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Too hot to trot

July 31, 2008

BY CHRISTINE A. VERSTRAETE

Dr. Stephen Weinberg, DPM (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine) could almost recite the ins, outs and injuries he'd see at the annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Until last year, that is.

"It was a freak thing," he said. "It was the first time they ever had temperatures this warm." Instead of the usual 60s and 70s that hit the October race, temperatures were in the high 80s and low 90s in 2007.

So for the first time, heat forced officials to shut the race down early, the first time ever that the 26.2 mile course was shut down before the official closing time of 6 hours and 30 minutes.

Dr. Stephen A. Weinberg trains for the
Chicago marathon with his daughter
Lindsay, 24, near their home in Highland
Park. (ALLEN KALETA/FOR PIONEER PRESS)

Weinberg, however, was not surprised. He's run the event for 18 years, advised other runners, including his daughter, and served as chief of the podiatry section for Evanston Northwestern Healthcare for over 20 years and practices with Weil Foot & Ankle in Libertyville. He knew heat would take a toll.

It was also a memorable race for Weinberg, a Highland Park resident, because he was entering for the first time since the 1980s. His 24-year-old daughter, Lindsay, wanted to run it, and "I decided to run with her," said the doctor. He joked that it was more likely he'd just try to keep up: "She's much faster than I am. She's 24 and I'm on Medicare."

Drink right

At 65, Weinberg still runs recreationally for much shorter distances. Having run the race before, he knew how to prepare and train. He knew he'd have to pace himself to finish and he also knew he'd be drinking a 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade every hour he ran.

The drink would prevent him from developing hyponatremia, a condition that was fatal to a Colorado woman running in the 1998 marathon. What happens, Weinberg explained, is that sweating runners drink too much water, which dilutes the body's sodium to dangerously low levels. "You have to replace that sodium, and Gatorade contains almost the equivalent of blood in terms of sodium," he said.

He also noted that runners who might be racing in heat should acclimate themselves to drinking Gatorade, or something like it, rather than water, before they tackle a marathon, so their stomachs won't reject it during the event.
Despite the heat, said Weinberg, "I got to mile 15 before they shut down the course. My left knee started to bother me. I had to limp my way along the course."

Don't push

He also avoided overexertion that many experienced runners suffer when they push too hard. "I think my knee saved me," he said. "It's always a temptation to do more than you feel like you can, because you've done it before and know it's possible."

Weinberg knew this would be his last marathon, but the important point was starting the course with his daughter, "the real thrill."

So the doctor didn't worry about losing time when he realized he had to help other runners. "People were dropping like flies," he said. "I was stopping to help people and it would've taken a long time for me to do the course. My responsibility was more to these sick people."

He suspects many of those suffering from the heat were not properly prepared for the race. "You have to be training in the type of weather you run in immediately before the event to really acclimatize," he said. "I have patients who do the Iron Man in Hawaii, and go out two weeks ahead to get used to the warm weather."

Another reason to prepare your body for heat is that the problems stay with you. "People don't realize that once you're heat-injured, you're prone to it again."

Of course that extreme Chicago heat was unusual. Weinberg recalled another marathon with biting winds and snow flurries. Though our bodies can deal with cold better than heat, he said, "a lot of runners from warm places just couldn't take it."

Train to sweat

To run safely for any distance in extreme heat a person can also train his or her body to sweat more copiously -- and thus cool itself -- more efficiently. Running in early mornings with higher humidity can help do that.

Because they're so long, marathons require a lot of preparation. "Long, slow distances are really healthier," said Weinberg. With that kind of running, you're not so prone to injuries.

In Weinberg's judgment, not until you've run a 20-mile course comfortably two weeks before a marathon are you really ready to take on the 26.2 miles.

He noted that some 45,000 people were registered for last year's marathon, with 35,000 showing up. Out of that number, he said, a doctor at the course can typically expect to treat at least 750-800 people for injuries and other medical issues.

"It may be asthma, foot injuries, knee injuries," he said. "The most frequent injury I see is to the knee. In a third of injuries, the knees tend to go."

Start early

Now he's helping his daughter prepare for this year's race, set for Oct. 12. She and all other potential marathoners should begin training at least four months beforehand. His daughter, he said, is doing just that. "She has to start building up the miles gradually."

She'll also be running rain or shine, heat or cold, to acclimate herself as much as possible. "The key is to have fun and not get sick," Weinberg said.

Weinberg noted that people run marathons for many reasons. "A great percent of them run for compassion, for organizations, like the 'leukemia team' usually because someone they knew had leukemia. Others are running to lose weight. Others run just to see how much their bodies can do."

For many like him, the attraction is the challenge. "But it's punishment," said Weinberg. His best marathon time was a very respectable 3 1/2 hours. Top marathoners finish in about two hours and 10 minutes or less.

Though he's no longer doing marathons, Weinberg still likes getting out to run. His usual distance now about four to five miles, at least three times a week. It's something he looks forward to and hopes to continue for as long as his knees hold up.

"I just happen to love it," he said. "It's an escape for me."