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Newsletter: Volume 60, October 2004

Hurricane Ivan passed right through our beach retreat area, near Destin, Florida. Fortunately, none of my family members were harmed and the beach retreat received minimal damage that will be repaired by the next retreat, next month. In times like these, we realize how temporary the material things of life are and how the spiritual things in our lives can keep us energized in positive directions. I appreciate the concern shown by so many of you for the safety of me and my family.

Jeff Galloway

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Medical Advice—always see a doctor for medical problems, especially a physician who wants to get you back out there on the sidewalks or trails. This newsletter is an offering of information from one runner to another.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Headaches
It is fairly common to experience a headache after a long run, especially during hot weather. Many of these are related to dehydration—and some due to low blood sugar level (BSL).

1. Ask your doctor if you can use an over-the-counter headache medication. When this is taken according to the doctor’s advice, the headache usually goes away quickly.
2. Make sure that you hydrate the day before a long run: 6 oz an hour of a quality sports drink like Accelerade.
3. Keep your blood sugar boosted before and during a run.
* 30 min before the start of a run, w/ low BSL, have a snack that is 80% carbohydrate and 20% protein
4. Running hard at the end of the run often brings this on more quickly.
5. Consult with your doctor if you have any questions about a headache that seems to have no cause.

For more info on dehydration and BSL, see New Marathon & Galloway’s Book On Running 2nd Edition

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How much is too much—How much fluid should you drink during a long run?

Several organizations, including race directors associations, have studied this issue. After evaluating the advice, the range of fluid recommended is between 14 and 27 oz an hour. For most runners this is about half a cup of water (4oz) a mile. Even though you are sweating more than this, your absorption when running is very limited. Drinking significantly more than this has caused a serious condition called hyponatremia.

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Lessons from E-Coaching— A Clean Slate!!

Several of my e-coach clients have asked me to help them get re-focused or pull them out of a stagnant period. Through this process, I’ve found several items that have helped:

1. Talk with another runner about your training—someone you trust, someone who can give you a wide perspective on motivational options.
2. A weekend retreat. Go to a good running area with other runners. Enjoy the running, share stories, get ideas and feel the energy come back.
3. Shift goals—if you have been training for a marathon or half, focus on a 5K or vice versa. If you have been running for specific goals, set as your goal the following: to enjoy each run every day.
4. Use a log book or training journal—this will help you record and revisit the many rewards of running.
5. If long-range goals seem too far in the future, set up a goal plan for the next month or two—something that is do-able.

For more info on a wide range of training issues, see GALLOWAY’S BOOK ON RUNNING 2ND EDITION.

If you are interested in Jeff Galloway’s e-coaching, see http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training_groups/individual.html or email (michele@jeffgalloway.com)

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Fall and Winter Marathon Guide

October 8-10: Durango – Rocky Mountain Festival for Runners

November 28: Cape Canaveral -Space Coast Marathon

January 16, 2005: Lost Dutchman Marathon (also a Half Marathon) (Near Phoenix but a different world). You’ll arrive in the dark, sit around campfires and watch the sun rise above the nearby mountains. Run through huge cactus, in a desert preserve, as you return to the civilized community of Apache Junction.

February 13, 2005: Austin - Freestyle Austin Marathon (and Half)

February 27, 2005: New Orleans - Mardi Gras Marathon (and Half)

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Jeff's Upcoming Running Schools:

10/9 – Durango, CO
10/16 – Atlanta, GA
12/4 – Washington, DC
1/15/05 – Lost Dutchman – AZ
2/12/05 – Austin, TX

For more info, click here or email carol.miller@jeffgalloway.com

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From Runner’s World, “Training,” October 2004, p. 34,

Quick Fix: Poor Pacing

Simple solutions to common running mistakes. Most beginners have trouble pacing their runs. Here’s help, whether you’re a tortoise or hare.

1) Too Fast. Do you often slow down at the end of your runs? If so, you started too fast. Map out a route and time yourself against landmarks. Slow down the early segments on your next runs until you fel strong the whole way.
2) Too Slow. Try some speedwork. Once a week, after a 10-minute warmup, run a little faster for 30 seconds. Then walk for 30 seconds. Repeat two or three times. Each time, increase the pace a little bit. Each week, add two more 30-second bursts until you get to 10.

