USA Fit San Antonio

Yellow

"I was unable to walk for a whole week after that, so much did the race take out of me. But it was the most pleasant exhaustion I have ever known."

Emil Zatopek's description of the Olympic Marathon win in Helsinki

Red

"Carb Loading & Race Week Nutrition"

Last week we reviewed "tapering" and reduced mileage after the benchmark run will actually help you to recover and be well rested for marathon day. So the next step getting you closer to the finish line healthy with your energy level primed is your nutrition during the last week of your taper.

As a general rule, runners need more carbs than the average non-athlete. This does not mean that runners necessarily need more calories, only that the mix of how you get your calories is different. A guide to follow is the 20-60-20 rule (20% of your calories from fat, 60% from carbs, and 20% from protein) which is in contrast to someone on a diet who might be eating less calories from carbs and more protein. Hopefully you have been keeping a log of what carbs and nutrition has worked for you for your long runs as the days before the marathon is not the time to experiment (smile). The upcoming benchmark run would be a great time to analyze your running log.

When done properly, carb-loading can help you marathon day as long as it's done properly and your body is used to the foods you choose. Ask your coaches if you have any questions as we just want you to have your best run ever - at the marathon! "Even when you have gone as far as you can, and everything hurts, and you are staring at the specter of self-doubt, you can find a bit more strength deep inside you, if you look closely enough." Quote by Hal Higdon, world renowned runner and writer

~ Signed, Your Red Coaches

Orange

Carbo-loading II

Last week, I wrote about the WHY of carbo-loading prior to long-distance running. This week, we'll get a little more into the nuts and bolts of the thing.

I know this dates me, but when I started running, eating before a workout was considered an absolute no-no. Thank goodness this is no longer the case. It is now widely accepted that eating prior to workouts actually improves performance. How much you eat, the types of food you consume, and the timing of your meals is specific to your training schedule and digestive system and may require some experimentation (before the marathon, please!!).

Research shows that performance is improved by eating during two distinct metabolic periods (the first approximately three hours and the second about 30 to 60 minutes before working out). Complex carbohydrates are the fuel of choice; they are easy to digest and provide a sustained energy source. Your meal should consist of 200 to 400 total calories, with 65 to 70% carbohydrates or 0.5 to 1.0 gram of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight (1 gram of carbohydrate = approx. 4 calories).

Translation (high carb):

115 lbs = 52 kg

52 grams of carbohydrate = 208 calories (70% of total caloric intake)

Total calories: 300

In addition to complex carbs, your meals should also include a little protein and healthy fat. According to Dr. John Ivy, chairperson of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education in the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin, a carbohydrate to protein ration of 4:1 has shown to improve endurance during exercise. Protein assists in moving carbohydrates into the muscle and helps to reduce muscle damage during exercise. Too much protein, however, will delay gastric emptying and make you feel sluggish (or worse!) Healthy fats come from flax and hemp seeds, avocados, coconuts, tree nuts, and cold-water fish. Avoid "trans" and hydrogenated fats as they impede digestion and inhibit the body's ability to increase heart rate.

So what might you eat (in the middle of the night on race day)? Here's a delicious recipe for breakfast couscous which can be prepared the day before and reheated in the morning:

1 cup whole wheat couscous

1-1/2 cups water

Pinch of salt

1 cup fresh fruit, sliced or diced (banana, apple, berries, peaches)

1/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, dates, coconut)

1/4 cup chopped nuts

Drizzle of honey or maple syrup (optional)

Place couscous, salt, and water in sauce pan with tight-fitting lid, bring to boil, remove from heat, and let steep for 10-20 minutes. Add remainder of ingredients, fluff with fork, and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving with walnuts and raisins: 280 cal, 6 g protein, 57 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat (add a mackerel, and you'll get a little more protein!! J)

(Source: The Athlete's Palate Cookbook by Yishane Lee, Rodale Inc., 2010)

Eating this breakfast three hours before your run gives your body enough time to digest and assimilate the nutrients and glycogen, empty the stomach, and regain hormonal balance. Avoid simple sugars (e.g., fructose and sucrose) as they will lead to hypoglycemia and subsequent "crash." The breakfast above is light enough to allow you to go back to sleep for another hour or so, if your nerves let you.

If you simply cannot eat three hours before the run, you may want to drink a sports drink with electrolytes (12 to 20 oz) 60 to 30 min before the run and eat a couple of dates or dried pineapple to appease your hunger.

If you'd like some recipes for the carbo-loading days leading up to the marathon, please email me at ute.hall@gmail.com, and I'll send you some. Please remember that your last meal on pre-race day should be at least three hours before you go to bed, or you can forget about a good night's rest!

Coach Ute

Purple

After weeks of blistering heat, have you noticed that our Saturday mornings have been slightly cooler than usual? If you answered "yes", rest assured - this isn't a trick of the mind. We are actually heading into colder weather. Chances are it may actually become even colder as we near race day. While the prospect of cooler weather may seem like a welcomed relief, there are actually some things that must be considered if the temperatures continue to drop.

