USA Fit San Antonio

Yellow

Hey there Yellow Group-

So this week we are learning about carb loading, which most of you know I don't really do. I have talked about it time and time again that what I do does not really work for most runners, however, as most coaches will be telling you about how to best carb load, I will tell you what works for me. I train on virtually no carbs. As the distance increases on our long runs, I start integrating complex carbs into my diet, such as whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and Kashi cereal. That works for me, but not for everyone else.

The one thing to also keep in mind is that you can drink a lot of your carbs. Drinks such as Accelerade, Gatorade, even Chocolate Milk, will help you get additional carbs into your system as well as hydrate you. You just always make sure to drink plenty of water. I typically do not sleep through the night before the race, as I spend a lot of time running to the bathroom. That is a good sign. You don't want to start hydrating the day of. You want to start the week of the race.

Happy running this week - Your yellow coaches Svenja, Sarah, Michelle, and Vidal

Red

"The Real Taper: Less Really is More, Part 2"

Last week we looked at ways to conquer race day's mental fatigue, or that (gasp) dreaded "Wall" with mind games and remembering all walls have doors! This week I want to look at an earlier topic: "tapering". And don't worry, next week we will look at carb loading for your big day.

I wanted to review tapering because not only is our benchmark run getting close (Sunday Oct 24th) but also some travel team members are doing their long runs now. Tapering is to running a marathon as water is to a swimmer - you can't have one without the other; successfully that is! Tapering is a reduction in mileage before a major increase, in our case, marathon day. USA Fit's benchmark run comes three weeks before race day in order to take full advantage of the rest and recovery your body gains during tapering. And it is especially crucial the last seven days before your race. Tapering doesn't make you a faster runner, that is what all your training up to your benchmark has been for. Tapering instead should be a focus on getting you rested, recovered, sharper, and all-around more prepared for race day. You'll notice that after our benchmark run your weekly training sessions will decrease in time and intensity, this is designed to help you ignore mileage and speed so instead to place focus on your form, nutrition and race week plans. Use the time to make sure your gear is in order, catch up on sleep and reduce your pre-race jitters. And by doing a lot of the prep work for race day early during your taper, you will do yourself a big favor (and quite possibly your family & friends who you would have otherwise stressed over it to). Your tapered training will restore your muscles by keeping them loose, the blood flowing, and primed for race day. Do not be afraid to follow the tapering schedule because you will not lose fitness as has been proven by Olympians, elites, and countless other runners before you. In fact, it was a only after Sir Roger Bannister had taken a week long taper without any running at all that he was able to break the four minute mile! I'm not advocating that much time off from running but it just goes to show that your muscles do have memory and the recovery period is beneficial to all.

The gradual taper after our benchmark run will enhance your race day performance if you take it seriously. We just want you to have your best run ever - at the marathon! "We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves." Quote by Sir Roger Banister, first recorder runner to break the 4 minute mile

~ Signed, Your Red Coaches

Orange

Carbo-loading I

This is by far my favorite pre-race activity! I love to eat, and the week before the marathon is the perfect excuse.

Some people are reluctant to consume a diet high in carbohydrates because they worry about putting on too much weight. Although you may see a weight gain of a few pounds, it is doubtful that a week of eating breads and pasta will keep you from getting into your compression shorts. Much of the weight gain is water, and your body will thank you for that during your run.

Our muscles need fuel to carry us through to the end, and this fuel comes primarily from carbohydrate-rich foods. Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen, which can be quickly broken down to provide energy during high-intensity exercise and to maintain blood glucose levels. Muscles can store considerably more glycogen than the liver. However, what's important to know here is that the body cannot pull glycogen from the muscles to replenish depleted liver glycogen stores. Therefore, if we do not consume carbohydrates while exercising, the resulting depletion of liver glycogen will lead to hypoglycemia and subsequent fatigue. In short, we're gonna feel crappy, and we may drop out. The good news is that by now, we can consider ourselves "conditioned athletes," and our livers and muscles can store a considerable amount of glycogen, extending the time at which we become fatigued. We load up our muscles and liver by consuming lots of carbohydrates several days before the race, called "carbo-loading."

So, how do we go about this "carbo-loading?" Studies have shown that it is not necessary to completely deplete glycogen stores by exercising to exhaustion before loading with carbohydrates. It is now accepted that eating a high-carbohydrate diet (75%) for three days prior to the race is sufficient, and there is no need to run yourself ragged (literally) during that time. The decrease in exercise alone will assist the carbo-loading process. So, the marathon is on Sunday, three days prior is Wednesday-OK, start eating on Wednesday!

A word of caution: The week before the marathon is NOT the time to experiment! Loading up with fruits and juices may lead to diarrhea, and limiting yourself to pasta, pizza, and bread may clog your plumbing. Limit the fat during this time but do eat a little protein, just don't make this the focus of your meal. Eat a carbohydrate-rich breakfast and lunch on the day before the race, and snack on lighter food the rest of the day to afford your body a good night's sleep (hah!).

