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Running on the Cheap –
Save your money for shoes or running shorts and let’s talk about tricks for getting more miles out of your recreation budget.
Some of the best tips from our friends at Runners World include:
Local races are cheaper, sometimes offer food and are a great way to meet new running partners. The side benefits – you may be the fastest one there or for your division and this can be a prize category along with bragging rights. Always plan ahead for your race and pre-register. For big races this can save you $25 on the entry fee. If you travel to run then plan to carpool and room share with running buddies to trim costs. Pack a lunch to share and carbo load together.
Always support your local running store when you can. No shipping and the immediate gratification of having what you need and keeping a shop open near you. Ask if they’ll meet whatever catalog price you saw too – it never hurts to ask and a good business person can always find a polite way to state what they cannot do.
Volunteer at a race – often you can still run it and maybe at a reduced fee in exchange for your time. It is a fun and different way to be involved and it is what keeps area races going.
Fall is a key time for shoe models to change and whenever you see the new shoe guides hit the newsstand that means it is time to pick up whatever model you were running in for a better price as it goes off of the shelf. If you are a very common size you may need to jump on this a bit sooner to get your shoes but the pay off is worth it. They do not go bad in the box and most folks do not see a shoe size change annually. Roadrunner, REI, and zappos are all good sites for shoe sales when the style season ends.
Buying multiple pairs of shoes that work well for you does a few things. You are not pressured by style change when they phase out something that is working well for you. Secondly when you rotate shoes they last longer on account of the fact that the supportive foam (the only thing that really wears out sometimes on a shoe) has 48 hours to rebound every time you run your shoes. Getting them an air-out time and allowing foam to recover allows me to run two pair at a time, possibly 50-100 miles further than I could otherwise. Many runners benefit from this practice and it adds up over the cost of several pairs.
There is an increase in folks who run to work or run home after work and anyone who has an HR department at their workplace they should ask about any incentive that is offered for employee wellness or carbon savings. You are saving on gas or parking fees, gym membership and keeping your workplace insurance bills low so anything you can gain in reimbursement would be gravy.
Several folks have gotten a spouse, relative or buddy to run and this replaces their time at the bar or coffee stop with a cheap and healthy habit they do together.
Switch to real food. Better for you and less money too. Often times an easy grocery store substitute can replace expensive energy gels and Gatorade. Diluted fruit juice works for some folks and others just use less powder than the mix calls for (and Gatorade powder is far better and cheaper than paying for water and high fructose corn syrup) fruit leather, pretzels, honey, or any road tested thing you like is less money than a Powerbar. I am a big fan of PB&J on wheat.
Our area running clubs; Elkins Roadrunners and WV Mountain Trail Runners are very affordable ways to meet folks and their events are low budget and very fun affairs. Sometimes there will be apparel available that is great for running in and some clubs do get discounts from retailers – it pays to ask.
Your loved ones now know you are a runner so be specific when your birthday or Christmas comes and give them your shoe size and model; for what is the most costly and most often purchased item on your list.
Remember that big races are now often giving out technical fabric race shirts and these are your "two for one" deals on running apparel. When it comes to outerwear, shorts and shoes: this often remains an expensive spot in the starting runner’s budget. Remember that in days of old, wool was the original technical fiber and it still works great for everything but summer running. It is also already in the closet or at the secondhand store. I have always been a deal hound at the army/navy store for this kind of technical clothing for being outside. A funny and informative recent column sent Runners World staffers to the big box stores to shop out any clothing that looked like it would get them through weekly mileage and they only had $100 to spend for a complete outfit. Sports Authority and Amazon came up as the best bets for this shopping challenge. Two stores had brand name shoes and the shoes were similar to the manufacturer’s regular shoes with technology that was just several year older than new – yet good. Clothing from Starter, Champion, and Nike all turned out have some items that were acceptable to the testers, just simply did not last as long as what they were accustomed to. (Understand that the RW magazine editors all run in the newest free stuff to product test every month so they set the bar unfairly high.)
Runners World polled folks on their spending habits and found that 3% folks spent less than $100/year on running. The largest group 28% spent $250-499/year on running and an almost equally large number spent more than $1000/year ( I would guess that this accounts for travel to destination events) Recent polling shows that runners spending has held pretty constant in the current climate as well. Folks have a good habit that they cannot give up and they will continue to run even if they downsize a bit.
I hope some of these ideas and tips will help get you further this year. If you have others please post them to the facebook site.
Showing posts with label beginners running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beginners running. Show all posts
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Mark Cucuzzella inspiration
I'll share with you something from the Freedoms Run website where there are a lot of great runner materials and a series of races to register for this fall (hint, hint). Mark teaches running, is a race director, a CHI running instructor and a physician. When I asked him to come speak he graciously said yes, and then our schedules did not connect (he is clearly a busy guy) but I'll share some of his insight for you here and maybe some inspiration.
How to Run the Boston Marathon
Written by Mark Cucuzzella, MD
As you enter the week prior to the race, here are a few visualizations to help you set your plan. Running your best marathon is part art, part science, part guts, part faith in what you can do, and a little luck, whereas running your best 10k is mostly about fitness.
I’ve had the pleasure of running this race 16 times and the last 10 consecutively. My only misses were for military and work duties, and a foot surgery. In all these efforts, I had 5 under 2:30, 5 between 2:30 and 2:35; 2 between 2:35 and 2:40; 3 between 2:40-2:44; and one DNF (first one with lots of rookie mistakes). My best learning experiences were when the men and women started together and I had the privilege of running alongside and witnessing the patient approach of the top ladies.
In the 1998, Fatuma Roba, the Marathon Gold Medalist in Atlanta and 3 time Boston winner, scooted over the ground with an incredibly efficient motion. Her knees stayed low, she lifted up her feet, arms relaxed, and face always relaxed. She stayed out of trouble by tucking behind the lead pack of more aggressive ladies. I followed behind the train and we hit half way in about 1:13. Fatuma then opened her stride up in the second half moving away from all of us to run a 2:23. An amazing second half effort. I was pleased with a 2:27 that day and credit Fatuma as any thoughts to go faster sooner were mitigated by her patience.
A few years later in 2001, I witnessed multiple world champion and Boston winner Catherine “the Great” Ndereba employ the same strategy. Her hydroplaning stride and complete relaxation of effort were a contrast to other ladies in the pack whose body language and breathing revealed they were putting out more energy than Katherine. As a group, we hit the half in 1:14. Katherine stayed relaxed down the last set of downhill during mile 17, then tightened the screws with great acceleration over the Newton hills, running the last 10 miles in 50 minutes for a 2:24. Katherine helped my day. By cuing off her pacing and relaxation, I ran an even race and finished in 2:29.
The other runner who taught me to have fun out there was the legendary 3 time Boston winner Uta Pippig of Germany. In 1997, I ran with her until she dropped me at Cleveland Circle, mile 22. The crowds loved Uta, and the noise escalated as she approached. She smiled the whole way … this may be her cue to relax, feed off the crowd’s energy, and have fun in the moment. In marathon running you must be present in the moment, not thinking about how far you have to go, fearing what you may feel like later, are you going to slow down, when’s the wall coming. Uta ran a strong fourth place that day in 2:28 and I finished a few strides back in 2:29.
All of these ladies made sure to get their fluid and nutrition at all stops. The seconds used here paid dividends down the road. They ran over the road not into the road, especially on the downhills … you could hardly hear them land as they did not employ hard heel striking technique. Their posture was tall and their arms always relaxed. But most vital was their efficient energy conservation and utilization strategy.
So how does this apply to you in your Boston Marathon, whether you are going to run 2:20 or 4 hours plus?
The best analogy I can think of is this: if you have trained your body properly with the right mix of aerobic level training and some up tempo stuff in recent weeks, you have built your efficient hybrid engine ready to race the marathon. Many of you have driven in a Prius and watch the subtle shifts between gas and electric on the screen. You do not perceive these shifts. Your engine runs on gas, electric, or a mix- depending on the effort.
You are starting the race with one gallon in the tank- assuming you have eaten a nice meal the night before with a breakfast top off.
• If you are in all gas mode, your engine will run about 1.5 hours at a strong pace….then you are out of gas.
• If you are mostly electric you can run all day, but maybe not so quickly.
• If you are using the proper mix you will go quick and efficient for duration of your event, and you can even do some topping off along the way.
The glucose utilizing pathway is the gas. This is your stored glycogen and blood glucose (pasta meal and breakfast) - easy to access for ready energy. The fat utilizing pathway is the electric. In marathons you must be in hybrid until the last few miles. Hybrid is where your energy (ATP) is coming from both sources.
Many runners are in great “10k shape” (an all gas event), then run their marathon in the gas mode- and usually crash. No glycogen sparing factors apply in races of less than an hour as long as you had a good pre-event meal to fill the tank. In marathons and ultras- top end fitness matters little and can only be applied very near the finish. Glucose gives 36 ATP per molecule, fat 460 ATP per molecule. Now you know how a bird can migrate 7000 miles without a Powerbar.
So how do you know you are running in your best hybrid mode?
This is difficult because the sense is not as profound as aerobic/anaerobic. A slight increase from your optimal pace will switch you from hybrid to all gas without you realizing it, and the effects are felt miles later. Charging up hills early will tap your gas quickly. Maintain effort not speed.
You must rehearse a bit in training. I focus on relaxation and breathing. If I’m breathing one cycle to 5 steps, then I’m hybrid. Any faster I’m using glucose as sole fuel. Belly breathe- allow lower belly to blow up like a beach ball on inhalation and pull your belly button back to your spine on exhalation. Then you will fill the lower lung areas where oxygen exchange occurs.
Notice the breathing efforts of those around you and many are rapid breathing- they tend to suffer somewhere past half way. Rehearse complete relaxation from the top down- eyes, jaw, shoulders, allow your legs to relax and extend behind you, relax and soften your knees and ankles. Find you own cue for this. If you use the Heart Rate Monitor in training strongly consider one during the event.
In a marathon, the last 3-4 miles you will be all gas to maintain the same speed as fatigue sets in. The breathing is usually on a 3 to 4 step per breath cycle- that is OK. Still stay relaxed and use some relaxation cues that you have rehearsed to keep your form.
Land softly, especially on the early downhills. I use a running method called ChiRunning which focuses on midfoot strike, slight forward lean, and letting gravity do some of the work. A few months after learning this technique I ran a 2:31 here at age 39 and felt none of the usual post Boston soreness. Felt so good I lined up 5 weeks later in Ottawa for another 2:32. I’m never sore after marathons now thanks to ChiRunning and feel I can keep doing them until I enter the retirement home. No pain…thank you.
Your shoes matter too. Not that you are going to change your shoes in the next day based on my advice...but make strong consideration to not running in minimalist racers unless you have trained substantially in them. Your body will need some protection on the downs to save muscle fiber for the later rolling sections. My favorite shoe is the Newton Neutral Racer, an incredible marathon shoe if you are running with a proper midfoot landing. If you relax your lower legs and not push off…these shoes with no heel elevation put you in perfect position to allow natural elastic recoil of plantar fascia, Achilles, calf muscles, and hip flexors. Try to learn the midfoot strike and test the Newtons before Boston 2011. Read Dean Karnazes new book “50-50” (50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 Days). He has figured this gait efficiency technique too and it has allowed him to accomplish some amazing endurance and durability feats. “Born to Run” also makes the case for running with a more efficient stride and questions modern running footwear. The evolving world of modern sports medicine is going back to the future too and rediscovering what evolution has taught us. For an all inclusive document go the www.freedomsrun.org and click “download presentation” from the homepage.
Now a few extra ways to get from start to finish quicker on the same gallon.
• If you can add a little gas along the way then you can go more into gas mode. This works a little at best. If running too fast you shunt all blood to working muscles and nothing digests. If you are in hybrid the early going you can continually add fuel- the key is not only the correct fuel, but the right pace. A Powergel every 25 minutes is easy to digest and tops off the tank. Carry them with you at the start. The weight is nothing compared to the benefit you will get. If you do the gels then you can drink water instead of the energy drinks which are often less predictable on the run. Boston has a Powergel station at Mile 17. Carry 4 at the start (one every 4 miles or so) and reload at mile 17.
• Maintain effort on uphill. Your pace will slow. You can easily use all your gas here if your effort increases. Shorten your stride, relax, and use your arms. Then allow gravity to take you down.
• If you are having a “bad patch” – try to refocus on relaxing, fuel a bit (sometimes a blood glucose drop triggers the sense of doom) , and have faith in your training and race plan. Another nice trick is when you hit mile 21 it is not 5 miles to go, it is 4 and change. Mile 22 is 3 and change to go. Just run to the next mile marker.
The fun of the marathon is that we are always learning and enjoying the adventure of it. I’ve done over 50 marathons now with a couple under 2:25 in my younger years. I’ve had one DNF at my first Boston in 1989. I raced the first half in 1:08 in gas mode not realizing it, in really minimal shoes that I’d not trained in, and was done by 20 miles. My worst time of the all the others has been a 2:44 at “run for hoses” Boston on 2005- 90 degrees and sunny. No hybrid here as efforts to cool were overwhelming. Another slow day was a 2:41 in the “run for cover” Boston in 2007. This was year with 30 mph headwind and Nor’easter rain. I was not in hybrid in this race in efforts to fight wind and cold, hit half way in 1:16, and suffered coming home.
We learn from experience, taking chances, and occasional failures. My first marathon in 1988 was 2:34. This year (22 years later) I hope for a similar time (2:37 in 2009 race with some tough winds coming in). Along the way I’ve accumulated 20 straight years under 2:35 except for my year of medical internship when there was no time to find a race. I’ve learned a few things in 20 years, but still there are uncertainties every time you line up. Relax, taper up, and seize the day.
Mark Cucuzzella MD
Associate Professor of Family Medicine West Virginia University
Lt. Col USAF Reserves
Coach USAF Marathon Team and Medical Consultant for Air Force Marathon
Race Dircetor Freedom’s Run (www.FreedomsRun.org)
I’d like to especially thank my sponsors for giving me the continual opportunity to run this event, be part of new innovations in running and nutrition, and representing Service Men and Women worldwide.
US Air Force: www.usafsports.com
Newton Running: www.newtonrunning.com
Powerbar: www.powerbar.com
And a special thanks to Danny and Katherine Dreyer of ChiRunning for their amazing teaching and passion for keeping runners healthy.
Race Day Recovery
Recovery From Racing -
You are an experiment of one, but here are some tested tips to avoid injury after a big race or run.
