• Pre-hydrate with 16 oz of fluid 1-2 hours before the workout
• Consume approximately 8 oz of fluid every 15-20 min during the workout
• For workouts longer than one hour, take in about 80-300 mg of sodium per hour to offset electrolyte depletion
• Post workout, replace fluid lost by drinking 16-24 oz of fluid per pound of body weight lost during the workout

• If possible, consume about 200-300 calories (low glycemic index foods are best) in the hour or two before the workout
• For workouts longer than 2 hours, begin carbohydrate replacement after about 60-90 minutes and continue every 30-45 min
• The goal is to start carb replacement about 20 minutes before your body needs it
• Take in approximately .5 g of carbs per pound of body weight every hour (When reading labels, 4 carbohydrate calories = 1 g carbohydrate)
• Be sure to consume 8 oz water (not a sports drink) along with any food or energy gels
• Post workout, consume about .75 g carbs per pound body weight within 2 hours, mixing in protein in a 4:1 ratio for optimal muscle repair and glycogen replacement

ATP

You Are What You Eat

You have probably heard that saying before. Well, I love tacos. If they are on the menu, it's usually what I'm having. Except on Friday night before a run. For some reason tacos don't... "sit well" with me when I run. I won't get into detail, but I have learned that if I want a good run on Saturday, then no tacos on Friday.

What works for you before, during and after your runs is a learning process. I've told the ATP folks to keep a diary for our 6 months of training. Write down thinks like how many miles you ran that day. How you feel before and after each run. What you ate during the day. How much and how well you slept. All these things can help you look back and see what works and does not work for your running. It can help you run better.

You see what happens is as you run blood is diverted from your stomach to help get oxygen to your muscles. The diversion of blood can cause cramping and limits the body's ability to absorb fluids which could lead to dehydration. And bouncing up and down while you run does not help either. That might make you need to go to the port-a-potty. But that can actually accelerate dehydration. When we train during the summer we really need to watch this. A few things you can do is to drink lots of water on Friday (no tacos) and then drink a glass before your Saturday run. Weigh yourself before your run and after your run to see if you have your water intake and your sweat lose balanced. RGR has scales out front of the store before our runs. Always carry a water belt and plan that you will need more water the second half of your run than the first half. Then plan to have a recovery drink waiting for you in your car. A recovery drink is one of those thinks you will need to test and right down in your diary to see what works best for you. After you stop running blood starts flowing back into your stomach and sometimes it can get upset if you have undigested stuff sitting around in it. That is one reason to test different types of mid run food. Products like "Gu" are developed to be easily digestible while you run. As our runs get longer you will need to eat something during your run. One recommendation I have is to not go by the first taste of the "Gu", see what you think about the after taste. They recommend to wash it down with water, but you can never fully get rid of the taste. I'm simple, I like the vanilla flavored "Gu", but I'm waiting for them to come out with a taco flavored "Gu".

Eat Up!

Larry Graf - ATP Coach

Blue / Green

Hi Blue/Green group,

How was your run last week? I hope you enjoyed your run as much as I did. This week our topic is sports nutrition. Like every runner I know, I run because I love to eat, bake, and cook. Food is an important part of marathon training, it's the fuel we need to keep us healthy and get us through our long distances and the marathon we call life. There are some key elements that we need to follow in order to keep us healthy for our training. Before running my first marathon one book that I picked up to help me understand basic fueling was Nancy Clark's Food Guide for marathoners. It's a great resource to help with meal planning and fueling.

I'm not going to lecture you on what you should eat and what you shouldn't be eating, but I want to share with you what has worked for me. When I first began fueling for my first marathon I was unsure of what foods I should be eating and how much I should be eating. I learned that I needed to get 55-65 percent of my calories from carbohydrates, 20-30 percent of my calories from protein, and 20-25 percent from fat. I also took the advice of Nancy Clark for "eating well", I eat three kinds of food at each meal, two kinds of food at each snack, I eat on a timeline, and I eat 80-90% of my calories from quality foods and I save the rest for sweets.