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Peanut Butter: A Super Sports Food

In this day and age of energy bars, protein powders and weight gain shakes, many runners forget about “real” foods, such as peanut butter. Peanut butter, in my opinion, is one of the best sports foods around. It’s tasty, inexpensive, satisfying, nourishing??and even good for our health. But all too often, I hear runners say “I don’t keep peanut butter in my house. It’s too fatty, too fattening.” or “I ration peanut butter to once per week??on my Sunday morning bagel.” They try to stay away from peanut butter. That’s nuts!

Yes, peanut butter is calorie-dense. But it can beneficially fit into your sports diet. The following information explains why I vote peanut butter (and all nuts and nut butters, for that matter) to be a super sports food for runners who want to eat well and invest in their health.

· Peanut butter is satiating and satisfying ... perfect for runners on a reducing diet.
Because you will never win the war against hunger, your best bet is to eat foods that keep you feeling fed. This means, foods with protein and fiber like peanut butter (and nuts, in general). You’ll feel fuller for longer if you have half a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, as compared to the same amount of calories of a plain white bagel. The protein and fiber in peanut butter “sticks to your ribs” and is not fattening unless you overeat total calories that day.

A Perdue University study reports subjects who ate peanuts every day did not overeat daily calories. (Kirkmeyer, Int’l J Obesity 24:1167, 2000) Peanut eaters tend to naturally eat less at other times of the day. (Alper, Int’l J Obesity 26:1129, 2002) Plus, if you enjoy what you are eating on your reducing diet, you’ll stay with the food plan and be able to keep the weight off. This is far better than yo-yo dieting!

· Peanut butter is a quick and easy way to reduce your risk of heart disease.
Just slap together a peanut butter (and honey or jelly) sandwich on multi-grain bread, and you have the makings of a heart-healthy meal, if not a childhood memory. A quick and easy peanut butter sandwich is healthier, by far, than a fast food burger or fried chicken dinner and far better than, let’s say, an equally easy “meal” of chips or ice cream. That’s because peanut butter offers health-protective mono- and polyunsaturated oil. Trading burgers (saturated fat) for peanut butter sandwiches reduces your risk of developing heart disease. In fact, the more often you eat peanut butter (and nuts), the lower your risk of heart disease. (Hu, J Am College Nutr 20(1):5, 2001) Start spreading peanut butter (instead of butter) on toast. Enjoy PB & banana for a “decadent” snack in place of ice cream.

· Peanut butter is an affordable source of calories.
If you are a hungry runner who needs 3,000 or more calories a day, you can spend a significant amount of money fueling yourself (especially if you routinely eat protein bars, weight gain shakes and other engineered sports foods). Peanut butter can fuel your body without breaking the bank. One hundred calories of peanut butter (about 1 tablespoon) costs about 7¢, far less than 100 calories of other protein sources, such as cottage cheese (55¢ per 100 calories), tuna (60¢) and deli turkey breast (75¢). The cost of 200 calories of peanut butter is about 15¢, far less than the $1.49 you’d spend on 200 calories of an energy bar... and generally, the peanut butter is far tastier!

· Peanut butter is a source of protein, needed to build and repair muscles.
But take note: peanut butter is not protein-dense. That is, two tablespoons of peanut butter, the amount in an average sandwich, provides about 7 grams of protein. In comparison, the calorie equivalent of turkey in a sandwich offers about 20 grams of protein. Runners who weigh 140 pounds may need 70 to 100 grams protein per day; 200-pound athletes, 100 to 150 grams. For 100 grams of protein, you’d have to eat the whole jar of peanut butter! Unlikely!

To boost the protein value of peanut butter, simply accompany it with a tall glass of milk: a PB &J sandwich + 16 ounces lowfat milk = 28 grams of protein, a good chunk of your daily requirement. Milk simultaneously enhances the value of the protein in the peanut butter sandwich. That is, peanuts are low in some of the essential amino acids muscles need for growth and repair. The amino acids in milk (as well as those in the sandwich bread) nicely complement the limiting amino acids in peanuts.

· Peanut butter is a reasonable source of vitamins, minerals and other health-protective food compounds. For example, peanut butter contains folate, vitamin E, magnesium and resveratrol, all nutrients associated with reduced risk of heart disease. Magnesium is also associated with reduced risk of adult-onset diabetes. Peanut butter offers a small amount of zinc, a mineral important for healing and strengthening the immune system. As a runner, you need all these nutrients to keep you off the bench and on the playing field.

