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Newsletter: Volume 28, June 2001 You are capable of becoming a running success every day. All you need to do is to move forward by walking and/or running far enough for the endorphins and the satisfaction to pour out. - Jeff Galloway * A cotton T-shirt is the coolest, wisest top to wear when running
in the summer. * The summer is the time to significantly increase the intensity
of your training. * The coolest time of day to run is noon so lunchtime would be
a perfect time to go out. * It is important to drink water all day long. * Don't wear a hat during the summer. 
How Fast Should My Running Pace Be? The overall pace of all long runs should be at least two minutes per mile slower than you could race the distance. If you don't have a clue how fast this is, use the "talk test": If you're huffing so much at the end of a long run that you can't carry on a coherent conversation, you went too fast earlier in the run. On each successive long one, slow down until the puffing is minimal. Since a one-minute walk break only slows you down by 15-20 seconds, you'll need to purposely run slower than you usually run, as well as taking the walk breaks. This will allow you to comply with the two-minute rule which says that long runs should be run at least two minutes slower than you could race that distance on that day. You can't run too slowly. You'll receive the same endurance from a long run as you do from a fast one. Slow down and enjoy the scenery. As the long runs get longer, take the walk breaks more often. A runner that is comfortable running six minutes and walking one minute will move to 5-1 at 15 to 18 miles, then 4-1 at 20 miles, and 3-1 when the long runs reach 23 miles. from Jeff Galloway's new Marathon! (2000, Phidippides Publications), pp. 39-40
Q: I successfully completed the Flying Pig Marathon using the run-walk method. Truthfully, given the hills and the heat, I don't think I could have made it without this approach. This was my third marathon. One week out and I feel fine-no soreness, running comfortably, etc. How soon may I start training for my next marathon and at what point in the training schedule would I start? A: Just run 3 days a week, for at least 30 minutes (with walk breaks as desired). You could do a 6-9 mile run on each weekend. The fourth weekend after the Pig, you could run a long one of whatever distance you wish. If it is 18 miles, you will only need to do the long one every third week, building to your next marathon. If the run is less than 18, you can do the long one every 14 days. Q: I have been training for my first marathon this year. Over the past few months of training I have developed a soreness/pain in the arch of my left foot. Initially it seemed to appear in longer than 8 mile runs, but now it is with me constantly. I am 200lb., 6'0" and am using Brookes running shoes with about 200 miles on them. Any insight/suggestions would be appreciated. A: Freeze a paper cup and rub the ice popsicle on your injured area every evening, for 15 min until the area gets numb. In addition, roll a baseball, or some hard object over and over the injured area, before the ice massage, to move some of the junk out of the injured area. You should be doing the minimum training to let it heal. On long runs (every 2nd or third weekend) run for 2 min and walk for 2 min (or longer). The other two days of running should be no more than 30 min each (with as much walking as you wish).
Just wanted to let you know that I've been following your "1 minute walk break" every mile on my long runs and I recently ran in the Jersey Shore Marathon and tried it out for the first time. My previous best time for the marathon was 4:02. On Sunday I ran a 3:43. It seemed to really work and I enjoyed it . Thanks a lot. A 19 minute improvement!!!! Well, I listened to you again and it paid off. I went more conservatively than I was planning, ran 8 minutes, walked 45 sec to 1 min. Took (and had taken of me) about 50 pictures, had one of the most fun 26.2 miles (actually further as I would turn around, run back to take a pic and then proceed forward again), did a 4:32, never hit a wall, had the last three miles come in at 9:30s and a 1:18 0.2 mile sprint to the finish and was completely fine. My buddies kept pulling ahead while I walked, but I would catch up. In the end, 1 beat me by 4 minutes, 1 by 1 minute and I beat one by 5 minutes. We all trained doing 9 minute per mile long runs. I had a few colds and was undertrained, missing an 18 and 20 miler (had 2 twenties under the belt still, 1 slow, one on 9 pace). So I figure I could have run a 4:15 or so, but would not have had anywhere as much fun, would have dealt with the pain factor and not be as limber, flexible and ready to go run and skate as I am. At dinner that evening, I was able to sprint to the parking meter and walk up and down stairs in a pretty normal fashion. Everyone else had to hold rails, looked as if their legs did not hinge at the knee and commented they said that they were not even thinking of trying to sprint yet as they saw me run to the parking meter. So again, chalk another one up for the Galloway advice. Cross training is any activity (like cycling) that doesn't use the running muscles in the same way, on non-running days - Jeff Galloway