Run, refuel, stretch, shower, and stretch again, and rest. You are what you eat at this point in training so treat yourself to a great meal that fulfills the nutrient and energy expenditures from your effort.
Stairs can me managed by walking them backwards to help sore quadriceps (be careful, and hold that rail!)
Expect that delayed onset swelling and pain can occur after your event. While the typical swelling curve follows a 12-24 hour timeframe from insult, you may see soreness 1-2 days post event that you did not experience previously. RICE (Rest, Ice, Elevation,Compression)
Pain relievers and NSAID anti-inflammatory drugs may provide some initial relief but loose their effectiveness after several days. Pain is a good guide for when you are able to resume activity and how much activity.
Massage a few days after a race, when point tenderness is going away, is a great rehabilitation tool.
If you can stand it after a big run an ice bath will reduce inflammation in the legs, and is proven to help speed recovery. The secret is that the water need not be iced but can be anything below 50 degrees. Remember to wear a sweater and hat, only soak your lower half, and bring a book to keep your mind off the discomfort. Fifteen minutes in the bath is helpful and is better at fighting inflammation than the NSAIDs, and does not stress the kidneys.
For every mile you race you’ll need a day off – initially. You may choose to change this after you develop a significant mileage base.
While it may feel difficult to hold back on your training you should incorporate rest post-event and use cross training that is a pain free activity to fulfill any need you have to exercise.
Walking is called active recovery and should be included in your recovery plan to get you feeling better sooner. I like to walk as much as I can after a hard race effort.
In the first weeks after a big race seek to keep your efforts below PE 7 or 75% or your maximum heart rate to allow your body needed rest and to speed recovery. Stay away from hill work or any speed work as well. Re-starting an aggressive program post event can lead to injury.
Prepare for a let down, the post race blues – use this time to plan another project and to resume running soon - but allow for plenty of time to get ready and train. You cannot judge your success as a runner by this race or this program – this is a beginning for your running – with more challenges ahead.
Look at your process goals and the A, B, C goals you planned to see how you did, and while your mind is fresh from the event; note in your training log your race time and what went well and what you want to do better with the next race. You already have you date to begin running again marked on your calendar so why not plan your next race day too?
If you ran a 6.2 mile race, then 6 days after racing go ahead and check your resting heart rate and blood pressure to see if it matches the values measured the week before your race. If the values match and you are not experiencing muscle soreness it is a safe time to gently return to running, keeping in mind the above ideas.
You are an experiment of one, but here are some tested tips to avoid injury after a big race or run.
Run, refuel, stretch, shower, and stretch again, and rest. You are what you eat at this point in training so treat yourself to a great meal that fulfills the nutrient and energy expenditures from your effort.
Stairs can me managed by walking them backwards to help sore quadriceps (be careful, and hold that rail!)
Expect that delayed onset swelling and pain can occur after your event. While the typical swelling curve follows a 12-24 hour timeframe from insult, you may see soreness 1-2 days post event that you did not experience previously. RICE (Rest, Ice, Elevation,Compression)
Pain relievers and NSAID anti-inflammatory drugs may provide some initial relief but loose their effectiveness after several days. Pain is a good guide for when you are able to resume activity and how much activity.
Massage a few days after a race, when point tenderness is going away, is a great rehabilitation tool.
If you can stand it after a big run an ice bath will reduce inflammation in the legs, and is proven to help speed recovery. The secret is that the water need not be iced but can be anything below 50 degrees. Remember to wear a sweater and hat, only soak your lower half, and bring a book to keep your mind off the discomfort. Fifteen minutes in the bath is helpful and is better at fighting inflammation than the NSAIDs, and does not stress the kidneys.
For every mile you race you’ll need a day off – initially. You may choose to change this after you develop a significant mileage base.
While it may feel difficult to hold back on your training you should incorporate rest post-event and use cross training that is a pain free activity to fulfill any need you have to exercise.
Walking is called active recovery and should be included in your recovery plan to get you feeling better sooner. I like to walk as much as I can after a hard race effort.
In the first weeks after a big race seek to keep your efforts below PE 7 or 75% or your maximum heart rate to allow your body needed rest and to speed recovery. Stay away from hill work or any speed work as well. Re-starting an aggressive program post event can lead to injury.
Prepare for a let down, the post race blues – use this time to plan another project and to resume running soon - but allow for plenty of time to get ready and train. You cannot judge your success as a runner by this race or this program – this is a beginning for your running – with more challenges ahead.
Look at your process goals and the A, B, C goals you planned to see how you did, and while your mind is fresh from the event; note in your training log your race time and what went well and what you want to do better with the next race. You already have you date to begin running again marked on your calendar so why not plan your next race day too?
If you ran a 6.2 mile race, then 6 days after racing go ahead and check your resting heart rate and blood pressure to see if it matches the values measured the week before your race. If the values match and you are not experiencing muscle soreness it is a safe time to gently return to running, keeping in mind the above ideas.
Race Prep notes
Race preparations –
“Emotion is a direct manifestation of a person’s appraisal of any given situation”
Here is a rambling selection of important thoughts about your upcoming big day. You have worked hard and deserve an afternoon that will be enjoyable enough that you are surprised, delighted and want to do it again. So keep these things in mind – as they may help you to that end.
Do not try anything new on race day. That means no new thing. You will have tested your diet, your socks, your hydration plan, your sports wear etc. on runs prior to the race so that you can put your best effort forward with the confidence that “this works, I tried it last week”. Having your bag packed the night before and your breakfast laid out downstairs allows you to get to sleep naturally dreaming about the crowds screaming your name as you cross the finish line strong and in charge of your race. Not all of your big runs end like this one, so just like Christmas morning – you need a plan and you begin drawing it up right now.
The week of your race try to add one hour of sleep to each night’s schedule (so that if you normally sleep 7 hrs/night try to get 8hrs, every night) because while we will not taper for this event - your body needs to rejuvenate from all the training to run at your best. We improve while at rest - not while working out. So race week is a time when you cannot cram for the test, you need to bide your time and relax as best you can. While many American feel more is better; without adequate rest - fitness adaptations may occur short term but ultimately are not retained.
Carbohydrate loading for this length of race is risky. You will be able to eat your normal diet, a good breakfast 2 hours before your race and have enough glycogen in your muscles to run the entire race. More food may create issues with gastric emptying and lead to cramps. Eat light and right as you would before a morning run and you’ll be fine – avoid risky foods 2-3 days before your race. Not a good time to get food poisoning or an upset stomach. With an afternoon race you may need to adjust your breakfast time on race morning to eat later than you normally would eat breakfast – you will try this out the week before on your long turn to confirm that it works for you. Some runners give up dairy for 30 hours preceding a race so as to not feel bogged down in the GI system – I have tried this and have not seen a clear advantage to doing so.
Caffeine is a proven performance enhancer for runners and is a legal substance under USATF rules. One to three cups will have negligible effect on hydration and will boost energy level. If you currently use caffeine do not skip it on race day. That being said – you should read the post on our facebook site – which is a discussion of the abuse of caffeine and it’s hazards – along with a link that has the amount of caffeine in many consumer products. You should know what you are taking.
Begin planning now for your bathroom break and time it to be before your race time. You’ll feel better. Races nearly always have a bathroom (typically port-o-johns) but paper may be in short supply.
Physiology studies have shown that you can train your body to have a time of day where cardio-fitness and oxygen intake is optimized. Many folks begin a pattern or running at the time of their race start and this has been proven to be helpful in race performance.
Review your race goals the night before your event. Have a Plan A, and a Plan B so that you are prepared. Keep a positive dialogue about these goals and your race day performance. You trained, you put in the work, and you can do this.
Consider a “dress rehearsal” for your race. Do one of your long runs as you would run your race event.
Wear what you hope to wear on race day
Securely tie your shoes
Eat your race breakfast, two hours before your run and ensure you are hydrated
Drink your caffeine if you normally do
Use all the same techniques you hope to employ on race day
Run at the same time as your event
Be prepared for weather changes and have these items with you
Check and calculate your pace for a “three stage race”
Visualize a strong finish and success
Pack your race day bag the night before with everything you’ll need.
Water bottle, recovery food, safety pins for your race number, Running shoes, socks, shorts or tights, shirt, wind layer, hat, gloves, a dry change of clothes for post race, your watch, toilet paper (races with big crowds are notorious for running out), sunscreen, glasses, car keys, a few dollars, phone, camera, coffee/cup
Trim your toenails very carefully a week or more before your race, so that any mistakes can grow out a bit prior to the big day. If you do not trim you could get “black toe” or lose a nail from pounding in the shoe.
While racing you need to keep in mind some etiquette issues that are “rules of the road” when running in large groups that help everyone have a good race day.
· Line up according to how fast you run or walk – slower participant to the back for safety and courtesy. Do not go out faster than you intend to run.
· If you drop something at the race start do not stop to pick it up. You endanger yourself and those around you. If you need to tie a shoe, step to the side of the course.
· Strive to run or walk in a straight line and look before you veer, spit or blow your nose. If you are taking walk breaks step to the side of the course.
· Do not walk or run more than two abreast, doing so create congestion on the course and may lead to irrational behavior from runners who feel compelled to pass.
· If you stop at the aid station to eat or drink, consume these items past the aid station and on the side of the course. Always use trash receptacles and never litter on course.
· If you hear “excuse me” “passing” or “on your left” you need to be aware of your surroundings and yield to the faster traffic that is passing. Runners should always indicate verbally they are passing and “thank you” should be heard regularly also.
· Cheer and encourage other on the course – help everyone to have a good day
· Thank volunteers along the course - races cannot happen without these people
· Enjoy the race, look around and savor the moment. You worked hard for this and Tom Holland says “welcome to the party!”
· Cross the finish line and keep moving - stay in race order (finishing order) so that your standings can be documented then keep walking to clear the area for others.
· Most races offer refreshment at the finish and you should enjoy the refueling while being mindful that runners on course will need some of these supplies as well.
· If you have a complaint about the event - do not tell a volunteer who is busy making a great experience for runners. Tell the race director or write your comments on a comment card and submit them. Your race director is VERY interested in your feedback, and yet he/she will not have time for your comments on race day. Always be kind to volunteers.
Warm up by simply walking around, hop, very gently stretch just to move blood supply - not to stretch muscles. By getting the pulse up a bit we are better prepared without using too much energy.
We always start slow – go out too fast and you’ll have an empty tank and may not finish your event. Run the first leg of your race relaxed and smiling, keep your effort in the PE range of 3-4.
Start the second leg of your race with a PE range of 5-6 and you are ramping up now but trying not to blow up – pace yourself
Start the third leg of your race with a PE range of 7-8.5 and really give that last stretch your best effort, keeping your running form clean. If you are not running with good form - slow down. Breathe, relax, hold your form and hang on – you’re almost there and this will hurt a little bit. But its not childbirth…
Perceived effort works at the level of our autonomic nervous system. Your body will actually make you feel very poorly right before it thinks that you cannot do any more. Athletes can train this PE center in the brain to some degree and give it greater reference. We train to go the entire distance because you have then taught your brain that you can travel this distance without blowing up – so when you get that bad feeling simply slow down, let the body recover some – and then keep going for what you trained to do.
It is never over until it really is over. It is very Ok to walk, crawl or even rest and then crawl again to finish – there is no time limit and if you are up to it; give it your best effort to finish.
NO Pain reliever on race day. I see it all the time and even among folks who should know better but the more I read and listen on this subject the more I feel compelled to advise you to not use pain reliever on race day. Here is a short list of reasons.
You need to stay in tune with your body and prophylactic use of pain reliever, particularly NSAID’s, (non-steroidal anti-inflamatories) has been proven DANGEROUS to runners and their bodies. If you are sore the next day you may choose to take OTC pain reliever in standard dosage with water if you and your physician say it’s OK. Running with ibuprofen (Advil), or naproxen (Alleve) in your system may truly hurt you on race day.
By limiting prostaglandins that normalize blood flow you may tax your kidneys. Your basic over-the-counter drugs may seem benign to you, but they do block important biochemical’s called prostaglandins and these do a great number of things in the body – including dilate the blood vessels to your kidney. Remember that your kidneys are something that you need, and rely on, to maintain the electrolyte balance in the body, maintain fluid balances and eliminate wastes. These NSAID’s (by blocking prostaglandins) may increase your blood pressure at a dangerous time to do so – when running – and this could trigger a TIA or CVA (stroke). NSAID’s block the enzyme cyclooxygenase that protects the heart and thus may pose greater risk to the cardiovascular system as well.
Cyclooxygenase helps protect the stomach lining from digestive acids and so when NSAID’s block the enzyme you may experience nausea, cramping, diarrhea or bleeding. Studies indicate that NSAID’s may increase the risk of Hyponatremia or “water intoxication” a problem with electrolyte imbalance.
New research says that you might take one baby aspirin every day or every other day – see the link at our FB site for the literature on this preventative for everyone to learn more - then ask your DOCTOR.
Try to reduce stress in your schedule the week before your race, plan a massage 5 days out if you want to, look back at your training log to see how much running you have been doing and feel good about your accomplishments. Before the starting gun goes off you have already won by working so hard to get here – now if you have a fun race day it is the gravy and a just reward for all this “work”. You are a runner now.
More sage wisdom and some comedy here:
“Emotion is a direct manifestation of a person’s appraisal of any given situation”
Here is a rambling selection of important thoughts about your upcoming big day. You have worked hard and deserve an afternoon that will be enjoyable enough that you are surprised, delighted and want to do it again. So keep these things in mind – as they may help you to that end.
Do not try anything new on race day. That means no new thing. You will have tested your diet, your socks, your hydration plan, your sports wear etc. on runs prior to the race so that you can put your best effort forward with the confidence that “this works, I tried it last week”. Having your bag packed the night before and your breakfast laid out downstairs allows you to get to sleep naturally dreaming about the crowds screaming your name as you cross the finish line strong and in charge of your race. Not all of your big runs end like this one, so just like Christmas morning – you need a plan and you begin drawing it up right now.
The week of your race try to add one hour of sleep to each night’s schedule (so that if you normally sleep 7 hrs/night try to get 8hrs, every night) because while we will not taper for this event - your body needs to rejuvenate from all the training to run at your best. We improve while at rest - not while working out. So race week is a time when you cannot cram for the test, you need to bide your time and relax as best you can. While many American feel more is better; without adequate rest - fitness adaptations may occur short term but ultimately are not retained.
