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Newsletter: Volume 33, November / December 2001 SALE! through December 7 Jeff's books, Marathon! and Training
Journal - now $11.95! Galloway's Interactive Software by PC Coach
- now $59.95!
Cold Weather Running: Don't Be Held Hostage By the Weather! Generally, cold weather makes running easier. Since there is less heat buildup, there is less body fluid lost, and the cool temperature makes running more invigorating. When the mercury drops below 50 degrees F, however, you'll have to start thinking of protective measures. 1. Wear a series of thin layers. Close to your skin, you'll want something warm. Polypro is one of a series of winter fibers that keep the warmth close to the skin but allow extra heat and perspiration to escape. 2. Continue to add external layers, adjusting to the temperature and wind conditions. 3. Cover up all extremities with extra layering: hands, ears, toes. 4. Men, wear an extra layer or two as underwear, as you need. 5. In extreme cold (when temperature or wind chill is below 10 degrees F), do not expose any skin if possible. Even when there is minimal exposure, put Vaseline or other cold weather insulation/protection on any area which may incidentally be hit by the wind (eyelids, etc.). 6. Be sure to coat your shoes or use socks that insulate your feet. Most running shoes are designed to let heat out and cold into your feet, which can cause frostbite on days colder than 32 degrees F. Remember that you generate a significant wind chill effect on your feet as you move them through the running motion. 7. As you warm up through running, peel off each layer before you start sweating. Too much sweat accumulation will freeze and cause problems.  Warm-ups That Take the Sting Out of Winter 1. On very cold days, bundle up and exercise for a very few minutes indoors. You may walk, jog in place, use an indoor track, or exercise on the machines (cycle, rowing, stair, etc.). Before you start sweating, go outdoors and you'll have a reservoir of warmth to get you down the road. 2. Start your run/walk going into the wind. This allows you to come back with the wind. 3. If you start to get very warm, remove an outside layer of clothing or unzip your outer layer, if applicable. A garment with long sleeves allows you to tie it around your waist or put it in your fanny pack - because you may need it later. 4. On cold days, pick environments where you could seek refuge for at least a few minutes if you need to. 5. On very cold or windy days, alternate between inside and out. If you have an indoor facility, it helps to come inside when you start to get cold. Exercise indoors only long enough to take the sting away - but head outdoors before you start sweating. 6. Don't let yourself sweat because it is likely to freeze and leave you very cold. Remove a layer or go outside before the sweat starts flowing. From Jeff Galloway's Marathon! (Phidippides Publications, 2000), pp. 183-184 and Galloway's Book on Running by Jeff Galloway
Jeff lists 25 ideas for cheerful winter running in the December, 2001 Runner's World, p. 34. www.runnersworld.com
What state has more runners per capita? Name the top three states in total number of runners. Quiz Answers:
From "Warmups" in the November, 2001 issue of Runner's World, www.runnersworld.com, edited by Marty Post. For more info, go to www.americansportsdata.com/ss_participation1.htm and www.runningusa.org. Motivation: It Starts With a
Date on the Calendar A significant mission, such as a marathon, will get your attention and motivate you to do things you haven't done in years. Instead of rolling over, you'll get out of bed an hour early and cover the miles, feeling better for it. After those "bad days,˛ at work, you'll find a way to get on the roads because you have that race scribbled on your kitchen calendar. You're rewarded by an erasure of most of the stress of the day. There's something powerful about the act of giving yourself a deadline that pushes you down the road on days when you'd just as soon cut the run short. From Jeff Galloway's Marathon! (Phidippides Publications, 2000), p. 82 Reduce the Anticipated Discomfort of the Run From Jeff Galloway's Marathon! (Phidippides Publications, 2000), p. 78 Feedback from marathon advice: "I felt great at the finish and my Śrecovery' has been remarkable. . . I will be running tomorrow." Craig Blakeley "My 23rd finish . . . I walked each mile . . . I placed second in my age group." Charlie Claycomb "I must have passed hundreds of people." Heather Royer "I achieved all of my goals . . . to finish . . . under five hours . . . to have a great time." Sherry Kemp Jeff's FREE clinics and/or program kickoffs Dec. 1 Charlotte Half Marathon Program Kickoff 9:30 am at the Uptown YMCA on College Street at 2nd and 3rd Dec. 1 Atlanta - Gwinnett Marathon Program Kickoff, 7:00 am at Simpsonwood Dec. 2 Atlanta Half Marathon Program and Marathon Program Kickoff, 7:00 am at the Galloway School, 215 W. Wieuca Road Dec. 16 Tucson, Az. 2:00 pm at the All About Running And Walking Store at 12112 No. Rancho Vistoso Blvd. in Oro Valley, 520/469-7084 Jan. 4-6 Jeff will be in Orlando for the Walt Disney Marathon. Clinic times TBA. Jan. 5 Nashville Half Marathon Program 8:00 am at the River Park in Brentwood Jan. 14 Tucson - Clinic with Jeff All About Running And Walking Store at 12112 No. Rancho Vistoso Blvd. in Oro Valley, 520/469-7084 Jan. 18-20 Houston - Compaq Houston Marathon Clinic with Jeff - Friday, 4:00 pm & Saturday, 11:00 am http://www.compaqhoustonmarathon.com/ Jan. 26 San Francisco Club Galloway Kickoff - time and place TBA Jan. 27 San Francisco - Jeff will be at The Home Depot San Francisco Half Marathon http://www.rhodyco.com/ Insulin has gotten a bad rap. Most of us know little about