One very important aspect to sports nutrition is to make sure that you fuel before, during, and after your workouts. Before going out for a run make sure that you eat something and that you allow time for your food to digest. I like to eat a slice of bread with peanut butter for shorter distances like 8-10 miles and oatmeal with banana and nuts for longer distances. I give myself two hours to allow my food to digest. As our mileage increases to over an hour of running you want to start thinking about what type of fuel you will eat as you run. During the run make sure to drink every 15-20 minutes to prevent dehydration. For refueling I personally like the brand GU for my refueling. I like the taste of it and it doesn't give me any problems while I am running. There are many options for refueling like gels, energy bars, food, and sports drink. Make sure that you test out any type of fuel during a long run because you don't want to test it the day of a race. Finally think about your refueling plan for after your run. I love Starbucks, so yes that is something I get after my long runs. I always think of my pre run fuel as breakfast number one and then my post run fuel as breakfast number two. I normally will eat oatmeal with fruit, yogurt with cereal and fruit, or a protein smoothie for my post run meal.

There are many things to consider when fueling for a marathon. Before running my first marathon I made sure that I had a solid meal plan and made sure that each of the foods I was eating were going to work for me. Of course, the day of the race anything can happen the best you can do is stick to a plan and try your best.

See you Saturday,

Coach Jessica

Yellow

Hi there Yellow Runners

Hope your week went well and you were able to get your running in. I know it continues to be humid so make sure you carry plenty of water on your runs and you replenish with plenty of electrolytes (NO Marty - beer does not count!). This week we are going up to 8 miles and soon we will be in double digits. As our mileage increases, your nutrition and hydration before and during the run become significantly more important. For those of you that have run with me, you know that I train on a low carb diet. I was "forced" to train like this two seasons ago and it now works for me, however, this came from the doctor due to a medical condition and I DON'T recommend it for others (unless you have spoken to your doctor).

There are all kinds of different formulas that will help you determine exactly how many carbs, how much protein, how much (or little) fat you should consume, based on the length of time that you may be out there, but I will tell you that I have learned over the years that you have to listen to your body and start experimenting during the training program. This goes for what you eat the day before the run - lunch and dinner, the morning of a long run, and during the run. Lots of folks will eat their biggest "carb meal" for lunch the day prior to the long run. I typically won't eat carbs until dinner before the run. For before the run I still experiment. I went through a phase of toast and peanut butter, then toast and nutella, and last season I ate Oatmeal. This season I am going to try Kashi Cereal and see how that treats me.

The great thing about this training program is the nutrition sampling event we will have Saturday - July 10. After the run you will be able to try all different kinds of Gu's, Jelly Beans, Shot Blocks, Sports Drinks for during the run, Recovery drinks, etc. Take the time to see what you may like or may want to try and use it on the next long run. Keep an open mind and remember that it may take your body some time to get used to it. Honestly, there are some things your body never adjusts to, but the training program is the perfect time to experiment.

See all of you out there on Saturday.

Your Coaches - Svenja, Amber, Michelle, Sarah and Vidal

Red

"Performance Preparation through Proper Nutrition"

Last week we continued to look at efficiency by running with good form so not to use extra energy (run tall, don't swing arms, keep body aligned). I introduced the technique of "running from your core" by maintaining your center of gravity from your core so I hope you have found time to incorporate a core routine with your daily stretching. This week we will look at how proper nutrition also plays a vital part in preparation for your run as well as your overall performance. You heard it as a child but it bears repeating now: "you are what you eat." If you eat poorly you will perform poorly. On the flip side if you prepare properly before, during, and after your run you will enhance your running abilities, aid in recovery after a run, and maintain improved health.