Regular Exercise Improves Disease Resistance The increased health benefits of regular exercise (enhanced resistance to disease, stronger heart, more efficient cardiovascular system, etc.) give intuitive signals to the body that there is lowered risk of long-term health problems, thus reducing the need for increased fat levels. A fit 70-year-old, for example, can often fight off a disease better and quicker than an average (and not very fit ) 30-year-old . . . . By Burning Off That Piece of Pie Regular running and walking keeps fat off the body, burning off excess calories. Most beginning runners experience some fat burn-off, even when their weight stays the same, particularly when diet is not dramatically increased. If you've consumed more calories than you've burned during a given day, you can literally burn them off with an after-dinner walk or job. This is particularly helpful if you've consumed excess calories from carbohydrates on a given day . . . . By Burning More Fat When We're Asleep Running regularly for more than 45 minutes (even with walk breaks) trains our exercising muscle cells to be fat-burners at all times of the night and ay. After months of regular distance running, you will have transformed a vast number which prefer fat as a fuel, even when sitting around all day or when asleep at night. Long runs which exceed 90 minutes, when done every two to three weeks, speed up the transformation of the muscle cells from sugar-burners to fat-burners. from Jeff Galloway's new Marathon! (Phidippides Publications, 2000), pp. 50-51
Healthy Food Should Taste Good! ISSN: 1532-5482 1.SALT ATTACK I look longingly at saltshakers and nacho chips. I openly lust when others shake with abandon. And I have gotten the sodium lecture from the doctors! My kidneys and liver can't take the pressure. Wimps! Betrayed but not beaten, I began a quest to reduce sodium in a BIG way. If you've been reading Goodies News, you know I can never just do things the easy way-- I had to research just how bad salt was for me. And just how salty is salt? Then, of course I had to find out how to make non-salted food taste good! Taste Great in fact! AND I had to share what I learned with you. For starters you should know that a certain amount of sodium is considered essential to life. Salt is a vital component of all bodily fluids, including blood, sweat and tears. wonder if that 70s group meant to call themselves salt? Sodium works in combination with other minerals such as potassium, to help manage the distribution and pH balance of these fluids inside the body. Salt plays an important role in blood pressure regulation too. Sodium is referred to as an electrolyte because it possesses a mild electrical charge when dissolved in bodily fluids. Due to this charge, sufficient amounts of the mineral are necessary for the normal functioning of nerve transmissions and muscle contractions. Sodium also helps the body to retain water and prevent dehydration, and may have some activity as an antibacterial. Bottom line: you need some salt to live. Based on what we know today, that amount seems to be around 2000mg. This adventure has been bit like Mr. Toad's wild ride, I am still learning and researching 2 months into my salt reduced life. So if you are fighting the Salt Fiend and you have tips and ideas. send them to me! I need them! Check out the rest of the story, including these topics http://titan.sparklist.com/scripts/lyris.pl?sub=702515&id=150317667 Let me know if we should start a Low sodium Ezine. Disclaimer: A physician should diagnose Medical problems. Specific diets to treat medical conditions are best recommended by a qualified dietician or other medical practitioner. The Goodies Newsletter presents ideas on how to implement such healthier diets. Its contents offer only the opinions of the authors and/or contributors, and are not intended as cures for serious psychological or medical conditions. © 2001 Linda Randall Contents are copyrighted. Items may be copied for
personal use or published provided notification is sent to: Linda
Randall at: Linda@goodiesnews.com AND the following tag is included:
The main reasons that runners don't achieve time goals are the following: 1. Running the long runs too fast (pace should
be at least 2 min/mi slower than goal pace)
Copyright: Nancy Clark 5/01 Once upon a time, when fewer people participated in sports, anyone could be a champion. Athletes just had to "show up" and the odds would be in their favor. Today, with more and more people involved in competitions, a reasonably good athlete who wants to excel needs a competitive edge. Unlike ancient times when the Greek athletes drank wine and ate mushrooms, today's athletes can get more sophisticated knowledge about the foods and fluids that truly enhance performance. With the help of a personal sports nutritionist, athletes with high aspirations are getting to the next level. The following information, discussed at a conference sponsored by SCAN (the American Dietetic Association's practice group of sports nutritionists) may give you tips that help you "get to the next level." (To find your personal sports nutritionist, use ADA's referral network at http://www.eatright.org Stay Healthy. According to Dr. David Nieman, exercise immunologist