and snacks thereby flushing all the nasty crap down into their stomachs. Don’t be fooled by the photo propaganda of racers smiling, mouth wide open with muddy teeth. Don’t eat the mud, kids, it’s not chocolate.

If you’re prone to paranoia, you could invest in a preventative antibiotic package, but this would simply result in a milder case of the virus rather than 100% protection.

Flesh Eating Bacteria

More difficult to avoid, but luckily also a lot less common, is the flesh eating bacteria mentioned above. Getting necrotising fasciitis truly is much like playing russian roullete with cases of it being extremely rare. When they do occur however, they can be horrific and lead to amputations or extreme tissue loss.

According to CNC, the “bacteria spread rapidly once they enter the body. They infect flat layers of a membrane known as the fascia, connective bands of tissue that surround muscles, nerves, fat, and blood vessels. The infection also damages the tissues next to the fascia. Sometimes toxins made by these bacteria destroy the tissue they infect, causing it to die. When this happens, the infection is very serious and can result in loss of limbs or death.”.

The images for this are gruesome and extremely graphic, google it on your own discretion.

An itch could be more than just that. To protect yourself, do apply antibacterial gels/creams on your bruises and scrapes straight after the race. Also, do rinse your face and eyes with fresh water as often as possible during the race – preferably in every water station.

Again, you needn’t become paranoid. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, just get checked by your GP rather than losing time allowing this vicious bacteria to spread.

Weil’s aka Field Fever

Weil’s, also known as Leptospirosis, is a less probable disease you would pick up in a mud race, but extra awareness can’t hurt. Notably, humans contract this disease through exposure to water containing infected urine from wild animals. It is a well-known risk for open water swimmers and in the water sports community. Additionally, being exposed to or submerging in shallow rivers, mud baths and ponds, which are perfect rat and other rodent breeding spots, puts you at risk of contracting this disease.

Weil’s in the primary stages of disease causes similar symptoms to the flu: headaches, muscle pain, temperature swings. In more serious cases athletes could experience organ failure, internal bleeding and death.

As with the previous diseases covered, avoiding direct contact with murky water, mud and cleaning up open and sensitive spots should keep you fairly safe.

Feeling scared? Don’t be. Every sport brings inherent dangers, be they injuries or dangerous diseases like this. Luckily, these diseases aren’t very common in the OCR community and you’ll probably know a lot more about the conditions of races we participate in than any journalist, so don’t get carried away by the linkbait and exaggerated headlines.

However, as the sport gets more mainstream it’s important to maintain awareness of dangers such as this one. Let’s not forget that obstacle racing is an extreme sport trying to simulate conditions that go a bit beyond what Mother Nature would put you through, so be careful and take care of yourselves.

This article is intended as a brief guide to possible dangers, so that if you sense something is not right, you would be more likely to raise alarm sooner. Always consult your doctor if you’re worried about any aspect of your health.

Like bad 80’s shoulder pads and frosted tips, some exercises go out of style—and for good reason. Here are the exercises trainers would never recommend you do nowadays, and their safer, more-effective alternatives.

STOMACH SLAPS

Some trainers thought that hitting the stomach of someone performing crunches would cause them to brace their core, creating a tighter muscle contraction.

Better option: The hollow-body hold

Try the hollow-body hold if you want a serious punch to the gut—in a good way.

“It’s a stability exercise used by elite gymnasts to build extreme core strength,”  And it works. After all, how many gymnasts have you seen without high-definition abs?

Do it: Lie on your back on the floor or a mat with your legs straight and your arms down by your side. Bend your knees and lift your feet until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor.

At the same time, contract your abs, raise your head and shoulders blades so they no longer touch the floor, and lift your hands a couple of inches so they hover next to your body.

To progress the movement, straighten out your legs so they are a few inches above the ground. Your body should form one long line.

To take it up another level, reach your arms over your head so your body forms a banana shape. Hold this position.

BEHIND-THE-NECK PULLDOWN

The movement was originally used to zero in on the upper-back and shoulders. But trainers soon found out that the exercise puts your shoulder joints and upper spine in an awkward position, increasing your potential of injury to those areas.