As our mileage starts to increase so will your nutrition needs. As you may have noticed you might be feeling hungrier as we are burning calories mile after mile. Plus your body needs protein these days to help repair those muscles you are working. Keep an eye that you are not over eating or eating empty calories. Keep your diet balanced following the 20-60-20 rule (20% fat, 60% carbs and 20% proteins) and keep in mind that you only burn about 100 calories a mile (about two miles needed to burn off ONE donut). Eating smart small meals during the day (three meals and two snacks) and staying away from pre-processed foods, saturated fats, limiting alcohol and caffeine make for a healthy you and your body will like it on the run. And now is a good time to start getting your body used to eating something before a run like a good-carb food finding what works best for you. Try a banana, bagel, sandwich, or yogurt. During your run, you will also need to replenish your fuel with gels and sports drinks. Then soon after a after a workout, make sure to replenish your energy stores with good carbs and sports drink; and to jump start the muscle repair eat a meal with protein within first couple hours. And as a reminder runners' nutrition needs is not just what we eat but also what we drink. Hydration is important in our hot climate so make sure you also drink enough water throughout the day each and every day. I will leave you with a website that answers troubleshooting questions related to nutrition. For example, muscle cramps during a long run could mean dehydration or electrolyte depletion (not enough sports drink) http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Nutrition_Troubleshooting.htm. Have fun and enjoy the training and just remember your coaches and SA FIT are here to encourage you and to help you have as good a run as possible but as my motto goes you only get out of it what you put into it. In preparing for a run with the proper nutrition, you will make your long run easier! So plan your diet and look forward to the rewards of efficient performance with the proper planning!

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." Quote by Juma Ikangaa, Tanzanian marathon runner

~ Signed, Your Red Coaches

Orange

Great job this week running our "Amazing Race" route! As far as I could tell, no one got lost and everyone made it back. That's good. We had a good turnout for our pre-run warm ups and the Orange TEAM is doing a great job of following the rules of the road and encouraging each other. Way to go, TEAM!

Now that everyone is in the habit of carrying a water bottle, we are going to be talking about what should be in the water bottle. Because of the heat and the longer distances, most runners will be drinking some kind of sport drink to replace electrolytes and give some calories for an energy boost. Think about electrolytes as electricity for your muscles.

You will want to experiment with different brands and flavors to see which one you prefer and what works best for you. I happen to prefer Cytomax which is the drink provided on the course at the San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon. If you prefer another brand of drink, you will want to carry your own bottles on the race course at the marathon. It is good to already be in that habit. We try to avoid surprises on race day.

Rest up on Friday for another great run on Saturday and don't forget to prepare your water bottles the night before!

Orange Zest is the Best!

Coach Kathy S.

Now that we're beginning to rack up the miles, it's time to get serious about nutrition. I am all about keeping it simple, so here are a few one liners:

Carbs are your friends.

Marathon training and dieting don't mix.

Nutrition labels are great brain exercisers.

While you're training, you should eat a diet high in complex carbohydrates, moderate in protein, low in fat. Carbohydrates are broken down and stored as glycogen in your muscles which provides the energy for your run. Protein is necessary for muscle repair. When glycogen stores are low, the body uses precious protein for energy.

Should you eat before a run? Absolutely, but forgo the eggs and bacon. For runs under two hours, a banana and a tbsp of nut butter are great to top off your glycogen stores. For long runs, you might want to try 1 cup of oatmeal with 2 tbsp of any nut butter about 45 min before your run. During the run, replenish your glycogen stores with gels and water or sports drinks. Start experimenting and see what makes your digestive system happy, but don't take gels with sports drink or the concentration of electrolytes may overwhelm your system!

Within 15-30 min after your run, feed your tired muscles with a balanced carb and protein recovery drink and a little fruit to raise blood glucose levels. But it's not necessary to spend a small fortune on those precisely engineered recovery drinks: chocolate milk is fabulous for this purpose; it contains carbs, protein, and fat and tastes great to boot! If your belly craves something a little more substantial, try a bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter and banana (recognize this??). Eat a well-balanced meal about 1-1/2 to 2 hours after your run, but take it easy on the eggs and bacon!

Having said all that, good nutrition is not limited to long-run days. For consistent energy, several balanced, modest meals are better than three large ones. Keep several hours distance between your last meal and your evening run and limit your protein and fat intake before the run. Protein and fat are hard to digest and may leave you feeling sluggish.

The article above is meant to provide only very generalized information. Each of us is unique in our requirements and ability to process nutrients. For more precise information, please refer to the article by our nutritionist/dietitian.

Happy running!