from Appalachian State University in North Carolina, many nutritional supplements have been touted to enhance the immune system and fight infections. Yet, research has yet to confirm their benefits in athletes. (In comparison, severely malnourished people do gain benefits from supplements--and that's where the rumors start.) Also questionable are glutamine supplements. Glutamine, an amino acid that enhances immunity, has been touted to be the athletes' aid to stronger recovery and immune function. According to Dr. Nieman, blood levels of glutamine drop with exercise, but even marathon-type exercise does not sufficiently deplete the body's large stores of glutamine enough to diminish immune function and create a need for athletes to take glutamine supplements. The one nutritional practice that does enhance immune function is to consume carbohydrate during hard exercise that lasts longer than 90 to 120 minutes. Carbohydrates break down into glucose, and glucose is the major fuel for immune cells. Low blood glucose also triggers the release of stress hormones that suppress immune function. Hence, a drop in blood sugar during prolonged, intensive exercise can reduce immune function. If viruses and bacteria gain a "foothold" during this open window of reduced immunity following hard exercise (3-72 hours), you'll be more likely to get sick. The solution: Prevent low blood sugar. Research with runners who consumed carbs (in the form of sports drink) during 2.5 hours of hard exercise indicates they had less inflammatory response to the exercise test compared to runners who consumed no carbs, just water. A second immune booster is exercise itself. For example, exercise boosts the level of natural killer cells that suppress certain types of cancer. But while some exercise is good, too much exercise (overtraining) has a negative effect. For example, runners who run more than 60 miles per week have double the risk of getting sick compard to those who run less. Add too much stress and too little sleep, and the likelihood of illness increases more. The week after the LA Marathon, the finishers had a six-times higher risk of getting sick compared to those who did not finish the marathon. Because exercise is a potent way to boost the immune system and is a powerful health protector, exercise is particularly important for elderly people. According to Dr. Nieman, 50% of sedentary elderly people reported getting sick as compared to 21% of elderly walkers and 8% of highly fit elderly exercisers. If you concerned about your parents getting colds, coughs and other infections, remind them daily activity is far more effective than any vitamin pill or medication. Keep active! Recover rapidly. If you are at risk of becoming dehydrated, the best way to maintain adequate hydration during intense exercise is with a sports drink or other sodium-containing fluid. Sodium (a part of salt) helps maintain the "drive to drink" and stimulates thirst. (Note: Gatorade no longer claims to be a "thirst quencher." Gatorade stimulates thirst!) Thirst encourages greater fluid consumption, which enhances fluid replacement and reduces the risk of dehydration during exhaustive exercise. Rapid recovery also requires carbohydrates, and possibly protein. Some studies suggest a carb/protein mixture stimulates quicker glycogen replacement within a 6-hour period (but this balances out by the next day.) Other studies suggest simply eating adequate carbohydrates is the key. If you need to prepare for another hard exercise bout that day (such as happens in tournament situations), target 0.7 gms carb per pound of body weight every 2 hours for up to six hours after your exhaustive workout. For a 150 lb. athlete, this means about 100 grams carbs/2 hours or 400 calories--the amount in 24 oz. grape juice, 1 liter soft drink, or a big bagel. If you have exercised so hard you've depleted your muscles, your body will welcome this! Given your body needs protein on a daily basis, to consume some post-exercise protein along with the carbs certainly won't hurt and may even enhance your recovery. Enjoy yogurt with fruit, milk with cereal, peanut butter with bagel, or red beans with rice. Just be sure carbs are the foundation, and protein is the accompaniment to the meal or snack. Disregard the current fad of limiting bagels, pasta and starches. You'll crash. Nancy Clark, MS, RD, personal nutrition counselor at SportsMedicine Associates in Brookline MA, teaches casual and competitive athletes how to eat to win. Her best-seller Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Second Edition is reputed to be among the best books on this topic. It is available by sending $22 to Sports Nutrition Services, 830 Boylston St. #205, Brookline MA 02467 or via http://www.nancyclarkrd.com. Dropping 10 pounds - or more, depending on your current weight - has benefits that go well beyond a trimmer waistline. "Losing just 10 percent of your body weight can significantly decrease your risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease," says William H. Dietz, M.D., Ph.D., director of the division of nutrition and physical activity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. from Fitness (G+J USA Publishing, July 2001), p. 6
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