“The risk definitely doesn’t outweigh the benefit,”

Better option: Front pulldown

You’ll minimize your injury risk, and maximize your muscle activation.

Do it: Sit down in a lat pulldown station and grab the bar with an overhand grip that’s just beyond shoulder width. Without moving your torso, pull the bar down to your chest as you continue to squeeze your shoulder blades. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.

BARBELL TWIST

“Apparently, loading a barbell on your shoulders and twisting back and forth was supposed to work your obliques,”  But it’s actually more likely to damage your spine or knock out another gym patron, he says.

While your obliques play a role in bending and twisting your torso, they actually work harder when you try to resist movement to protect your spine—so that’s how you should work them.

Better option: Band-resisted anti-rotational press

Your obliques won’t twist during the band-resisted anti-rotational press. Instead, they must keep your torso from rotating against the pull of the band.

Do it: Grab a continuous-loop exercise band and tie it around a vertical post so it’s just below shoulder height. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the right side of your body facing the post.

Pull the band in front of you so it’s even with the middle of your chest. Holding it in both hands, take a step or two away from the post to create more tension in the band.

Extend your arms out in front of you, pressing the band away from your body. Pause, and then reverse the movement to return to the starting position.

These three moves will help you look better and feel better

There are some exercises that you just can’t get enough of. Three such examples: wall slides, thoracic rotations, and single-leg hip raises. Unusual names, yes. But while you may not be familiar with these moves, chances are, you should be doing them every day. Why? Because they help offset the toll that working on a computer—or even a mobile device—takes on your body. Specifically, that toll is poor posture, which frequently leads to neck, shoulder, and back pain. And because sitting and slumping as you type, surf, or text can consume hours of your day, the more frequently you perform these moves, the better. The best part: You can do these no-weight, no-sweat exercises anywhere.

Exercise 1. Wall Slides
Stop what you’re doing right now, and imagine that there’s a string attached from the ceiling to your chest. Now imagine that the string is being tightened, pulling your chest closer towards the ceiling. If you were sitting with good posture, your chest wouldn’t rise much. But if you’re like most people, you just raised up a few inches. (You can also remind yourself to sit as tall as you can.) This is a good way to see how much you slump. And if you do, you should start doing an exercise called the wall slide immediately.

For best results, do 10 to 15 reps of this exercise up to three times a day. (It’s easy to do in your office, and a great warmup before you lift weights.) Yes, it looks simple—and it is. But you’ll love how good it makes your shoulders and upper back feel.

2. Hip Raises
It’s not just slumping that hurts your posture. Simply sitting can be harmful, too. For instance, when you sit constantly—as most of us do—the muscles on the fronts of your hips become short and tight. What’s more, your glutes—or butt muscles—actually forget how to contract. (Think about it: With so much chair time, they’re not being used for much of anything except padding for your hipbones.) Now, the combination of tight muscles on the front of your hips and weak muscles on your backside causes your pelvis to tilt forward. This pushes your lower abdomen outward, making your belly pooch out—even if you don’t have an ounce of fat. Worse, it also puts more stress on your lumbar spine, which can lead to low-back pain.

But the single-leg hip raise can help. It strengthens your glutes and teaches them how to contract again—which helps allow your pelvis to move back in its natural alignment. Do 5 to 6 reps for each leg, holding the top position of the exercise for 3 to 5 seconds.

3. Thoracic Rotation
Like wall slides, this is another great exercise for your upper body posture. Just look around your office: See anyone with a hunch in his upper back? (Make sure to take an honest look in the mirror, too.) Compare his posture to that of Superman. The difference should jump at you: Superman has his chest up and shoulders pulled back; your colleague is just the opposite. The reason is simple: Your muscles and connective tissue tend to “set” in the position your body is in the most often.

Now you can’t fix 8 hours of slumping with just one exercise. But you can counteract some of the daily damage using thoracic rotation. This exercise helps “mobilize” your upper back by rotating at your thoracic spine. (That’s where the name comes from.) This helps restore natural, healthy posture. It also feels really good! Do 10 reps on each side. Frequently.

By Adam Campbell