Carbohydrate loading for this length of race is risky. You will be able to eat your normal diet, a good breakfast 2 hours before your race and have enough glycogen in your muscles to run the entire race. More food may create issues with gastric emptying and lead to cramps. Eat light and right as you would before a morning run and you’ll be fine – avoid risky foods 2-3 days before your race. Not a good time to get food poisoning or an upset stomach. With an afternoon race you may need to adjust your breakfast time on race morning to eat later than you normally would eat breakfast – you will try this out the week before on your long turn to confirm that it works for you. Some runners give up dairy for 30 hours preceding a race so as to not feel bogged down in the GI system – I have tried this and have not seen a clear advantage to doing so.
Caffeine is a proven performance enhancer for runners and is a legal substance under USATF rules. One to three cups will have negligible effect on hydration and will boost energy level. If you currently use caffeine do not skip it on race day. That being said – you should read the post on our facebook site – which is a discussion of the abuse of caffeine and it’s hazards – along with a link that has the amount of caffeine in many consumer products. You should know what you are taking.
Begin planning now for your bathroom break and time it to be before your race time. You’ll feel better. Races nearly always have a bathroom (typically port-o-johns) but paper may be in short supply.
Physiology studies have shown that you can train your body to have a time of day where cardio-fitness and oxygen intake is optimized. Many folks begin a pattern or running at the time of their race start and this has been proven to be helpful in race performance.
Review your race goals the night before your event. Have a Plan A, and a Plan B so that you are prepared. Keep a positive dialogue about these goals and your race day performance. You trained, you put in the work, and you can do this.
Consider a “dress rehearsal” for your race. Do one of your long runs as you would run your race event.
Wear what you hope to wear on race day
Securely tie your shoes
Eat your race breakfast, two hours before your run and ensure you are hydrated
Drink your caffeine if you normally do
Use all the same techniques you hope to employ on race day
Run at the same time as your event
Be prepared for weather changes and have these items with you
Check and calculate your pace for a “three stage race”
Visualize a strong finish and success
Pack your race day bag the night before with everything you’ll need.
Water bottle, recovery food, safety pins for your race number, Running shoes, socks, shorts or tights, shirt, wind layer, hat, gloves, a dry change of clothes for post race, your watch, toilet paper (races with big crowds are notorious for running out), sunscreen, glasses, car keys, a few dollars, phone, camera, coffee/cup
Trim your toenails very carefully a week or more before your race, so that any mistakes can grow out a bit prior to the big day. If you do not trim you could get “black toe” or lose a nail from pounding in the shoe.
While racing you need to keep in mind some etiquette issues that are “rules of the road” when running in large groups that help everyone have a good race day.
· Line up according to how fast you run or walk – slower participant to the back for safety and courtesy. Do not go out faster than you intend to run.
· If you drop something at the race start do not stop to pick it up. You endanger yourself and those around you. If you need to tie a shoe, step to the side of the course.
· Strive to run or walk in a straight line and look before you veer, spit or blow your nose. If you are taking walk breaks step to the side of the course.
· Do not walk or run more than two abreast, doing so create congestion on the course and may lead to irrational behavior from runners who feel compelled to pass.
· If you stop at the aid station to eat or drink, consume these items past the aid station and on the side of the course. Always use trash receptacles and never litter on course.
· If you hear “excuse me” “passing” or “on your left” you need to be aware of your surroundings and yield to the faster traffic that is passing. Runners should always indicate verbally they are passing and “thank you” should be heard regularly also.
· Cheer and encourage other on the course – help everyone to have a good day
· Thank volunteers along the course - races cannot happen without these people
· Enjoy the race, look around and savor the moment. You worked hard for this and Tom Holland says “welcome to the party!”
· Cross the finish line and keep moving - stay in race order (finishing order) so that your standings can be documented then keep walking to clear the area for others.
· Most races offer refreshment at the finish and you should enjoy the refueling while being mindful that runners on course will need some of these supplies as well.
· If you have a complaint about the event - do not tell a volunteer who is busy making a great experience for runners. Tell the race director or write your comments on a comment card and submit them. Your race director is VERY interested in your feedback, and yet he/she will not have time for your comments on race day. Always be kind to volunteers.
Warm up by simply walking around, hop, very gently stretch just to move blood supply - not to stretch muscles. By getting the pulse up a bit we are better prepared without using too much energy.
We always start slow – go out too fast and you’ll have an empty tank and may not finish your event. Run the first leg of your race relaxed and smiling, keep your effort in the PE range of 3-4.
Start the second leg of your race with a PE range of 5-6 and you are ramping up now but trying not to blow up – pace yourself
Start the third leg of your race with a PE range of 7-8.5 and really give that last stretch your best effort, keeping your running form clean. If you are not running with good form - slow down. Breathe, relax, hold your form and hang on – you’re almost there and this will hurt a little bit. But its not childbirth…
Perceived effort works at the level of our autonomic nervous system. Your body will actually make you feel very poorly right before it thinks that you cannot do any more. Athletes can train this PE center in the brain to some degree and give it greater reference. We train to go the entire distance because you have then taught your brain that you can travel this distance without blowing up – so when you get that bad feeling simply slow down, let the body recover some – and then keep going for what you trained to do.
It is never over until it really is over. It is very Ok to walk, crawl or even rest and then crawl again to finish – there is no time limit and if you are up to it; give it your best effort to finish.
NO Pain reliever on race day. I see it all the time and even among folks who should know better but the more I read and listen on this subject the more I feel compelled to advise you to not use pain reliever on race day. Here is a short list of reasons.
You need to stay in tune with your body and prophylactic use of pain reliever, particularly NSAID’s, (non-steroidal anti-inflamatories) has been proven DANGEROUS to runners and their bodies. If you are sore the next day you may choose to take OTC pain reliever in standard dosage with water if you and your physician say it’s OK. Running with ibuprofen (Advil), or naproxen (Alleve) in your system may truly hurt you on race day.
By limiting prostaglandins that normalize blood flow you may tax your kidneys. Your basic over-the-counter drugs may seem benign to you, but they do block important biochemical’s called prostaglandins and these do a great number of things in the body – including dilate the blood vessels to your kidney. Remember that your kidneys are something that you need, and rely on, to maintain the electrolyte balance in the body, maintain fluid balances and eliminate wastes. These NSAID’s (by blocking prostaglandins) may increase your blood pressure at a dangerous time to do so – when running – and this could trigger a TIA or CVA (stroke). NSAID’s block the enzyme cyclooxygenase that protects the heart and thus may pose greater risk to the cardiovascular system as well.
Cyclooxygenase helps protect the stomach lining from digestive acids and so when NSAID’s block the enzyme you may experience nausea, cramping, diarrhea or bleeding. Studies indicate that NSAID’s may increase the risk of Hyponatremia or “water intoxication” a problem with electrolyte imbalance.
New research says that you might take one baby aspirin every day or every other day – see the link at our FB site for the literature on this preventative for everyone to learn more - then ask your DOCTOR.
Try to reduce stress in your schedule the week before your race, plan a massage 5 days out if you want to, look back at your training log to see how much running you have been doing and feel good about your accomplishments. Before the starting gun goes off you have already won by working so hard to get here – now if you have a fun race day it is the gravy and a just reward for all this “work”. You are a runner now.
More sage wisdom and some comedy here:
Friday, September 3, 2010
Most Embarassing Moments
Most embarrassing moments
“The only cure for vanity is laughter and the only fault deserving of laughter is vanity…”
Like it or not – stuff happens. Runners see more of it than many folks because we are getting out there and doing stuff. This subjects us to a larger than average number of foibles and comedic moments. So I asked for questiona and I got a few, which I'll cover here, and address a few more funny ones that could crash your day or your race - so pay attention. BTW many of these funny stories are second hand/first hand, while a rash of others come right out of Runners World, where you find a lot of good material - they used a forum/poll technique to gather some doozies!
For example: I was out on a run and running a trail for the first time. Working hard to keep from falling after recent rains I was focused on my footwork and never saw the dead tree limb hanging dangerously low to the trail. My hat shielded the view until after it was too late and looking skyward from my supine position I knew I had been foolish – now my head hurt too.
Ins and outs
#1The statistics say that 24% of women ages 25-44 y.o. experience some symptoms of stress incontinence. A leaky bladder while running is a more common problem for women who have given birth. Once the muscles of the pelvic floor become weakened anything from a cough to a fast run can cause a problem. Kegel exercises can help rehabilitate and strengthen pelvic floor muscles and effectively cure most incontinence. To find the muscles, stop your urine stream while going to the bathroom. Practice contracting and relaxing the muscles for 10 second repetitions as often each day as you can. Some runners say a tampon can help prevent leakage and help maintain muscle tone.
#2 Adding fiber in your diet can make you more regular and then able to schedule your movements to occur before a run. Caffeine can speed the movement of waste through your system and thus aid your scheduling issues. Running jostles your system and diverts blood from the digestive tract to legs and muscles elsewhere and this can cause cramping and/or an emergency pit stop if you have not already taken care of business. On race day many folks have eaten two hours or more before the gun and then had something small (that they know will sit well) 30 minutes before race time. On long runs in the countryside do not forget to carry a few sheets of paper in a zip-lock bag!
Worst case scenario preparedness: Country roads afford a lot of privacy oftentimes and you learn which spots on your route have more cover. I carry a kit that works well on race day - and doubles as a country roads emergency kit.
I use a big zip-lock bag style "kit" and in it I place:
Some TP,
A freezer zip-lock
One really tough garbage bag
Hand gel.
This kind of kit easily fits in a fanny pack or cargo pocket and is discrete. TP and the zip lock and gel can handle any spontaneous need to urinate for a female and allows me to pack out my TP easily to pitch later.
The garbage bag works the same way I might clean up after my dog in the city. BM goes on the ground and TP accompanies the stool. Then with a hand inside the bag as a glove, I scoop the whole thing into the garbage bag and then seal it into the zip-lock for disposal later, anywhere I'd pitch a diaper. I have found that in several national parks the rangers actually teach this technique as a means to "pack it in pack it out" and if the site chosen is softer ground or snow this works just fine with no evident trace. Things do happen out there and this kit has saved me and comrades on numerous occasions.
Sweat – it can stain clothes and moisture makes some colors transparent…
From a runner – “I purchased 3 pairs of running shorts. Identical except in color. They had a very light mesh liner that made them great for summer workouts in the Georgia heat. I bought black, blue and yellow. I loved these shorts and in fact I still use them from time to time. One day I set out wearing the yellow shorts on a run from my house to a well used local park. Along the way I noticed a few interesting glances and some folks staring directly at my crotch. I didn't really think much about it until I got home and realized that these awesome yellow shorts had become increasingly see- through as I sweat during my run. I hope the folks I encountered enjoyed a good show. I still have those yellow shorts but I never wear them. They serve as a reminder to stick with dark colors”
Besides giving the public a good show you may find excessive sweating can cause blistering. Body glide, Vaseline, Aquaphor, or even anti-perspirant applied to the trouble areas can help – this includes feet.
Chafing and “number 11” syndrome
Salt in sweat can cause chafing too and on long runs this is something to look out for – I know folks who use a bandanna to brush off and wipe down troublesome areas ahead of time.
Runs over a certain distance (varies by runner) will always cause chafing. The most common for men is thighs and nipples. The “number 11” comes from the blood stains on the jersey of an unprotected guy who was not told to tape, apply body glide or even breathe right strips to nipples to avoid this problem.
Blood in your urine - haematuria – is a condition that 20% of the (Runner’s World) poll reported having suffered after a long run. Runners World says that “Sometimes on a long run cells in the kidneys may leak or bleed or the bladder can suffer injury as well from all the jostling. While not normal – some folks are prone to this and the condition resolves within 48 hours. If it does not – seek medical attention.” My learning from nursing school tells me that this might be rhabdomyolysis which more specifically is myoglobin in the urine and this is coming from the extreme tearing down of muscle tissue. This muscle tissue contains myoglobin – similar to the oxygen carrying, hemoglobin in your blood and it would leave urine a rust or dark, red- brown color. If you are losing large amounts of potassium rhabdomyolysis could be a consequence as well. This too would not be a normal occurrence and can lead to complications, thus it warrants a visit to the doctor.
Knowing the route - From a runner, “I have very bad night vision. In order to avoid running into some pedestrians, I ran towards the edge of the sidewalk, in between two poles. Turns out, there was a sign in between the two poles that I didn't see and I ran right into it. I hit my head pretty hard and stumbled backwards before trying to keep running.” There are lots of good lighting systems and tools available and I run with a light on my head and one in my hand. The one in my hand is for making sure others see me. The one on my head keeps track of the ground, but honestly when you run a route a lot you learn where the mean dog is, who is always late to work and driving fast, and which guy will never miss a puddle. Know the hazards in advance if you can.
Tying your shoes - The racers are in the chute and the gun fires. The runner who bends over to tie their shoe at the start of the race is knocked over by the wave of racers flooding on to the course. This story has been related to me more than once and the runner had not learned to tie correctly or did not double knot and certainly did not move to the side of the course to re-tie or else I would not be re-telling the sad tale. The other big one is shoes tied with an unmovable bow and the loop catching on something – sending the runner horizontal. You can tuck the loops in and single tie them correctly to keep them done up. See our facebook site for a link on how to tie a proper bow (I laughed too, but it works).
Gear check - From a runner “I was running my first marathon in 1997. I was about at the 18 to 19 mile mark, when another runner caught up to me only to inform me of a gaping hole in my black running tights that were showing my white undergarments. I learned to do pre-checks on gear before I wear it.” I have heard of racers showing up at the race without their bib or timing chip. Check your stuff the night before and pre-pack so that you can be confident of an easy day.
Know thy schedule: From a runner “My boyfriend and I had registered ahead of time for the race which was advertised as beginning at 9:30. I was pretty nervous and was definitely in pre-race solitary mode while stretching at my car. At around 9:10 a crowd was gathering around the start and my boyfriend - honoring my pre-race alone time - told me he was going to make his way to the start. I stayed at my car stretching until I heard a gun and the pack of runners come streaming by me. The race had started at 9:15!”
Plan ahead – and nothing new on race day: From a runner “I ran my first marathon (Philly) and INHALED my jelly beans in front of the crowds. I couldn't breathe! I was doubled over, choking, and someone had to smack me in the back. The beans came flying out - everyone cheered.”