With colder weather, we run the risk of a whole new batch of injuries or problems that we may not have experienced earlier in our training. We've learned through experience that how we react in these types of situations can sometimes make the huge difference between completing our training goals and suffering from an injury. In this situation, we may run the risk of suffering from an impaired performance.

Colder weather can cause us to begin to shiver due to the drop in temperature. Our motor skills and ability to think can decrease. In extreme situations, hypothermia is also possible. How do you keep warm? You can layer your clothing, which will provide you some protection. You can try to avoid getting wet or suffering from wind burn by wearing protective covering. You can make sure to warm up properly and not skip on this important part of pre-race preparation. You can focus on refueling and staying hydrated.

You've decided to focus on layering. What exactly would you layer? The obvious answer would be the clothes you wear during the actual marathon. You can use something as simple and disposable as gloves and a cap to trap some of your body heat. Instead of wearing a full coat, you can opt for a (fleece) vest to keep your core temperature as close to your natural temperature. While your blood may flow from your extremities, you internal body will remain somewhat heated and allow you to continue running/walking on. You will see other runners/walkers start off with multiple layers of clothes, but as the day wears on and the warmer it gets, more and more clothes will be discarded. Marathoners will either discard extra layers of clothes before the race begins or during the race. A common sight on race day will be a sea of marathoners wearing garbage bags. While this may seem strange, this is also a trick to keep warm before a race. Wearing a garbage bag allows you to keep some of your body's warmth and then be able to discard the bag without worrying about losing clothes you'd rather not throw away. Keep in mind that everyone will be given a "drop bag" that will have our own individual race number attached to it. Anything we don't want to carry with us, we will be able to place in our drop bags and turn in before the race begins. After the race ends, we are then able to go pick up our items.

What if it begins to rain or gets extremely windy? If you're running/walking and it begins to rain or get windy, you are more at risk of suffering from some kind of skin irritation. You can prevent this by wearing some kind of protective covering (i.e. rain poncho, sunblock, lip balm) to lessen the effects of the elements. You can also alter your pace during the race to take into account that running/walking into strong winds or being exposed to rain or sunlight for extended periods of time can sap your energy and cause you to feel fatigued.

Remembering to stay hydrated and to refuel can also help lessen any affects you may feel from the elements. While wearing multiple layers of clothing helps keep you warm in colder climates, it also has its own pitfalls... specifically, not knowing how much you really are sweating during the race. In this situation, making sure to stay hydrated and to refuel regularly (when needed) will help to counteract any effects you may feel from excessive sweating.

Unfortunately, we can't predict what the weather will be like on race day. You can begin to prepare yourself now, by not skipping out on training sessions if it happens to begin to drizzle. Our Tri-Point marathoners have definitely faced challenges with training during downpours. You can also try training with some of the protective coverings mentioned above and see how you fare with the added items.

One thing is for certain - rain or shine, we will be there on race day... ready to cross that start line with the finish line in our sights. We will be there, either way, to cheer you on and encourage you as you make your way.

Aqua

This week Rudy let us write about anything we want. Hence the many different topics in the newsletter. Let's talk about the upcoming benchmark run. As you know, it will be on SUNDAY, October 24th at Eisenhower Park on Military Highway. This is a big day because for most of you, it will be the farthest you have ever run. And, you will be running at a pace a tad bit faster than your training runs. You may be asking...why Sunday? And why running a little faster than training? Race day is on a Sunday and we try to make this experience as close to the real race as possible. So, we want you to treat this benchmark as you would the race. We have the same mileage as the race, so this will be a great indicator of your endurance level. Don't go all out though - this is still considered an easy, long run. Save yourself for race day!

What to expect...

By now, you should know what you need as far as clothing, hydration, gels, shoes and recovery goes. If it is working, don't change it. The benchmark is not the time to try something new. You know what clothes work for you, what gels do, etc. You know how much hydration you need the day/week before, and the day of. You will still have butterflies before the run, just as you will the real race. And, I won't lie to you; it will be mentally and physically challenging to get through it...even for the experienced runners. That last 1.5 - 2 miles is difficult.

If you do not plan to carry or wear your water belt on race day, don't wear it for the benchmark. We will have water stops, with cups, along the route. Also, the greatest part about this is that we will celebrate our accomplishment after with plenty of food!!! Coaches will provide the food, but bring your flip flops, extra change of clothes, or whatever else you need to be able to hang out with the group and revel in your accomplishment after. If you have family and/or friends that would be willing to man a water stop, please let us know. The stops will be positioned frequently along the route, so we need all the help that we can get.

It's getting closer!! See you Saturday for 10 miles.

Your coaches...Laurie, Mary and Rose

Coach Laurie, Rose and Mary