We have one more serious opportunity to practice proper eating the week before the 21-mile run. Next week, I'll provide you with some tempting recipes, and we'll talk about what (and when) to eat on marathon day.

Coach Ute

(The information above was taken from articles by exercise physiologist David Peterson at www.marathontraining.com and sports nutritionist Nancy Clark at www.halhigdon.com.)

I am so proud of the Orange TEAM!

First and foremost, thanks so much for Erica Cantu and Katrina Mumaw for stepping up and taking care of our water stations for the group! It means a lot to me that you put yourself out there to help your fellow runners, setting aside your desire to run with the group and in Katrina's case, packing and saying goodbye before an oversees deployment! Thanks so much for taking this on and doing such a great job in my absence.

Secondly, I was stressing about the group running the "Amazing Race" route last week. It always seems to trip people up. It is one that definitely takes us out of our comfort zone and challenges us in many ways. To make matters worse, while I was marking the course the night before, I realized that the map and the turn by turn directions didn't match and some key flags were missing on the route. I had to hope for the best! I was told that the group wasn't stressed about the run at all and someone pointed out that we have run this route several times. I hope everyone made it back and did their best, even if they got lost or turned around a bit. I'm thrilled to hear that everyone had a positive attitude about the course and its imperfect markings.

Finally, I am so pleased to report that our Orange TEAM member, Sonia Perez, scored FIRST place in her age group at the St. Peter's Fall 5K in Boerne on Saturday with a smoking hot time of 28:27 and a 9 minute per mile pace! Way to go, Sonia!! Sonia is fairly new to running and has participated in several smaller races in order to prepare for the Rock n Roll Marathon. She has competed very well, is training consistently, and will meet her goal of a respectable first time finish at the San Antonio RNR Marathon. I'm thrilled to have you on our TEAM, Sonia!

Orange Zest is undoubtably the BEST!

Kathy Seastrunk

Purple

Hey, Purple TEAM! Here is a short explanation on carb-loading from "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Marathons" by Bill Rogers and Scott Douglas:

"Carb-loading is often misunderstood. It doesn't mean looking at the last three days before a marathon as an excuse to hit every all-you-can-eat buffet in town. You're running less; you don't need to eat much more than you usually do. What matters is increasing the percentage of your calories that come from carbohydrates to more than 65%, not just chowing down on everything in sight.

Carb-loading works for the same reason that tapering works. Your muscles have become so trained to store more glycogen. You are tapering, so you're not walking much. Good- you are barely dipping into your fuel stores. Simultaneously, you are eating more carbohydrates than usual. Your muscles love it! They soak up the stuff. Do it right, and you can store an additional few hundred calories. That is worth an extra three miles of walking!

On the morning of the race, you definitely want to eat a light breakfast a few hours before the start. Yes this will probably mean getting up ridiculously early. But you're probably not going to be able to sleep all that well, anyway, because of nerves. Guess what? Breakfast is carbs again! A few hundred calories of easily digestible high-carb foods, such as a bagel and a banana, will top off your liver glycogen stores and help you maintain a better pace in the last few miles." Please consider these suggestions, as you prepare for your upcoming benchmark. Have a great week, and see you Saturday.

"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible." Walk on and Walk Strong this week

Coach JanelAsst. Coach Janel

Aqua

As our Saturday runs get longer and the race gets closer, here are a few reminders about nutrition and hydration.

The plan is simple - eat lots of carbs, low fat and protein. This is carb-loading time. It is time to pack a little reserve to carry you through the mileage. That is not a free ticket to take it to the max though. Too much carb loading can leave you feeling bloated and heavy - especially if you aren't used to eating so much. Instead, follow your normal diet and add some extra carbs (pasta, potatoes, rice, bread) a day before a long run and a few days before the big race. Be sure it agrees with you. Try to avoid high-fiber foods like beans, broccoli and lettuce to avoid an upset stomach and other GI problems during your run. Also, start loading up on fluids. Sports drinks can not only keep you hydrated, but take care of the carbs as well. Avoid alcohol as it dehydrates you and interferes with your carb loading J. Many of you may have been experimenting already, and just need a little fine tuning to your routine...or not. Most importantly, once you have determined what works for you...DO NOT try anything new before the race.

On race day, have your usual pre-run breakfast; like a bagel with peanut butter or banana and cereal. Try to eat at least 2-3 hours before the race. During the race, keep hydrating. Drink some fluids every 20 minutes and add some gels or electrolytes once you hit about an hour. You will want to re-fuel approximately every 20 minutes.

After the race, drink plenty of water and eat as soon as you can. Carb-reloading is just as important after a race as carb-loading is before. Remember last week's discussion about muscle recovery and how important nutrition and hydration is to that recovery.

See you Saturday for 9, 10 & 11!

Coach Laurie, Rose and Mary