Animal encounters
Dogs: find out what is the dogs territory and always have a heads up attitude about his fence, tie up or lack there of. Never run from a dog – you’ll loose in the speed interval and then you’re too tired to look threatening. Stand your ground, pick up something to wave around if you have to and look that dog in the eye and tell him to “GO HOME!” Always thank dog owners who restrain their dogs – and I have found that if you wave and look upstanding to the owner that is reflected in the dog’s attitude. Sometimes that dog is even tied up the next day!
Other wild things – from a runner, “After a couple of miles of plodding along the sidewalk, I approached a flock of 8-12 Canadian Geese in my path. I remember thinking, "They'll move." Well, when I got within about 10 feet, they sprang their multiple pinching beak assault. They didn't so much attack me individually as much as they assailed me as one formidable presence.” From yet another runner “running on the Main Street of the town I live near on a really foggy Saturday morning, I couldn't see 2 feet around me. The next thing I knew this huge deer charges from the alley and plows right into me. WHAM! I flew into the street, scraped my knees, bit my tongue and the deer just kept going.”
Do try to find routes that minimize wildlife disturbance and sometimes just asking about the local fauna helps. Bear bells for trail runs, pepper spray for downtown Philly, find out what you need to not miss your run.
Automobile vs. runner - You know you are never going to win this one – so no bullfighting please. You should face traffic and take off your headphones but also keep these great ideas from Jeff Galloway in mind.
Watch and prepare to make fast adjustments, many runners have had to dive for the ditch or leap the hedgerow as the motorist dropped their cell phone and reached to catch it.
Plan ahead where you might jump to or which side of the turn offers best visibility
Wear reflective gear, not just at night. Think “can I be seen easily, from a mile away?”
Understand that you cannot understand the driver’s mentality. Drunk, late for church, maybe they’re texting, or unable to run and resentful of you for getting out and having such a good time. People act like they are anonymous in their cars oftentimes. So WAVE, let them know that you see them and let them see you better, be neighborly and BE the change you wish to see in the world…(you’ll be amazed how many wave back – esp. in WV) the post about traffic survival talks a lot more about this idea because it is so important.
I am just out here doing my thing - “I have run past a drug deal, an underage beer party and two lovers in the backseat of the car – not on the same run. I keep quiet feet and I nod but keep moving. Some of those folks appreciated that I ‘kept my head down’ and just looked non-threatening - I think the folks in the car never even noticed me.”
Maybe a new outfit? From a runner, “On race day I went in to use the porta-potty and forgot to lock the door. I had to pull my outfit down to go. I was just starting to pull it up when someone just opened the door on me. All 30 or so people standing in line got a good show of me in my birthday suit. I thought the rule when waiting in a porta-potty line was to wait till you see someone come out before you try to go in - or at the very least knock first.”
“The only cure for vanity is laughter and the only fault deserving of laughter is vanity…”
Like it or not – stuff happens. Runners see more of it than many folks because we are getting out there and doing stuff. This subjects us to a larger than average number of foibles and comedic moments. So I asked for questiona and I got a few, which I'll cover here, and address a few more funny ones that could crash your day or your race - so pay attention. BTW many of these funny stories are second hand/first hand, while a rash of others come right out of Runners World, where you find a lot of good material - they used a forum/poll technique to gather some doozies!
For example: I was out on a run and running a trail for the first time. Working hard to keep from falling after recent rains I was focused on my footwork and never saw the dead tree limb hanging dangerously low to the trail. My hat shielded the view until after it was too late and looking skyward from my supine position I knew I had been foolish – now my head hurt too.
Ins and outs
#1The statistics say that 24% of women ages 25-44 y.o. experience some symptoms of stress incontinence. A leaky bladder while running is a more common problem for women who have given birth. Once the muscles of the pelvic floor become weakened anything from a cough to a fast run can cause a problem. Kegel exercises can help rehabilitate and strengthen pelvic floor muscles and effectively cure most incontinence. To find the muscles, stop your urine stream while going to the bathroom. Practice contracting and relaxing the muscles for 10 second repetitions as often each day as you can. Some runners say a tampon can help prevent leakage and help maintain muscle tone.
#2 Adding fiber in your diet can make you more regular and then able to schedule your movements to occur before a run. Caffeine can speed the movement of waste through your system and thus aid your scheduling issues. Running jostles your system and diverts blood from the digestive tract to legs and muscles elsewhere and this can cause cramping and/or an emergency pit stop if you have not already taken care of business. On race day many folks have eaten two hours or more before the gun and then had something small (that they know will sit well) 30 minutes before race time. On long runs in the countryside do not forget to carry a few sheets of paper in a zip-lock bag!
Worst case scenario preparedness: Country roads afford a lot of privacy oftentimes and you learn which spots on your route have more cover. I carry a kit that works well on race day - and doubles as a country roads emergency kit.
I use a big zip-lock bag style "kit" and in it I place:
Some TP,
A freezer zip-lock
One really tough garbage bag
Hand gel.
This kind of kit easily fits in a fanny pack or cargo pocket and is discrete. TP and the zip lock and gel can handle any spontaneous need to urinate for a female and allows me to pack out my TP easily to pitch later.
The garbage bag works the same way I might clean up after my dog in the city. BM goes on the ground and TP accompanies the stool. Then with a hand inside the bag as a glove, I scoop the whole thing into the garbage bag and then seal it into the zip-lock for disposal later, anywhere I'd pitch a diaper. I have found that in several national parks the rangers actually teach this technique as a means to "pack it in pack it out" and if the site chosen is softer ground or snow this works just fine with no evident trace. Things do happen out there and this kit has saved me and comrades on numerous occasions.
Sweat – it can stain clothes and moisture makes some colors transparent…
From a runner – “I purchased 3 pairs of running shorts. Identical except in color. They had a very light mesh liner that made them great for summer workouts in the Georgia heat. I bought black, blue and yellow. I loved these shorts and in fact I still use them from time to time. One day I set out wearing the yellow shorts on a run from my house to a well used local park. Along the way I noticed a few interesting glances and some folks staring directly at my crotch. I didn't really think much about it until I got home and realized that these awesome yellow shorts had become increasingly see- through as I sweat during my run. I hope the folks I encountered enjoyed a good show. I still have those yellow shorts but I never wear them. They serve as a reminder to stick with dark colors”
Besides giving the public a good show you may find excessive sweating can cause blistering. Body glide, Vaseline, Aquaphor, or even anti-perspirant applied to the trouble areas can help – this includes feet.
Chafing and “number 11” syndrome
Salt in sweat can cause chafing too and on long runs this is something to look out for – I know folks who use a bandanna to brush off and wipe down troublesome areas ahead of time.
Runs over a certain distance (varies by runner) will always cause chafing. The most common for men is thighs and nipples. The “number 11” comes from the blood stains on the jersey of an unprotected guy who was not told to tape, apply body glide or even breathe right strips to nipples to avoid this problem.
Blood in your urine - haematuria – is a condition that 20% of the (Runner’s World) poll reported having suffered after a long run. Runners World says that “Sometimes on a long run cells in the kidneys may leak or bleed or the bladder can suffer injury as well from all the jostling. While not normal – some folks are prone to this and the condition resolves within 48 hours. If it does not – seek medical attention.” My learning from nursing school tells me that this might be rhabdomyolysis which more specifically is myoglobin in the urine and this is coming from the extreme tearing down of muscle tissue. This muscle tissue contains myoglobin – similar to the oxygen carrying, hemoglobin in your blood and it would leave urine a rust or dark, red- brown color. If you are losing large amounts of potassium rhabdomyolysis could be a consequence as well. This too would not be a normal occurrence and can lead to complications, thus it warrants a visit to the doctor.
Knowing the route - From a runner, “I have very bad night vision. In order to avoid running into some pedestrians, I ran towards the edge of the sidewalk, in between two poles. Turns out, there was a sign in between the two poles that I didn't see and I ran right into it. I hit my head pretty hard and stumbled backwards before trying to keep running.” There are lots of good lighting systems and tools available and I run with a light on my head and one in my hand. The one in my hand is for making sure others see me. The one on my head keeps track of the ground, but honestly when you run a route a lot you learn where the mean dog is, who is always late to work and driving fast, and which guy will never miss a puddle. Know the hazards in advance if you can.
Tying your shoes - The racers are in the chute and the gun fires. The runner who bends over to tie their shoe at the start of the race is knocked over by the wave of racers flooding on to the course. This story has been related to me more than once and the runner had not learned to tie correctly or did not double knot and certainly did not move to the side of the course to re-tie or else I would not be re-telling the sad tale. The other big one is shoes tied with an unmovable bow and the loop catching on something – sending the runner horizontal. You can tuck the loops in and single tie them correctly to keep them done up. See our facebook site for a link on how to tie a proper bow (I laughed too, but it works).
Gear check - From a runner “I was running my first marathon in 1997. I was about at the 18 to 19 mile mark, when another runner caught up to me only to inform me of a gaping hole in my black running tights that were showing my white undergarments. I learned to do pre-checks on gear before I wear it.” I have heard of racers showing up at the race without their bib or timing chip. Check your stuff the night before and pre-pack so that you can be confident of an easy day.
Know thy schedule: From a runner “My boyfriend and I had registered ahead of time for the race which was advertised as beginning at 9:30. I was pretty nervous and was definitely in pre-race solitary mode while stretching at my car. At around 9:10 a crowd was gathering around the start and my boyfriend - honoring my pre-race alone time - told me he was going to make his way to the start. I stayed at my car stretching until I heard a gun and the pack of runners come streaming by me. The race had started at 9:15!”
Plan ahead – and nothing new on race day: From a runner “I ran my first marathon (Philly) and INHALED my jelly beans in front of the crowds. I couldn't breathe! I was doubled over, choking, and someone had to smack me in the back. The beans came flying out - everyone cheered.”
Animal encounters
Dogs: find out what is the dogs territory and always have a heads up attitude about his fence, tie up or lack there of. Never run from a dog – you’ll loose in the speed interval and then you’re too tired to look threatening. Stand your ground, pick up something to wave around if you have to and look that dog in the eye and tell him to “GO HOME!” Always thank dog owners who restrain their dogs – and I have found that if you wave and look upstanding to the owner that is reflected in the dog’s attitude. Sometimes that dog is even tied up the next day!
Other wild things – from a runner, “After a couple of miles of plodding along the sidewalk, I approached a flock of 8-12 Canadian Geese in my path. I remember thinking, "They'll move." Well, when I got within about 10 feet, they sprang their multiple pinching beak assault. They didn't so much attack me individually as much as they assailed me as one formidable presence.” From yet another runner “running on the Main Street of the town I live near on a really foggy Saturday morning, I couldn't see 2 feet around me. The next thing I knew this huge deer charges from the alley and plows right into me. WHAM! I flew into the street, scraped my knees, bit my tongue and the deer just kept going.”
Do try to find routes that minimize wildlife disturbance and sometimes just asking about the local fauna helps. Bear bells for trail runs, pepper spray for downtown Philly, find out what you need to not miss your run.
Automobile vs. runner - You know you are never going to win this one – so no bullfighting please. You should face traffic and take off your headphones but also keep these great ideas from Jeff Galloway in mind.
Watch and prepare to make fast adjustments, many runners have had to dive for the ditch or leap the hedgerow as the motorist dropped their cell phone and reached to catch it.
Plan ahead where you might jump to or which side of the turn offers best visibility
Wear reflective gear, not just at night. Think “can I be seen easily, from a mile away?”
Understand that you cannot understand the driver’s mentality. Drunk, late for church, maybe they’re texting, or unable to run and resentful of you for getting out and having such a good time. People act like they are anonymous in their cars oftentimes. So WAVE, let them know that you see them and let them see you better, be neighborly and BE the change you wish to see in the world…(you’ll be amazed how many wave back – esp. in WV) the post about traffic survival talks a lot more about this idea because it is so important.
I am just out here doing my thing - “I have run past a drug deal, an underage beer party and two lovers in the backseat of the car – not on the same run. I keep quiet feet and I nod but keep moving. Some of those folks appreciated that I ‘kept my head down’ and just looked non-threatening - I think the folks in the car never even noticed me.”
Maybe a new outfit? From a runner, “On race day I went in to use the porta-potty and forgot to lock the door. I had to pull my outfit down to go. I was just starting to pull it up when someone just opened the door on me. All 30 or so people standing in line got a good show of me in my birthday suit. I thought the rule when waiting in a porta-potty line was to wait till you see someone come out before you try to go in - or at the very least knock first.”
Mental Training part 2
Why we suffer – More on mental training –
“Poetry, music, forests, oceans, solitude- they were what developed enormous spiritual strength. I came to realize that spirit, as much or more than physical conditioning, had to be stored up before a race.” Herb Elliott, Olympic champion and world record holder in the mile.
The mental aspects of training are of great importance and can be trained for in the same fashion that you prepare to run longer distances. First let’s start with some inspiring stories of how folks “pull it off” with mental power.
One runner told the story of her third race of the Pikes Peak half Marathon. She was in a downward spiral of pain and suffering as the altitude took its toll and her legs began to cramp – she found herself talking herself out of the run and having an “I just can’t do this” discussion. That’s when she passed a spectator on the trail who shouted “you look great! You’re in 8th place!” suddenly she not only looked great she felt great and was able to push herself harder than she thought. She went on to run a 3:08 finishing in 6th place and that moment when she was encouraged by a fan was the last time she really thought about it hurting badly. Pretty amazing considering that this is a race of 13.3 miles with 7,815 feet of vertical gain. She recounts her race day, “it was not the pain I recall the most vividly but I remember my capacity to endure it.”
Many folks have heard of the famous hill in Boston called Heartbreak Hill. This gained the moniker during a great duel between John A. Kelly and Ellison “Tarzan” Brown in 1936. John Kelly was the defending champion and was good at hills but Tarzan was in the lead and John put in his best effort to reel in his opponent atop the last hill before headed into town. Kelly came around Tarzan and tapped him on the shoulder at the top of this last hill. This so incensed Tarzan that he doubled down and despite fatigue he dropped John Kelly on the downhill and John never had the energy to come back – Loosing there “broke John Kelly’s heart”, said the press. The mental energy to win can be found by happenstance but it is better to do the planning ahead of time.
Getting used to some difficulty and some challenge is part of any good training program. In a culture today that too commonly will concede that we can medicate, avoid, or otherwise ignore life’s difficulties’ - running by its very nature gently pushes aside these themes. Sweat and toil is part of any good day – whether you are running or not, but especially when running. The best part of that is we get better at it and the rewards – while hard won are palpable. Dena Kastor says, “Runners are never comfortable, slightly before our body adapts to a 5:30 mile, we are running a 5:26” and needless to say that is hardly comfortable. But as we train to run faster by pushing the envelope a bit we can also achieve more mental toughness by some of the same methods.