Coach Ute

Purple

WEEK 5 - Nutrition

As July draws near and we say good-bye to our first full month of training - a special congrats is in order to everyone who's made it through. Before you know it, it will be Race Day, and you'll find yourself within a sea of other marathoners, all sharing the same goal: crossing that finish line. But, don't go celebrating too soon, there's still a lot left for each of us to learn and, in Week 5, we actually focus on one of the more vital aspects of marathon training: Nutrition!

Nutrition will fall into 6 main categories:

• Carbohydrates (CHO)
• Protein
• Lipids
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Water It may not seem like it, but nutrition plays an important part in our training, and could even determine how well you do on the course. While some forms of nutrition will not provide the energy needed to complete a race, other forms (such as CHO, protein, lipids, and water) offer us just what we need.
• CHO, considered a main source of fuel, is most readily available and can provide you energy during the marathon to keep you going to the very end. But CHO aren't the only thing we should focus on. There are proteins!
• Proteins are made up of amino acids, and there are actually nine essential amino acids that our bodies cannot even create. Proteins are our building blocks, they regulate our fluid balance, and provide antibodies for our immune system... aside from being another source of energy.
• But, Lipids, contain the highest source of energy per gram! It packs the most punch per gram. Made up of three types of dietary fats, Lipids are either saturated fat (butter, lard, coconut oil), monosaturated fat (olive and canola oil, peanuts) , and polyunsaturated fat (soybean oil, corn oil); Lipids provide energy and insulation, is a shock absorber and supports/cushions our organs.
• Water rounds out our list of vital nutrition, and is essential. Water carries nutrients and wastes throughout our bodies; it maintains blood volume, and 5 to 12 ounces should be consumed every 10 to 20 minutes.

We will also have samples of various nutritional items Saturday morning (July 10). Take a moment after your walk/run to try something new, and maybe ask your Coach/Assistant Coach a question or two. We are all here for you.

Happy Marathoning, Everyone!

Aqua

AQUA GROUP - STONE OAK RGR AND TRI POINT

Great job on your Saturday run! Stone Oak - It was a tough one with that humidity and those hills. Tri Point - great run! You all rock!

Just a reminder - we have a google discussion board for our group. This discussion board offers advice, addresses concerns, and posts information regarding weekday and Saturday runs. If you haven't signed up yet, please join us! Just log in and subscribe to: http://www.groups.google.com/group/safit10aqua.

The focus this week is on Nutrition. When it comes to training for a full or half marathon, this is probably one of the most important topics for discussion. Training for an endurance event requires attention to proper nutrition. How you eat will determine your performance. This is not the time to diet and cut carbs. Many of you might think that this would be a great time to lose weight, but when you are training for a half marathon, carbohydrates need to be a big part of your daily intake. Carbs are the fuel for your muscles during endurance activities. It is that rate-limiting factor; if you run out of CHO (carbohydrates) your intensity will decrease because the body is not able to provide fuel at a fast enough rate to sustain muscle activity. This also explains why it is especially important to consume CHO after 60 minutes of exercise, so that you can maintain efficient blood glucose levels. (Don't worry - your training and endurance runs will help with weight loss if that is part of your goal.)

It is recommended by sports nutritionists that endurance athletes consume 55-60% Carbs, mainly from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, rather than simple, refined sugars; 20-25% Fat, by consuming olive oil, vegetable oils, soybeans nuts, seeds, and fish (limit the saturated fats such as butter and heavy meats); and 20-30% Protein that come from eggs, whey protein, meats, and fish. One way to do this is to try to eat six small meals a day with an equal mix of carbs, fats and proteins. Again, this will help maintain your blood glucose levels.

Now is the best time to start experimenting with your food. Friday, eat a pasta dinner - just don't overdo it. Saturday when you get up, instead of running on an empty stomach, try a bowl of oatmeal with fruit or a bagel with peanut butter. You will be amazed at how much energy you will have during your longer runs. As our mileage increases, we will let you know when to start adding electrolytes (gels, gu, sports beans, etc.) and how they affect your training runs. Stick around on Saturday morning (July 10) to try a few nutrition samples after our run.

See you Saturday!

Coach Laurie, Coach Rose and Coach Mary