it, and what we do know is all negative. When the topic of insulin comes up, it's almost always in connection with weight gain and diabetes. We are taught that eating high-glycemic carbohydrates (e.g. refined sugars and processed grains) results in a rush of blood sugar into the bloodstream, followed by a rush of insulin, whose job is to clear out the sugars for use as energy fuel. The resulting sudden drop in blood sugar triggers hunger, which in turn causes overeating. Over time, a repeated pattern of such insulin spikes can lead to insulin resistance - that is, type 2 diabetes. Thus, the public is always cautioned to eat and drink in such a way as to minimize insulin release. All of this is true, as far as it goes. The average couch potato probably needs to hear nothing more about insulin. But for runners, it's only half the story. During and after workouts and races, insulin spikes are highly desirable for runners. Insulin plays a critical role in giving runners quick energy during exercise and accelerating recovery following exercise. In this article, I will talk about the role of insulin during exercise. I'll address recovery in a follow-up article. Insulin is a hormone that is created in the pancreas and is released when we consume carbohydrate. A primary function of insulin is to facilitate the transport of carbohydrate, specifically glucose, from the blood into the muscle cell, where it can then be metabolized to produce energy that will enable the muscle cell to do work. Insulin stimulates a certain enzyme that enables the glycogen manufacturing process to proceed at a faster rate. Hence, insulin levels are a critical factor in regulating muscle glycogen synthesis. The pancreas releases insulin when it detects carbohydrate, in the form of glucose, in the bloodstream. Therefore, all you need to do to get carbohydrate to your working muscles while running is consume simple sugars that produce a quick insulin spike. The best way to do this is to consume a sports drink containing 6 to 8 percent carbohydrate (in the form of sucrose, fructose, etc.) while running. Why 6 to 8 percent? Because taking in any more than this can lead to bloating and nausea, and a vast body of research has shown that drinks in the 6 to 8 percent range increase endurance dramatically by sparing stored muscle glycogen. However, new research out of the University of Texas may alter our view of what constitutes an ideal sports drink. Texas researchers have focused on the benefits of some protein included in a drink. They have shown that, in the right proportions, protein provides a synergistic effect, increasing the energy efficiency of every gram of carbohydrate consumed. Like carbohydrate, protein is a potent stimulator of insulin release. Insulin may be a most important biological factor in controlling energy use during exercise. When protein is added to a carbohydrate drink, an additional increase in insulin is the result. In addition, protein provides other benefits: branched chain amino acids also have been shown to delay fatigue. The obvious question is why protein isn't an essential component of every sports drink. When protein is consumed in large amounts, gastric emptying slows. Slowing of gastric emptying delays water and carbohydrate absorption; the last thing you want to do during performance. This could be a major problem if a sports drink contains a high concentration of protein per serving. Research has shown that the ideal ratio of carbohydrate to protein for a sports drink is four grams of carbohydrate per gram of protein. With this ratio, a sports drink can deliver the benefits of protein (greater stimulation of insulin) without negatively impacting fluid and carbohydrate replenishment (delayed gastric emptying). The superiority of this special ratio has been demonstrated in scientific studies. In one study, athletes were given either water, a standard 7.75% carbohydrate sports drink, or a 7.75% carbohydrate and 1.9% protein sports drink (Accelerade) during exercise of varying intensities. The results were quite dramatic. The athletes consuming the carbohydrate-protein drink in the 4:1 ratio had an amazing 24% improvement in endurance compared those consuming the standard 7.75% carbohydrate drink and a whopping 54% improvement compared to those who drank only water. The researchers concluded that the addition of protein increased insulin and glucose uptake by the muscle providing an immediate source of energy to the exercising muscle. The result: a sparing of muscle and a significant improvement in endurance. So you see, insulin is more friend that foe to runners during exercise. A wise runner will take advantage of this fact with a solid fluid consumption strategy for workouts and races. Next time, I will talk about the role of insulin in post-run recovery. - Matt Fitzgerald Ed. note: I use Accelerade. I have found it to be the best sports drink and backed up by the best research. Jeff Gallowa The Athlete's Kitchen "I'm training for a marathon with hopes of losing weight..." "Why does my husband shed pounds when he starts an exercise program and I don't???" "Does exercising with an empty stomach burn more fat?" Active people commonly link exercise with weight loss. They believe the more they exercise, the more weight they'll lose. Yet, that is not always the case. Many exercisers end up discouraged when they fail to lose weight despite regular workouts. Women, in particular, commonly complain about lack of results from their exercise program. Men, in comparison, seem to simply add on exercise, (subtract beer and fatty foods) and lose weight with ease. If you are feeling frustrated by a lack of weight loss from your current exercise program, keep reading. This article might help you understand some myths about exercise