In race day preparations I ask folks to use all five senses to create a mental image or daydream about how the finish of their race will look. Use sight, sounds, touch, taste and smell to create images of how it will go well and what it will be like, and feel like, to you in those final moments of accomplishment. If you practice this daily or as you finish each run, you will be conditioning the same nerve fibers that you use to communicate with your body daily and on race day. Because you are using the same nerve pathways – research has shown that your body may not be able to discern the difference over time. You are pre-loading a positive outcome on your hard drive and may gain some teleoanticipation of a positive outcome.
This will only be one part of a larger picture though – our sport is a thinking sport and the landscape is vast. So while I give you great anecdotes about individual perception and tools to teleoanticipate your big day, we’ll look at a few other ideas about how to prepare to do your best work – the stuff you will have trained five months to do.
Think of Perceived effort (PE) as your check engine light. How many of us have driven to the gas station even though the light was on? Depends on what it was that instigated the light, right?! Your brain and its central governor are using the distance, fuel level, fitness level, heat index and course information all at once in a complicated algorithm to determine how it should “make you feel” and this response is adapted by four primary factors.
Fitness Level Training influence Pain Threshold Mental focus (how you move through adversity)
Fitness level: Your understanding of your fitness level and taking care of yourself during the run does two things. It gives you the confidence to know you have the chops to succeed at the challenge and it keeps you free of distractions to do what you set out to achieve. While your PE is governed by the brains algorithm you can give it additional cues about how well off you are “I have run at this pace already and felt fine” or “I am on target for what I have trained for already” are good mental notes. Do some runs 5, and 3 weeks before your race as time trails for your pacing strategy and see how you do. A phenomenon that trainers call teleoanticipation suggests that your brain can recall the previous performance and gauge efforts by that prior intensity benchmark. So if you are fit and you teach the body something about going fast - it will remember that fast was OK. Set yourself up well by making sure that you are not dehydrated, that you have a steady stream of clean carbohydrates (30grams/hour after the first hour of running) and that you stop to stretch as needed. Staying fueled, hydrated and relaxed will remove mental distraction that can otherwise compromise you and it has been shown that it may blunt pain perception in athletes.
Training influence: Your track work, speed work and hills are not easy workouts and that should be reassuring come race day - as the course is rarely a cakewalk. Training hard allows you to push back your PE scores for a given task and adds to the “aches and pains” database about what is survivable. When your brain learns how to approach the limit on something and keep going - it remembers that, and you can find it a useful tool on race day. We are crippled by what we fear and so getting out on the course, and in small doses running things that are more difficult than the course, you not only train your body but you train your mind to overcome these challenges. Folks who were measured during track workouts over a 12 week study were found to be running faster than their physical adaptations should have allowed. They were not developing faster physically than a typical runner but they were also developing mentally and the body learns to push and what amount of push feels OK.
Pain Threshold: You may recall the example that “when the hot water begins to burn you in the shower is a fixed capacity for each individual but how you feel about it when it does start to burn is a learned response.” This seems to be agreed upon but it is also a fine line as to whether the pain threshold can be moved for those who find their meter set very low. One trainer talks about the benefit of a “pain community” otherwise known as a running club, triathlon club or climbing club. All of these peer groups are able to encourage, support and consequently push each other further than many individuals willingly go. To have camaraderie is a good way to embrace that something is in fact difficult and thus sweeter because it is tough to attain. Spending time with higher pain threshold individuals can show you what is really possible for yourself as well. Yet this trainer argues that folks actually learn to embrace pain as well and take some pleasure in it as a release.
Elite runners comment that there seems to be some separation in the competition by what suffering a person can process as a steady state and that this can be a learned skill. Peak performers often hit a “sweet spot” where it does not hurt more and more but rather it becomes uncomfortable, they move past it, and then spend the time in the exhilaration of a great performance which transcends the discomfort. One coach restated “I relaxed, stayed focused, I stayed calm”.
Mental focus (how you move through adversity) So most of you already know if you are a person who perseveres and will endure - you need to take that confidence to bed with you on race night. But more than that there are several additional thoughts to take forward in gearing up for race day and you’ll sort through what works for you.
Remember that on race day we cannot control the weather, the traffic, the competition – a lot of things are left to chance. A winning attitude recognizes we must control the things that we can. Your thoughts, emotions, training form, pacing strategy, fueling schedule… This is what you can control and the best news is that this is what matters the most.
Pre-visualize as much as you can in the weeks leading up to the race. The old saying that you can always imagine far worse things than can actually happen is a resource if you let it be. Take a mental list of concerns and then work out ways to eliminate them. Imagine pain too – if you have an idea of what hurts and how badly – and what you’ll do about it – then you are all set when it arrives somewhere in the last few miles, because it will.
Break the race or goal up into smaller pieces because the brain’s PE score will always allow a bigger effort before the endpoint. Remember that supercomputer of a brain and all of its algorithm data – distance being a chief element - so if you have several endpoints with goals for each – you can rally multiple times. Studies have shown that the greater the effort required – the smaller segments we have to break the goal down into (this is intuitive for most adults).
Always use positive dialogue tactics to change the channel on a dark discussion with yourself and remember in your visualizing that there will be folks in town that are cheering you on and telling you “you look great!” You can buddy up during the race by pacing with a total stranger, meeting a new friend or running with a trusted member of your “pain community”. Misery loves company and if you can’t talk nicely to yourself maybe they can.
List your strengths/list your reasons to run/repeat your mantra/list the payoffs/people watch/count all the pairs of Nikes - whatever works – sometimes I sing (yeah, I know…)
Kara Goucher is a world class runner who has represented America in the Olympics and yet has had her own continued bouts with self confidence. Her work at the Oregon Training Center has included extensive sessions with sports psychologist Darren Treasure. They have worked together to develop key words or mantras for Kara based upon her values and motivators. The bury these key words into very difficult workouts and then employ them to encourage Kara to seek out more of herself, push past the central governor, and run what she is capable of running. By testing these countless times before her race they are then able to get results with these key words on the big day. They also work on key concepts that affect the esteem of the runner over the training period.
You can easily come up with an empowering statement that you read yourself daily in the shower or before bed. Repetition will actually ingrain this in your system and may cause you to believe that you can and should reach your race goals.
Worst case scenario you give up your time goal and your B and C goals to …Just get to the next phone pole, or just get off the pavement or just keep going…
Just like speed work or downhill running - think about all of the things that you CAN relax while running. Your forehead muscles need not be tight, you can smile, you can loosen your hands and arms – maybe you can relax your legs or loosen your stride. When push comes to run – save the energy that you can, efficient form will carry everything. That includes worry – clear your mind and go with the thoughts that work. When the going gets truly tough it is the process and the rhythm of how you do things and do them well – that will carry the day. Why do firefighters, and police, and soldiers, train and train and train? So that you can fall back on process and what you do well in the heat of trouble - go with what you know and stay in the process - not the overwhelming thought of the end or what bothers you.
Steve “Pre” Prefontaine was possibly the best American man to ever run. He developed a desire to run from an early age and despite obstacles (one leg shorter than the other) he went on to break records in every competitive distance from 2,000 – 10,000 meters. No American has done this since. Yet Pre had down days too and after a loss in Munich he thought about quitting the sport. His coach said simply “If you’re gonna run, be at the track and I’ll give you the workouts; or if you’re gonna stop running then do that. You decide. I can’t coach desire.” Needless to say Pre came back; he possibly had more desire than anyone once he looked inside himself.
Yet another great Pre story speaks of his mental ability to embrace difficulty. He was famous for telling his opponents “today is a good day to die” and threatening, “I’ll take you to some places that you really don’t want to go”, suggesting that to follow him at the race pace would be a trip into physical difficulty for the opponent. He was all about, all out, on race day and that “race day magic” will carry you as well if you have adequately prepared in advance.
Here are a few more strategies from the professionals:
Gloria Balague (sports psychologist, University of Illinois) says, “Athletes sometimes think anxiety has a protective value, that it motivates them to avert disaster, but you want to prepare for adversity well in advance. Identify your worries and train to overcome them.”
Jeff Troesch (mental trainer) says, “My goal for every athlete is to help them get one day better every day. I look for ways to get the athletes into the now, to strive for day-to-day victories” Which is great advice, because if I rated every race by what my “A goal” was – I would have stopped racing long ago, some of them don’t go well and they are still really great days (beats the office, hands down)
More on mental attitude from someone who make the big bucks to consult and coach…
JoAnn Dahlkoetter PHD
Epilogue: I seek to be honest about my bias in class, and I’ll tell you that this aspect of sport is very intriguing to me. It offers possibilities and explains some of the great depth in human potential we have seen in both sport and history. It offers tools for athletes to get the most out of their hard won training, and it offers even greater challenges and rewards to us as athletes. But “self-help” as a subject in this country is both popular and reviled by different groups. There are folks who may read this post and feel as though they are being asked to repeat the phrase “I am good enough, I am smart enough, and dog-gone-it people like me” and that this idea will not get them anywhere (I thought that skit was so great) or they may be skeptical of the power of the mind to improve performance. To that skeptic, I offer fuel for a healthy debate from the emerging field of psychoneuroimmunology.
Psychoneuroimmunology is a “new field” based on the science that the nervous system and the immune system are interconnected. This discipline has discovered a number of ways that the two systems actually have two way communications with each other and direct impacts on both systems. Closely controlled studies have also shown that “a person’s aggressive determination to conquer a disease can increase one’s lifespan” (p619 Alcamo’s Fundamentals of Microbiology, 2007) The same studies have shown that behavioral therapies can amplify the body’s response to disease and speed the immune systems response.
This field has also generated interesting research in 2003 that Tai Chi boosts shingles immunity in the elderly. In a 60 person study over 15 weeks the study group did have reduced levels of stress related to their Tai Chi program and were measured as having 50% higher immune memory functions against Shingles. The group did not see improvement in physical movement with this low impact form of exercise and the researchers concluded that the anti-stress elements of the activity gave seniors the significant boost in immunity. You can read more about the tip of this iceberg here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoneuroimmunology
“Poetry, music, forests, oceans, solitude- they were what developed enormous spiritual strength. I came to realize that spirit, as much or more than physical conditioning, had to be stored up before a race.” Herb Elliott, Olympic champion and world record holder in the mile.
The mental aspects of training are of great importance and can be trained for in the same fashion that you prepare to run longer distances. First let’s start with some inspiring stories of how folks “pull it off” with mental power.
One runner told the story of her third race of the Pikes Peak half Marathon. She was in a downward spiral of pain and suffering as the altitude took its toll and her legs began to cramp – she found herself talking herself out of the run and having an “I just can’t do this” discussion. That’s when she passed a spectator on the trail who shouted “you look great! You’re in 8th place!” suddenly she not only looked great she felt great and was able to push herself harder than she thought. She went on to run a 3:08 finishing in 6th place and that moment when she was encouraged by a fan was the last time she really thought about it hurting badly. Pretty amazing considering that this is a race of 13.3 miles with 7,815 feet of vertical gain. She recounts her race day, “it was not the pain I recall the most vividly but I remember my capacity to endure it.”
Many folks have heard of the famous hill in Boston called Heartbreak Hill. This gained the moniker during a great duel between John A. Kelly and Ellison “Tarzan” Brown in 1936. John Kelly was the defending champion and was good at hills but Tarzan was in the lead and John put in his best effort to reel in his opponent atop the last hill before headed into town. Kelly came around Tarzan and tapped him on the shoulder at the top of this last hill. This so incensed Tarzan that he doubled down and despite fatigue he dropped John Kelly on the downhill and John never had the energy to come back – Loosing there “broke John Kelly’s heart”, said the press. The mental energy to win can be found by happenstance but it is better to do the planning ahead of time.
Getting used to some difficulty and some challenge is part of any good training program. In a culture today that too commonly will concede that we can medicate, avoid, or otherwise ignore life’s difficulties’ - running by its very nature gently pushes aside these themes. Sweat and toil is part of any good day – whether you are running or not, but especially when running. The best part of that is we get better at it and the rewards – while hard won are palpable. Dena Kastor says, “Runners are never comfortable, slightly before our body adapts to a 5:30 mile, we are running a 5:26” and needless to say that is hardly comfortable. But as we train to run faster by pushing the envelope a bit we can also achieve more mental toughness by some of the same methods.
In race day preparations I ask folks to use all five senses to create a mental image or daydream about how the finish of their race will look. Use sight, sounds, touch, taste and smell to create images of how it will go well and what it will be like, and feel like, to you in those final moments of accomplishment. If you practice this daily or as you finish each run, you will be conditioning the same nerve fibers that you use to communicate with your body daily and on race day. Because you are using the same nerve pathways – research has shown that your body may not be able to discern the difference over time. You are pre-loading a positive outcome on your hard drive and may gain some teleoanticipation of a positive outcome.
This will only be one part of a larger picture though – our sport is a thinking sport and the landscape is vast. So while I give you great anecdotes about individual perception and tools to teleoanticipate your big day, we’ll look at a few other ideas about how to prepare to do your best work – the stuff you will have trained five months to do.
Think of Perceived effort (PE) as your check engine light. How many of us have driven to the gas station even though the light was on? Depends on what it was that instigated the light, right?! Your brain and its central governor are using the distance, fuel level, fitness level, heat index and course information all at once in a complicated algorithm to determine how it should “make you feel” and this response is adapted by four primary factors.
Fitness Level Training influence Pain Threshold Mental focus (how you move through adversity)
Fitness level: Your understanding of your fitness level and taking care of yourself during the run does two things. It gives you the confidence to know you have the chops to succeed at the challenge and it keeps you free of distractions to do what you set out to achieve. While your PE is governed by the brains algorithm you can give it additional cues about how well off you are “I have run at this pace already and felt fine” or “I am on target for what I have trained for already” are good mental notes. Do some runs 5, and 3 weeks before your race as time trails for your pacing strategy and see how you do. A phenomenon that trainers call teleoanticipation suggests that your brain can recall the previous performance and gauge efforts by that prior intensity benchmark. So if you are fit and you teach the body something about going fast - it will remember that fast was OK. Set yourself up well by making sure that you are not dehydrated, that you have a steady stream of clean carbohydrates (30grams/hour after the first hour of running) and that you stop to stretch as needed. Staying fueled, hydrated and relaxed will remove mental distraction that can otherwise compromise you and it has been shown that it may blunt pain perception in athletes.