· Peanut butter contains fiber—not a lot (1 gram per tablespoon) but some.
Fiber in food contributes to a feeling of fullness that can help dieters eat less without feeling hungry. Fiber also promotes regular bowel movements and helps reduce problems with constipation. By enjoying peanut butter on whole grain bread, you can contribute 6 to 8 grams of fiber towards the recommended target of 20 to 35 grams fiber per day.

· Peanuts contain mostly health-protective mono- and polyunsaturated fats.
When peanuts are made into commercial peanut butter (such as Skippy or Jif), some of the oil gets converted into a harder, saturated fat. This keeps the oil from separating to the top. The hardened oil, called trans-fat, is less healthful. But the good news is, commercial peanut butters contain only a tiny amount of trans fats and just a small amount of (naturally occurring) saturated fat. For example, only 3.5 of the 17 grams fat in two tablespoons of Skippy are “bad.” To minimize your intake of even this small amount of unhealthful fat, you can buy all-natural peanut butter. If you dislike the way the oil in this type of peanut butter separates to the top of the jar, simply store the jar upside down. That way, the oil rises to what becomes the bottom of the jar when you turn it over to open it. And if you eat peanut butter daily, you won’t have to refrigerate it, thereby making the all-natural peanut butter easier to spread.

· Caution: Peanut butter is a poor source of the carbohydrates needed for muscle fuel.
Don’t try to subsist on peanut butter by the spoonful! Luckily, peanut butter combines nicely with banana, bread, apples, oatmeal, crackers, raisins, and even pasta (as in Thai noodle dishes). These combinations will balance your sports diet.

Sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS, RD offers nutrition consultations to casual and competitive athletes at her private practice in Healthworks (617-383-6100) in Chestnut Hill MA. Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook ($23) and Food Guide for Marathoners ($20) offer abundant information on how to enhance your sports diet. Both books are available at www.nancyclarkrd.com or www.JeffGalloway.com.

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Why Lycopene? Lycopene, a pigment synthesized by green plants and some microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and lower algae) to protect them from the sun, contributes to the brilliant red, pink, orange, and yellow hues of many fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon, tomatoes, grapefruit, and red chilis. In the body, lycopene has evolved as a proven antioxidant weapon that has been found to be associated with a lower risk of certain diseases, including cancer (prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and colorectal) and heart disease. And, continuing research suggests that lycopene can reduce the risk of macular degenerative disease and serum lipid oxidation. To ensure that you reap the rewards of dietary lycopene intake, lycopene-rich foods are best consumed in the presence of a small amount of healthy fat, such as olive or flax oil, which enhances absorption and utilization by the body. Studies have shown that men consuming 6.4 to 10 mg of lycopene daily, have the lowest risk of prostate cancer. Ten mg of lycopene is contained in Cooper Complete, Cooper Complete Elite Athlete, and VISION formulations.

Tip provided by Cooper Wellness Program nutrition director Kathy Duran-Thal, R.D. For information on attending a four-, six-, or 13-day program at The Cooper Aerobics Center, call 800-444-5192 or visit www.cooperaerobics.com/wellness. Copyright 2004 The Cooper Aerobics Center. No portion may be reprinted without prior approval. More information about The Cooper Aerobics Center and the Wellness Insider e-newsletter may be found at www.cooperaerobics.com.

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From the American Institute of Cancer Research Newsletter on Diet, Nutrition and Cancer Prevention – Issue 85, Fall 2004, “The Exercise Factor,” page 3 –

Vigorous Is Better, But Moderate Works Too

For some cancers, exercise may need to be vigorous to provide a protective effect. One study found that men who exercised vigorously for four to five hours a week did not reduce their risk of prostate cancer but were less likely to get an aggressive form of the disease. A more recent study published last year concluded that men and women who exercised vigorously had a 40 percent lower risk of rectal cancer than people who got less exercise.

But most research shows a benefit even from moderate exercise. “Frequent, short bouts of activity – such as four 10-minute walks a day – are just as effective as longer exercise sessions and may be easier to fit more often into a busy life, “ advises Ruth Ann Carpenter, M.S., R.D., Director of the Center for Research Dissemination at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas.

If you are getting regular, moderate exercise, but want to burn more calories, then intensify and/or extend your physical activity after checking with your doctor. Weight-bearing exercise (including walking, aerobics and tennis) to reduce osteoporosis, weight lifting for strength and stretching for flexibility are all important as well.

AICR recommends working toward the goals of one hour of vigorous activity (to increase heart and breathing rates) per week in addition to one hour of moderate daily exercise the rest of the week. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any physical activity program.