and weight control. Myth: Exercise kills your appetite. Exercise may temporarily kill your appetite, but hunger will catch-up with you within 1 to 2 hours. Appetite is partially regulated by temperature control. Hence, if you feel hot after a hard workout, you may experience a temporary drop in appetite. However, if you are chilled, such as after swimming, you may feel ravenous. Exercise's effect on appetite varies according to gender. Regularly exercising male rats tend to lose their appetite and drop weight; female rats get a bigger appetite, eat more and maintain weight. Limited human research supports those findings. Post-exercise appetite also varies according to body fatness. Studies with obese women who added moderate exercise to their sedentary lifestyle indicates they did not eat more, hence they lost weight. Diet and exercise studies with men suggest the fatter they were, the more weight they lost (in comparison to their less-fat peers) because they failed to compensate for the calories burned during exercise. Myth: The more you exercise, the more weight you'll lose. Often, the more you exercise, the hungrier you get and the more you eat. For example, you may spend an hour on the StairMaster burning off 500 calories, and then devour twelve Oreos (600 calories) in less than six minutes. After a hard workout, your body is hungry. Your soul may also be hungry for a reward. After all, you now deserve a treat for having survived the workout, right...??? Men who add on exercise are likely to lose more weight than do women. In one study with previously sedentary, normal weight men and women who participated in an 18 month marathon training program, the men increased their intake by about 500 calories per day; the women increased by only 60 calories-despite having added on 50 miles/week of running. The men lost about 5 lbs. fat; the women none (Int'l J Sports Med, Vol 10 (S1),1989). Similarly, other studies suggest normal weight women fail to lose fat when they add on exercise... The effects of exercise on weight loss are complex and unclear. Nature seems to efficiently replenish fat stores of lean athletes and prevent them from wasting away. Lean female athletes, in particular, struggle harder than do males to lose body fat and maintain an even leaner physique. In terms of evolution, Nature wants women to have fat and be fertile; men are supposed to be lean hunters. Myth: You'll lose weight fastest if you exercise at low intensity (i.e., do " fat burning exercise") on an empty stomach. "Fat-burning exercise"--a low intensity workout that burns proportionately more fat than carbohydrates (glycogen)--is deemed optimal for weight loss. Aerobic exercisers commonly believe they will lose more body fat if they exercise before eating, because fat will be the predominant fuel. Wrong. For fat/weight control, you need to look at the whole day's calorie balance--not just at what you burn during exercise. If, over the course of the whole day, you create a calorie deficit by burning off more calories than you eat, you'll lose body fat. However, if you consume more calories than you expend (as can easily happen if overeat at night), you'll end up gaining fat. The biggest benefits of low impact, fat-burning exercise are 1) you are less likely to get injured, and 2) you are able to exercise for longer and thereby burn more total calories. The truth is intense exercise may actually contribute to lower percent body fat. Research on 1,366 women and 1,257 men suggests those who did high intensity exercise tended to have less body fat than those who did lower intensity "fat-burning" exercise. (Am J Clin Nutr. Feb '90) Myth: Injured athletes gain weight due to lack of exercise. Weight gained during injury is generally due to overeating, not underexercising. Overeating happens when injured athletes eat lumber-jack portions, regardless of their activity level, and ignore the decreased appetite that accompanies decreased exercise. Injured athletes who sit around bored, lonely and depressed may also find comfort in food (despite discomfort with weight gain). When injured, some very thin athletes migrate to their natural weight, i.e., the weight they would naturally maintain without rigorous exercise and restricted calories. Although they may perceive this as "getting fat," they may be simply "catching up" and attaining the physique that is appropriate for their genetics. The bottom line: Nature does an excellent job of defending a healthy weight despite adverse conditions. Given extreme amounts of exercise can be interpreted as a famine (due to the high calorie deficit), "food efficiency " may develop in people who maintain a chronic energy deficit. Women are particularly protected by Nature and fail to lose as much fat as do men (who are supposed to be leaner so they can more efficiently hunt and gather food). If you are exercising to lose weight, I encourage you to separate exercise and weight. Yes, you should exercise for health, fitness, stress relief and, most importantly, for ENJOYMENT. (After all, the E in exercise stands for enjoyment.) I discourage you from exercising to burn off calories. Under those conditions, exercise feels like punishment for having excess body fat. Grueling exercise fails to get integrated into a life-long, health promotion plan. Sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS, RD counsels individuals at SportsMedicine Associates in Brookline MA. Her best seller, Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Second Edition, offers abundant information on how to lose weight and maintain energy to exercise. It is available via www.nancyclarkrd.com or by sending $23 to Sports Nutrition Services, 830 Boylston St. #205, Brookline MA 02467.
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