Training influence: Your track work, speed work and hills are not easy workouts and that should be reassuring come race day - as the course is rarely a cakewalk. Training hard allows you to push back your PE scores for a given task and adds to the “aches and pains” database about what is survivable. When your brain learns how to approach the limit on something and keep going - it remembers that, and you can find it a useful tool on race day. We are crippled by what we fear and so getting out on the course, and in small doses running things that are more difficult than the course, you not only train your body but you train your mind to overcome these challenges. Folks who were measured during track workouts over a 12 week study were found to be running faster than their physical adaptations should have allowed. They were not developing faster physically than a typical runner but they were also developing mentally and the body learns to push and what amount of push feels OK.
Pain Threshold: You may recall the example that “when the hot water begins to burn you in the shower is a fixed capacity for each individual but how you feel about it when it does start to burn is a learned response.” This seems to be agreed upon but it is also a fine line as to whether the pain threshold can be moved for those who find their meter set very low. One trainer talks about the benefit of a “pain community” otherwise known as a running club, triathlon club or climbing club. All of these peer groups are able to encourage, support and consequently push each other further than many individuals willingly go. To have camaraderie is a good way to embrace that something is in fact difficult and thus sweeter because it is tough to attain. Spending time with higher pain threshold individuals can show you what is really possible for yourself as well. Yet this trainer argues that folks actually learn to embrace pain as well and take some pleasure in it as a release.
Elite runners comment that there seems to be some separation in the competition by what suffering a person can process as a steady state and that this can be a learned skill. Peak performers often hit a “sweet spot” where it does not hurt more and more but rather it becomes uncomfortable, they move past it, and then spend the time in the exhilaration of a great performance which transcends the discomfort. One coach restated “I relaxed, stayed focused, I stayed calm”.
Mental focus (how you move through adversity) So most of you already know if you are a person who perseveres and will endure - you need to take that confidence to bed with you on race night. But more than that there are several additional thoughts to take forward in gearing up for race day and you’ll sort through what works for you.
Remember that on race day we cannot control the weather, the traffic, the competition – a lot of things are left to chance. A winning attitude recognizes we must control the things that we can. Your thoughts, emotions, training form, pacing strategy, fueling schedule… This is what you can control and the best news is that this is what matters the most.
Pre-visualize as much as you can in the weeks leading up to the race. The old saying that you can always imagine far worse things than can actually happen is a resource if you let it be. Take a mental list of concerns and then work out ways to eliminate them. Imagine pain too – if you have an idea of what hurts and how badly – and what you’ll do about it – then you are all set when it arrives somewhere in the last few miles, because it will.
Break the race or goal up into smaller pieces because the brain’s PE score will always allow a bigger effort before the endpoint. Remember that supercomputer of a brain and all of its algorithm data – distance being a chief element - so if you have several endpoints with goals for each – you can rally multiple times. Studies have shown that the greater the effort required – the smaller segments we have to break the goal down into (this is intuitive for most adults).
Always use positive dialogue tactics to change the channel on a dark discussion with yourself and remember in your visualizing that there will be folks in town that are cheering you on and telling you “you look great!” You can buddy up during the race by pacing with a total stranger, meeting a new friend or running with a trusted member of your “pain community”. Misery loves company and if you can’t talk nicely to yourself maybe they can.
List your strengths/list your reasons to run/repeat your mantra/list the payoffs/people watch/count all the pairs of Nikes - whatever works – sometimes I sing (yeah, I know…)
Kara Goucher is a world class runner who has represented America in the Olympics and yet has had her own continued bouts with self confidence. Her work at the Oregon Training Center has included extensive sessions with sports psychologist Darren Treasure. They have worked together to develop key words or mantras for Kara based upon her values and motivators. The bury these key words into very difficult workouts and then employ them to encourage Kara to seek out more of herself, push past the central governor, and run what she is capable of running. By testing these countless times before her race they are then able to get results with these key words on the big day. They also work on key concepts that affect the esteem of the runner over the training period.
You can easily come up with an empowering statement that you read yourself daily in the shower or before bed. Repetition will actually ingrain this in your system and may cause you to believe that you can and should reach your race goals.
Worst case scenario you give up your time goal and your B and C goals to …Just get to the next phone pole, or just get off the pavement or just keep going…
Just like speed work or downhill running - think about all of the things that you CAN relax while running. Your forehead muscles need not be tight, you can smile, you can loosen your hands and arms – maybe you can relax your legs or loosen your stride. When push comes to run – save the energy that you can, efficient form will carry everything. That includes worry – clear your mind and go with the thoughts that work. When the going gets truly tough it is the process and the rhythm of how you do things and do them well – that will carry the day. Why do firefighters, and police, and soldiers, train and train and train? So that you can fall back on process and what you do well in the heat of trouble - go with what you know and stay in the process - not the overwhelming thought of the end or what bothers you.
Steve “Pre” Prefontaine was possibly the best American man to ever run. He developed a desire to run from an early age and despite obstacles (one leg shorter than the other) he went on to break records in every competitive distance from 2,000 – 10,000 meters. No American has done this since. Yet Pre had down days too and after a loss in Munich he thought about quitting the sport. His coach said simply “If you’re gonna run, be at the track and I’ll give you the workouts; or if you’re gonna stop running then do that. You decide. I can’t coach desire.” Needless to say Pre came back; he possibly had more desire than anyone once he looked inside himself.
Yet another great Pre story speaks of his mental ability to embrace difficulty. He was famous for telling his opponents “today is a good day to die” and threatening, “I’ll take you to some places that you really don’t want to go”, suggesting that to follow him at the race pace would be a trip into physical difficulty for the opponent. He was all about, all out, on race day and that “race day magic” will carry you as well if you have adequately prepared in advance.
Here are a few more strategies from the professionals:
Gloria Balague (sports psychologist, University of Illinois) says, “Athletes sometimes think anxiety has a protective value, that it motivates them to avert disaster, but you want to prepare for adversity well in advance. Identify your worries and train to overcome them.”
Jeff Troesch (mental trainer) says, “My goal for every athlete is to help them get one day better every day. I look for ways to get the athletes into the now, to strive for day-to-day victories” Which is great advice, because if I rated every race by what my “A goal” was – I would have stopped racing long ago, some of them don’t go well and they are still really great days (beats the office, hands down)
More on mental attitude from someone who make the big bucks to consult and coach…
JoAnn Dahlkoetter PHD
Epilogue: I seek to be honest about my bias in class, and I’ll tell you that this aspect of sport is very intriguing to me. It offers possibilities and explains some of the great depth in human potential we have seen in both sport and history. It offers tools for athletes to get the most out of their hard won training, and it offers even greater challenges and rewards to us as athletes. But “self-help” as a subject in this country is both popular and reviled by different groups. There are folks who may read this post and feel as though they are being asked to repeat the phrase “I am good enough, I am smart enough, and dog-gone-it people like me” and that this idea will not get them anywhere (I thought that skit was so great) or they may be skeptical of the power of the mind to improve performance. To that skeptic, I offer fuel for a healthy debate from the emerging field of psychoneuroimmunology.
Psychoneuroimmunology is a “new field” based on the science that the nervous system and the immune system are interconnected. This discipline has discovered a number of ways that the two systems actually have two way communications with each other and direct impacts on both systems. Closely controlled studies have also shown that “a person’s aggressive determination to conquer a disease can increase one’s lifespan” (p619 Alcamo’s Fundamentals of Microbiology, 2007) The same studies have shown that behavioral therapies can amplify the body’s response to disease and speed the immune systems response.
This field has also generated interesting research in 2003 that Tai Chi boosts shingles immunity in the elderly. In a 60 person study over 15 weeks the study group did have reduced levels of stress related to their Tai Chi program and were measured as having 50% higher immune memory functions against Shingles. The group did not see improvement in physical movement with this low impact form of exercise and the researchers concluded that the anti-stress elements of the activity gave seniors the significant boost in immunity. You can read more about the tip of this iceberg here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoneuroimmunology
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Running Hills
Hills – Mountaineers are better runners.
“Going to the mountains is going home” – John Muir
Runners from Ohio complain about them and the Boston Marathon has the notorious “Heartbreak Hill” as part of it mythology but runners who know the benefits of running up and down hill know something – they have both the competitive and mental advantage on their competition.
This part of your running can easily comprise 35% of you total mileage & will develop your stride and physical capacity to run more easily. You’ll also never fear a racecourse - something flatlanders get chills about regularly. Again, Danny Dryer’s book CHI Running is a great resource here in dealing with hills because technique can help your newly acquired powers to get up any hill efficiently.
Flow and glide – is the earth flat? Easy question - but think about the last time you enjoyed a roller coaster, surfed a wave, rode a mountain bike or snowboard over that very non-flat planet of ours. That slowing and accelerating feeling you enjoyed can be learned and integrated into your running and while it will not be easy, you already have many of the tools to do this well. Concentrate on an easy and efficient pace going up and learn to love that fast gliding down and you’ll start to reap the physical advantage of hill running.
Physical developments – no matter how fast (or slow) you go uphill you’ll be working at a higher PE than you typically do on a training run. You will be gently adjusting your workload and this gives you better cardio capacity while building powerful hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. Towards the end of a race as fatigue sets in runners may shorten their stride and lack muscle endurance to raise their knees and ankles into the next stride. Hill running build stamina in these key areas and prevents fatigue. You’ll have more power to keep running.
Hill repeats – In the same way that we are able to start running or do speed work in small doses – you can also run uphill in short bursts so as to not tire of it completely and still get most of the benefits. Folks who do not enjoy hills or feel intimidated by a hilly course will find a hill that takes one minute to run and run it at a “regular pace” (PE 4) multiple times. At the top you turn around and gently glide back down, resting as needed at the base before heading up again.
Proper form – we have discussed before that if your form suffers while doing this running then you’re not doing yourself any favors and need to slow down. You get some of the benefits from walking the hills too – find a pace you can handle – progress gradually.
Uphill - You will use your upper body more when traveling uphill. A slight lean forward would come from leaning at the ankle. Your focused breathing to power your body upward, and your arm swing – all play an important role. Think about the little engine that could. Small lean and small strides as well as a relaxed state governed by our breathing rate. You do not want to overwork your hamstrings and calves with long strides and pulling yourself up the hill. Small strides, never stepping past your hips, shoulders slightly ahead of your hips, keeps you pushing yourself up the hill in a controlled way. Take it easy and let your breathing determine your pace. Relax your legs and make sure feet are flat on the ground, heels down, and you’re not asking smaller muscles to do bigger jobs. Conserve energy and know that going uphill is always a bit slower. Pump your arms, thinking about elbows moving back, coordinated with your stride to give you extra momentum moving uphill. Your eyes look up – to the top of the hill and your long straight spine allows more air into the runner for hard work. Think about a positive mental image and know that every up has a downhill too.
Downhill – Done poorly, you’ll pound your legs, feet and lower back with 6-10x your body weight with each footfall, hammering your legs and possibly your ability to run later in the week! While not all hills are runnable, many are and you’ll get better at the “glide” skills with practice & enjoy the down without the pounding. Relaxing both physically and mentally allows you to loosen up your knees and quadriceps, give in to the speed a bit and enjoy the movement which can be much faster than you ever run on the flats. Stride, cadence, and orientation to the ground help smooth out the ride you’ve earned.
Think about your hips, shoulders and upper body. You want your hips and pelvis level while you run. Your shoulders and upper body should stay centered over your hips. Leaning away from the hill and bracing will shift your legs forward and as they act like the brakes - you’ll transfer impact to heels, quadriceps, and your lower back. This is a time that you want to stay light and footfalls/strides will be much faster than usual.
Your cadence (number of strides per minute) will increase and those smaller steps will keep your feet under your hips and landing quickly and lightly on the ground. If you need to take longer strides as your speed increases, think about the stride getting longer in the back, or behind you, so your feet do not come past your hips and you are recruiting muscles from the posterior of the body. One item to focus on is peeling your feet off the ground from the heel. This tends to make the mid-foot land first for your next step and keeps your footsteps closer to the pelvis – reducing impact forces to your body. Another way to look at it is to lead with the toe – plantar flex the foot – toes point down as you descend and your mid-foot will hit first and quickly transition to the next step.
Safety – while accidents a few, if you start running 35% of your mileage as hills you may want to take an hour one afternoon (on a grassy slope) to think about falling properly. Cyclists do this annually and skiers do too as their falling season starts. If you practice a tuck and roll, drop a shoulder style of falling you are much more likely to avoid road rash and to stop sooner, post contact with the ground. You want to tuck things in and not splay them out – do not make tender and breakable appendages responsible for stopping your trajectory. If this practice drill sounds scary, remember to walk the steepest descents so that you are in control.
“Going to the mountains is going home” – John Muir
Runners from Ohio complain about them and the Boston Marathon has the notorious “Heartbreak Hill” as part of it mythology but runners who know the benefits of running up and down hill know something – they have both the competitive and mental advantage on their competition.
This part of your running can easily comprise 35% of you total mileage & will develop your stride and physical capacity to run more easily. You’ll also never fear a racecourse - something flatlanders get chills about regularly. Again, Danny Dryer’s book CHI Running is a great resource here in dealing with hills because technique can help your newly acquired powers to get up any hill efficiently.
Flow and glide – is the earth flat? Easy question - but think about the last time you enjoyed a roller coaster, surfed a wave, rode a mountain bike or snowboard over that very non-flat planet of ours. That slowing and accelerating feeling you enjoyed can be learned and integrated into your running and while it will not be easy, you already have many of the tools to do this well. Concentrate on an easy and efficient pace going up and learn to love that fast gliding down and you’ll start to reap the physical advantage of hill running.
Physical developments – no matter how fast (or slow) you go uphill you’ll be working at a higher PE than you typically do on a training run. You will be gently adjusting your workload and this gives you better cardio capacity while building powerful hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. Towards the end of a race as fatigue sets in runners may shorten their stride and lack muscle endurance to raise their knees and ankles into the next stride. Hill running build stamina in these key areas and prevents fatigue. You’ll have more power to keep running.
Hill repeats – In the same way that we are able to start running or do speed work in small doses – you can also run uphill in short bursts so as to not tire of it completely and still get most of the benefits. Folks who do not enjoy hills or feel intimidated by a hilly course will find a hill that takes one minute to run and run it at a “regular pace” (PE 4) multiple times. At the top you turn around and gently glide back down, resting as needed at the base before heading up again.
Proper form – we have discussed before that if your form suffers while doing this running then you’re not doing yourself any favors and need to slow down. You get some of the benefits from walking the hills too – find a pace you can handle – progress gradually.
Uphill - You will use your upper body more when traveling uphill. A slight lean forward would come from leaning at the ankle. Your focused breathing to power your body upward, and your arm swing – all play an important role. Think about the little engine that could. Small lean and small strides as well as a relaxed state governed by our breathing rate. You do not want to overwork your hamstrings and calves with long strides and pulling yourself up the hill. Small strides, never stepping past your hips, shoulders slightly ahead of your hips, keeps you pushing yourself up the hill in a controlled way. Take it easy and let your breathing determine your pace. Relax your legs and make sure feet are flat on the ground, heels down, and you’re not asking smaller muscles to do bigger jobs. Conserve energy and know that going uphill is always a bit slower. Pump your arms, thinking about elbows moving back, coordinated with your stride to give you extra momentum moving uphill. Your eyes look up – to the top of the hill and your long straight spine allows more air into the runner for hard work. Think about a positive mental image and know that every up has a downhill too.
Downhill – Done poorly, you’ll pound your legs, feet and lower back with 6-10x your body weight with each footfall, hammering your legs and possibly your ability to run later in the week! While not all hills are runnable, many are and you’ll get better at the “glide” skills with practice & enjoy the down without the pounding. Relaxing both physically and mentally allows you to loosen up your knees and quadriceps, give in to the speed a bit and enjoy the movement which can be much faster than you ever run on the flats. Stride, cadence, and orientation to the ground help smooth out the ride you’ve earned.
Think about your hips, shoulders and upper body. You want your hips and pelvis level while you run. Your shoulders and upper body should stay centered over your hips. Leaning away from the hill and bracing will shift your legs forward and as they act like the brakes - you’ll transfer impact to heels, quadriceps, and your lower back. This is a time that you want to stay light and footfalls/strides will be much faster than usual.
Your cadence (number of strides per minute) will increase and those smaller steps will keep your feet under your hips and landing quickly and lightly on the ground. If you need to take longer strides as your speed increases, think about the stride getting longer in the back, or behind you, so your feet do not come past your hips and you are recruiting muscles from the posterior of the body. One item to focus on is peeling your feet off the ground from the heel. This tends to make the mid-foot land first for your next step and keeps your footsteps closer to the pelvis – reducing impact forces to your body. Another way to look at it is to lead with the toe – plantar flex the foot – toes point down as you descend and your mid-foot will hit first and quickly transition to the next step.
Safety – while accidents a few, if you start running 35% of your mileage as hills you may want to take an hour one afternoon (on a grassy slope) to think about falling properly. Cyclists do this annually and skiers do too as their falling season starts. If you practice a tuck and roll, drop a shoulder style of falling you are much more likely to avoid road rash and to stop sooner, post contact with the ground. You want to tuck things in and not splay them out – do not make tender and breakable appendages responsible for stopping your trajectory. If this practice drill sounds scary, remember to walk the steepest descents so that you are in control.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Nutrition part two
Groceries in, garbage out, blood goes round and round…
"Endurance events are eating and drinking contests with some exercise thrown in too" Sunny Blende
We have already had a primer on running nutrition and via handouts you had recently, we looked at race day and race week meals to try in preparation. So now let’s talk about the food pyramid a bit, new resource ideas for meals to help your running, salt, iron and regulation of “in’s and out’s” a bit. Your everyday training depends on knowing a bit more about fueling - especially as long runs get longer.
Let’s look at the food pyramid in greater detail and see what you’ll be fueling yourself with in the coming months as you seek to keep yourself well fueled and injury free in training and attain ideal body type for your event. Running hard and all this training is not a diet program – I have said this many times. Yet you will find that over time your metabolic capacity increases and you are burning a lot of fat on your long runs, when they are done at aerobic pace. Therefore, body composition may actually subtly change even while you are eating a balanced and nutritious diet that feeds your energy level. Pretty cool stuff.
Three primary fuel types and all food from the new food pyramid fits into these neat slots as far as the body is concerned, yet not all foods are created equal. Carbohydrates, Lipids (or fats), and protein are the three types.
Fat: Sometimes a dirty word and thought of as something to avoid and yet, this is the most efficient fuel the body can have at 9Kal/gram, and it does not require the storage of water to be used in the body. We store most foods as glycogen and use it all over the body. Fat during aerobic exercise is converted to fuel and used for any endurance activity because it works but also because you cannot store all of the fuel you need to burn without using this fat. Unsaturated fat from plant products is ideal and not refined or hydrogenated fat is most healthy and burns in the body with fewer bi-products like free radicals.
Protein: Nearly everything of value in the body is built from proteins and this makes them simply too valuable to use a fuel. Skeletal muscle is built from a number of key proteins but even elements for your cell membranes and body hormones are made of protein. Daily intake is required and can be attained from animal and or vegetable sources. These proteins are made of amino acids and your body disassembles proteins it consumes and rebuilds good stuff from these amino acid chains. Several key amino acids are important to attain if we are on any kind of vegetarian or alternative diet. The most important of these amino acid chains is Omega 3.
Carbohydrates: Nearly everything else that is not made of protein or fat or a man made substance is a carbohydrate. Even sugar is a carbohydrate. While many people have profited from special diets that eschew “carbs” they are the body’s essential and most easily used fuel. The average American eats far more of the wrong kinds of carbs than they should, however the body will metabolize carbs the best and with fewer byproducts than any other energy synthesis. The trouble is that we cannot store all of the energy we need this way and so we start the running machine on carbs and efficiently transition mid run to fat metabolism as a fuel source.
What is bonk? You’ll see unprepared runners face bonk or “the wall” during a big event. It can be physically excruciating and mentally dehabilitating. Preparation can prevent this and you just need some understanding of physiology and prior practice to fend it off. Two experts define what this is pretty simply.
Sunny Blende, sports nutritionists writes, “The brain also does not store any glucose – as glycogen, as the muscles do – and is totally dependent on blood glucose for its energy supply. In order to function normally, the brain requires a relatively normal blood glucose level. So what happens to an ultrarunner when he or she is running hours and hours with an increasing demand for glucose? If our ultrarunner does not ingest adequate amounts of carbohydrate (glucose) along the way, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) sets in. And with prolonged hypoglycemia comes central nervous system fatigue – the progressive shutdown of the part of the brain that drives the muscles. Bad news for attitude and bad news for performance.”
In one of Tim Noakes’s studies from The Lore of Running, he found that two percent of marathoners, six percent of those who ran 50 kms and 11 percent of those who ran 100 kms were hypoglycemic. He cites the symptoms as a “reduced ability to concentrate, a sudden feeling of weakness, and the intense desire to stop running. Typically, the athlete senses the impossibility of completing the race”. Sound familiar? Obviously foods containing glucose would have helped these athletes perform better, but an explanation of the mechanism of action might make this concept easier to understand. Again, Tim Noakes’s studies from The Lore of Running, “The main supplier of glucose into the blood is the liver. This happens directly from its own store of glycogen or indirectly by a process known as gluconeogenesis (the production of glucose by the liver from substances other than carbohydrates, for example, proteins). Training also helps the liver’s ability to produce glucose from circulating blood lactate. However, because the liver is so small compared to the body’s muscle mass and only stores about 250 - 500 calories of glucose, it could never keep up with the muscles’ demand for glucose when exercising hard or long. In a trained athlete, this amounts to three or four hours of running at a moderate pace. And the muscles are prevented from using too much circulating blood glucose in order to protect the brain. Fortunately our body has provided the muscles with other ways of obtaining glucose; namely a good supply stored in its own tissues and the ability to use fat as a source of energy. And remember, the supply stored in the muscles can be doubled if post-exercise carbs were consumed within thirty minutes or so. But even this generous supply will only last about five to six hours. The rate that the liver releases glucose and the muscles take it up during exercise is increased six-fold from a resting state. When tissues increase their rate of usage faster than the liver can produce it, blood levels fall and body function is impaired. In order to prevent brain drain and preserve our mind’s ability to think and strategize effectively in an ultra event, it becomes crucial to ingest carbohydrates during the race. If the muscles become fatigued, the brain will reduce the number of muscle fibers activated and in order to continue running, the ultrarunner will have to slow down. This is the body’s way of surviving. It may limit the runner’s physiological capabilities, but preserve the neurological function of the brain. Exhaustion, in this case, may be defined as a decrease in signals from the brain to the muscles, not a direct change in glycogen levels in the muscles - in other words, central fatigue.”
So the central governor steps in again to save the day and we learn that this phenomenon is preventable if we keep energy reserves up to meet the exertion demands. That requires you to test what kind of carbohydrates will digest easily for you while running. Gatorade, gel packets, bananas, chia seed, PB&J, fruit roll-ups and others have all been tried and many work well as long as they contain some water of their own and you keep your stomach lining wet w. a bit of fluids. Sunny Blende and others suggest that you might be able to train your body to utilize as much as 240 calories per hour while running (you’ll use more than this often, but that’s the breaks). The average gel packet is 100-150 calories each and 12oz of Gatorade is about 90 calories. So you can calculate what you’ll need and try to eat is small amounts spaced along the duration of your run.
Here is a link for some breakfasts with protein (a good time to get it as you metabolism is firing up and you’ll run on this later in the day) I love protein at breakfast because I am less hungry before lunch.
Here is a video with ideas about eating a snack an hour before a run and 3 ideas that each includes a healthy protein.
Here is an article by Mark Bittman and I like the guy for his simple style, ideas that involve less meat, and yet he is still eating right. He includes about 8 recipes in his article and beans given some attention as the powerhouse food they really are.
There are also links to some Mark Bittner food ideas on our face book site and as someone pointed out - he has started blogging for Runners World. Thanks Lori!
This link allows you to build menus by type and fulfill all the key nutrients in the process – it is free, but you have to register
This link lists what is in the meat and beans group and why you need it – along with a list of foods that will hold off anemia, or the low red cell count that gives rise to lethargy, low oxygenation and poor running performance.
Runners and athletes would want as many red blood cells (RBCs) as possible for best oxygen transport to your muscles. Recall that from a previous lesson that Coach Joe Vigil feels that many athletes, especially female athletes, need to monitor their bodies for signs of low iron or possible anemia. A normal range score of 37-43% RBC for hemocrit scores should be what you are expecting and a runner would be interested in being on the high end of this score for better oxygen carrying capacity. You can have your doctor test this blood value and including lean meat and beans in your diet helps fend off iron deficiency.
The Average American consumes approximately 3.6 grams of salt daily and current federal guidelines for sodium intake is 2.3 grams per day. The American Heart Association recommends 2 grams. What many folks miss at the cellular level is that both sodium and potassium are the two ions that your body uses every second of the day. While it is relatively simple to get your daily supply of sodium some folks do not get enough Potassium and you need 4.7 grams daily in order to function optimally. Having the optimum ratio of these elements lowers the incidence of cardiovascular disease and allows optimal membrane potential at the cellular level. Bananas, peaches, prunes, apricots, honeydew melon or cantaloupe, and OJ all contain good sources of potassium as well as whole grains, beans and many fresh meats.
Blood sodium must be maintained at a level of 135mmol/L and this value is typically easy to maintain without any dietary changes. For runners, the complication comes when someone would be running or walking slowly for a long time, while consuming a lot of water. This can create a condition called hyponatremia. While the article Responsible Drinking on the Trail (Dr. M Hoffman, Ultrarunning, March 2010) states that this condition has been responsible for five fatalities in the US and UK they also write that 30% of the runners at 2009 Western States 100 mile run, who participated in the author’s research, were positive for signs of hyponatremia.
For runners, hyponatremia means low salt. We lose salt in sweating and we can (with great effort) dilute the amount of salt that we have in our bodies by consuming large amounts of water. When you have a lot of water and not enough salt in the body, fluids begin to shift in your system and the results can be catastrophic and life threatening. You need not have a complete class in physiology to get a handle on how this works though. If you are sweating a lot, out for a long time, and throwing in the water as you go – then you need to keep your eye open for crucial signs of what is sometimes call ‘water intoxication”.
Dr. Hoffman list a number of Danger signs: [additions mine] “Your body would not lose the 2% of its weight you would expect on your longest run but would stay the same weight or gain weight during the run. Your body’s water is changing location and you’ll see swelling, [all over], but especially hands, feet, face – [rings and shoes may be tight.] You would see mental status changes as fluid causes brain cells to swell too. [This would look like stumble; mumble, fumble and you would have to look at their other symptoms to ensure you did not think - dehydration. Recall that people call this condition water intoxication because of the mental status changes you see in people.] This person may also feel sick, [feel nausea and be sloshing from all the water they are hauling in their stomach. Urine output would be beyond the “clear, constant and copious” realm that we expect in hydrated folks as the kidney are now doing all they can to solve a fluid overload condition.] This is an emergency medical condition that requires immediate attention and complications can include kidney failure.” [They need medical intervention and you take them off of water while you get them help.]
On a slight tangent but related to your groceries in garbage out theme, comes a question from a runner to the sports nutritionist at Runners World – you can view this online but I included the copy here as it relates to nutrition and is such a good question.
“Over the past couple of months, I've been having to go "number 2" during most of my morning runs. I used to be able to go before my runs without much of an issue. Now I try to go but nothing happens. I eat a healthy diet, for the most part, with fruits and veggies, and get about 30 grams of fiber each day; drink 60 to 70 ounces of water; and seem to get the right amounts of calories (2,500), carbs (60 to 70%) and proteins (100 grams per day). I run about 35 miles a week and I am 5'10" and 155 pounds. Am I just eating too much? Any suggestions? – Joseph”
Joseph, a few observations:
“You say you eat lots of fruits and vegetables and 30 grams of fiber per day. Certain fibers are more helpful with laxation, such as bran-type cereals. In addition, consider swapping one of your fresh fruit choices for four or five dried plums, especially at night before bed.
The recommended fluid intake for adult men is 125 ounces per day, at rest, and more for exercise, so if you are consuming 30 grams of fiber and not enough fluid, that may also be part of the problem; consider increasing your liquids intake.
And based on your diet breakdown (60 to 70% carbs, or 375 to 437 grams per day, and protein at 100 grams per day) your diet may be too low in fat. Fat is important as a lubricant. So you may want to cut the carbs slightly and increase the fat, through nuts and nut butter, or olive oil on those vegetables, or guacamole.
Last but not least: Before bedtime, try a small bowl of All-Bran, Bran Buds, or Fiber One with a few dried plums and 2 tablespoons of nuts. Make sure you have a large glass of water (about 16 ounces) with this.
Hopefully this will get you back to running your route, and not to the bathroom!”
Leslie
Have a question for Leslie? E-mail her. (Please write "Ask the Sports Dietitian" in the subject line.) NOTE: Due to the volume of mail, we regret that Leslie cannot answer every e-mail.
And check out Leslie's newest book, Sports Nutrition for Coaches, on sale now.
The item that I would say Leslie neglected to mention is something called the gastrocolic reflex. We all have this, but many choose to not tune into it. Once our runner, Joseph tries Leslie’s suggestions he will not be able to ignore it! Each day your gastrointestinal system sort of “wakes up” and contracts in a mechanical wave that we call peristalsis and this reflex occurs when food or fluid (often warm coffee or tea) first comes into the stomach. When you listen to your body, you’ll feel this occur and you can sit down to have a bowel movement right away, because your body has this preparatory reflex for a purpose. Following this hint from your gut will train your bowel to go before your run (or your race) and save you a great deal of anxiety along with improving your quality of life. Laugh, because it is good to do so – but then try it because it works.
I’ll have a few handout ideas for you regarding micro meal scheduling and training meals. Additionally, I will be reading a new book this year on nutrition and I encourage you to as well – it sounds great. Matt Fitzgerald’s Racing Weight – How to Get Lean for Peak Performance. There is very little on this subject currently and this work has already seen high acclaim from coaches in our sport, check it out.
"Endurance events are eating and drinking contests with some exercise thrown in too" Sunny Blende
We have already had a primer on running nutrition and via handouts you had recently, we looked at race day and race week meals to try in preparation. So now let’s talk about the food pyramid a bit, new resource ideas for meals to help your running, salt, iron and regulation of “in’s and out’s” a bit. Your everyday training depends on knowing a bit more about fueling - especially as long runs get longer.
Let’s look at the food pyramid in greater detail and see what you’ll be fueling yourself with in the coming months as you seek to keep yourself well fueled and injury free in training and attain ideal body type for your event. Running hard and all this training is not a diet program – I have said this many times. Yet you will find that over time your metabolic capacity increases and you are burning a lot of fat on your long runs, when they are done at aerobic pace. Therefore, body composition may actually subtly change even while you are eating a balanced and nutritious diet that feeds your energy level. Pretty cool stuff.
Three primary fuel types and all food from the new food pyramid fits into these neat slots as far as the body is concerned, yet not all foods are created equal. Carbohydrates, Lipids (or fats), and protein are the three types.
Fat: Sometimes a dirty word and thought of as something to avoid and yet, this is the most efficient fuel the body can have at 9Kal/gram, and it does not require the storage of water to be used in the body. We store most foods as glycogen and use it all over the body. Fat during aerobic exercise is converted to fuel and used for any endurance activity because it works but also because you cannot store all of the fuel you need to burn without using this fat. Unsaturated fat from plant products is ideal and not refined or hydrogenated fat is most healthy and burns in the body with fewer bi-products like free radicals.
Protein: Nearly everything of value in the body is built from proteins and this makes them simply too valuable to use a fuel. Skeletal muscle is built from a number of key proteins but even elements for your cell membranes and body hormones are made of protein. Daily intake is required and can be attained from animal and or vegetable sources. These proteins are made of amino acids and your body disassembles proteins it consumes and rebuilds good stuff from these amino acid chains. Several key amino acids are important to attain if we are on any kind of vegetarian or alternative diet. The most important of these amino acid chains is Omega 3.
Carbohydrates: Nearly everything else that is not made of protein or fat or a man made substance is a carbohydrate. Even sugar is a carbohydrate. While many people have profited from special diets that eschew “carbs” they are the body’s essential and most easily used fuel. The average American eats far more of the wrong kinds of carbs than they should, however the body will metabolize carbs the best and with fewer byproducts than any other energy synthesis. The trouble is that we cannot store all of the energy we need this way and so we start the running machine on carbs and efficiently transition mid run to fat metabolism as a fuel source.
What is bonk? You’ll see unprepared runners face bonk or “the wall” during a big event. It can be physically excruciating and mentally dehabilitating. Preparation can prevent this and you just need some understanding of physiology and prior practice to fend it off. Two experts define what this is pretty simply.
Sunny Blende, sports nutritionists writes, “The brain also does not store any glucose – as glycogen, as the muscles do – and is totally dependent on blood glucose for its energy supply. In order to function normally, the brain requires a relatively normal blood glucose level. So what happens to an ultrarunner when he or she is running hours and hours with an increasing demand for glucose? If our ultrarunner does not ingest adequate amounts of carbohydrate (glucose) along the way, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) sets in. And with prolonged hypoglycemia comes central nervous system fatigue – the progressive shutdown of the part of the brain that drives the muscles. Bad news for attitude and bad news for performance.”
In one of Tim Noakes’s studies from The Lore of Running, he found that two percent of marathoners, six percent of those who ran 50 kms and 11 percent of those who ran 100 kms were hypoglycemic. He cites the symptoms as a “reduced ability to concentrate, a sudden feeling of weakness, and the intense desire to stop running. Typically, the athlete senses the impossibility of completing the race”. Sound familiar? Obviously foods containing glucose would have helped these athletes perform better, but an explanation of the mechanism of action might make this concept easier to understand. Again, Tim Noakes’s studies from The Lore of Running, “The main supplier of glucose into the blood is the liver. This happens directly from its own store of glycogen or indirectly by a process known as gluconeogenesis (the production of glucose by the liver from substances other than carbohydrates, for example, proteins). Training also helps the liver’s ability to produce glucose from circulating blood lactate. However, because the liver is so small compared to the body’s muscle mass and only stores about 250 - 500 calories of glucose, it could never keep up with the muscles’ demand for glucose when exercising hard or long. In a trained athlete, this amounts to three or four hours of running at a moderate pace. And the muscles are prevented from using too much circulating blood glucose in order to protect the brain. Fortunately our body has provided the muscles with other ways of obtaining glucose; namely a good supply stored in its own tissues and the ability to use fat as a source of energy. And remember, the supply stored in the muscles can be doubled if post-exercise carbs were consumed within thirty minutes or so. But even this generous supply will only last about five to six hours. The rate that the liver releases glucose and the muscles take it up during exercise is increased six-fold from a resting state. When tissues increase their rate of usage faster than the liver can produce it, blood levels fall and body function is impaired. In order to prevent brain drain and preserve our mind’s ability to think and strategize effectively in an ultra event, it becomes crucial to ingest carbohydrates during the race. If the muscles become fatigued, the brain will reduce the number of muscle fibers activated and in order to continue running, the ultrarunner will have to slow down. This is the body’s way of surviving. It may limit the runner’s physiological capabilities, but preserve the neurological function of the brain. Exhaustion, in this case, may be defined as a decrease in signals from the brain to the muscles, not a direct change in glycogen levels in the muscles - in other words, central fatigue.”
So the central governor steps in again to save the day and we learn that this phenomenon is preventable if we keep energy reserves up to meet the exertion demands. That requires you to test what kind of carbohydrates will digest easily for you while running. Gatorade, gel packets, bananas, chia seed, PB&J, fruit roll-ups and others have all been tried and many work well as long as they contain some water of their own and you keep your stomach lining wet w. a bit of fluids. Sunny Blende and others suggest that you might be able to train your body to utilize as much as 240 calories per hour while running (you’ll use more than this often, but that’s the breaks). The average gel packet is 100-150 calories each and 12oz of Gatorade is about 90 calories. So you can calculate what you’ll need and try to eat is small amounts spaced along the duration of your run.
Here is a link for some breakfasts with protein (a good time to get it as you metabolism is firing up and you’ll run on this later in the day) I love protein at breakfast because I am less hungry before lunch.
Here is a video with ideas about eating a snack an hour before a run and 3 ideas that each includes a healthy protein.
Here is an article by Mark Bittman and I like the guy for his simple style, ideas that involve less meat, and yet he is still eating right. He includes about 8 recipes in his article and beans given some attention as the powerhouse food they really are.
There are also links to some Mark Bittner food ideas on our face book site and as someone pointed out - he has started blogging for Runners World. Thanks Lori!
This link allows you to build menus by type and fulfill all the key nutrients in the process – it is free, but you have to register
This link lists what is in the meat and beans group and why you need it – along with a list of foods that will hold off anemia, or the low red cell count that gives rise to lethargy, low oxygenation and poor running performance.
Runners and athletes would want as many red blood cells (RBCs) as possible for best oxygen transport to your muscles. Recall that from a previous lesson that Coach Joe Vigil feels that many athletes, especially female athletes, need to monitor their bodies for signs of low iron or possible anemia. A normal range score of 37-43% RBC for hemocrit scores should be what you are expecting and a runner would be interested in being on the high end of this score for better oxygen carrying capacity. You can have your doctor test this blood value and including lean meat and beans in your diet helps fend off iron deficiency.
The Average American consumes approximately 3.6 grams of salt daily and current federal guidelines for sodium intake is 2.3 grams per day. The American Heart Association recommends 2 grams. What many folks miss at the cellular level is that both sodium and potassium are the two ions that your body uses every second of the day. While it is relatively simple to get your daily supply of sodium some folks do not get enough Potassium and you need 4.7 grams daily in order to function optimally. Having the optimum ratio of these elements lowers the incidence of cardiovascular disease and allows optimal membrane potential at the cellular level. Bananas, peaches, prunes, apricots, honeydew melon or cantaloupe, and OJ all contain good sources of potassium as well as whole grains, beans and many fresh meats.
Blood sodium must be maintained at a level of 135mmol/L and this value is typically easy to maintain without any dietary changes. For runners, the complication comes when someone would be running or walking slowly for a long time, while consuming a lot of water. This can create a condition called hyponatremia. While the article Responsible Drinking on the Trail (Dr. M Hoffman, Ultrarunning, March 2010) states that this condition has been responsible for five fatalities in the US and UK they also write that 30% of the runners at 2009 Western States 100 mile run, who participated in the author’s research, were positive for signs of hyponatremia.
For runners, hyponatremia means low salt. We lose salt in sweating and we can (with great effort) dilute the amount of salt that we have in our bodies by consuming large amounts of water. When you have a lot of water and not enough salt in the body, fluids begin to shift in your system and the results can be catastrophic and life threatening. You need not have a complete class in physiology to get a handle on how this works though. If you are sweating a lot, out for a long time, and throwing in the water as you go – then you need to keep your eye open for crucial signs of what is sometimes call ‘water intoxication”.
Dr. Hoffman list a number of Danger signs: [additions mine] “Your body would not lose the 2% of its weight you would expect on your longest run but would stay the same weight or gain weight during the run. Your body’s water is changing location and you’ll see swelling, [all over], but especially hands, feet, face – [rings and shoes may be tight.] You would see mental status changes as fluid causes brain cells to swell too. [This would look like stumble; mumble, fumble and you would have to look at their other symptoms to ensure you did not think - dehydration. Recall that people call this condition water intoxication because of the mental status changes you see in people.] This person may also feel sick, [feel nausea and be sloshing from all the water they are hauling in their stomach. Urine output would be beyond the “clear, constant and copious” realm that we expect in hydrated folks as the kidney are now doing all they can to solve a fluid overload condition.] This is an emergency medical condition that requires immediate attention and complications can include kidney failure.” [They need medical intervention and you take them off of water while you get them help.]
On a slight tangent but related to your groceries in garbage out theme, comes a question from a runner to the sports nutritionist at Runners World – you can view this online but I included the copy here as it relates to nutrition and is such a good question.
“Over the past couple of months, I've been having to go "number 2" during most of my morning runs. I used to be able to go before my runs without much of an issue. Now I try to go but nothing happens. I eat a healthy diet, for the most part, with fruits and veggies, and get about 30 grams of fiber each day; drink 60 to 70 ounces of water; and seem to get the right amounts of calories (2,500), carbs (60 to 70%) and proteins (100 grams per day). I run about 35 miles a week and I am 5'10" and 155 pounds. Am I just eating too much? Any suggestions? – Joseph”
Joseph, a few observations:
“You say you eat lots of fruits and vegetables and 30 grams of fiber per day. Certain fibers are more helpful with laxation, such as bran-type cereals. In addition, consider swapping one of your fresh fruit choices for four or five dried plums, especially at night before bed.
The recommended fluid intake for adult men is 125 ounces per day, at rest, and more for exercise, so if you are consuming 30 grams of fiber and not enough fluid, that may also be part of the problem; consider increasing your liquids intake.
And based on your diet breakdown (60 to 70% carbs, or 375 to 437 grams per day, and protein at 100 grams per day) your diet may be too low in fat. Fat is important as a lubricant. So you may want to cut the carbs slightly and increase the fat, through nuts and nut butter, or olive oil on those vegetables, or guacamole.
Last but not least: Before bedtime, try a small bowl of All-Bran, Bran Buds, or Fiber One with a few dried plums and 2 tablespoons of nuts. Make sure you have a large glass of water (about 16 ounces) with this.
Hopefully this will get you back to running your route, and not to the bathroom!”
Leslie
Have a question for Leslie? E-mail her. (Please write "Ask the Sports Dietitian" in the subject line.) NOTE: Due to the volume of mail, we regret that Leslie cannot answer every e-mail.
And check out Leslie's newest book, Sports Nutrition for Coaches, on sale now.
The item that I would say Leslie neglected to mention is something called the gastrocolic reflex. We all have this, but many choose to not tune into it. Once our runner, Joseph tries Leslie’s suggestions he will not be able to ignore it! Each day your gastrointestinal system sort of “wakes up” and contracts in a mechanical wave that we call peristalsis and this reflex occurs when food or fluid (often warm coffee or tea) first comes into the stomach. When you listen to your body, you’ll feel this occur and you can sit down to have a bowel movement right away, because your body has this preparatory reflex for a purpose. Following this hint from your gut will train your bowel to go before your run (or your race) and save you a great deal of anxiety along with improving your quality of life. Laugh, because it is good to do so – but then try it because it works.
I’ll have a few handout ideas for you regarding micro meal scheduling and training meals. Additionally, I will be reading a new book this year on nutrition and I encourage you to as well – it sounds great. Matt Fitzgerald’s Racing Weight – How to Get Lean for Peak Performance. There is very little on this subject currently and this work has already seen high acclaim from coaches in our sport, check it out.
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