Resources - Newsletter

You are here >> Home / Resources / Newsletter / April 2007

Training Programs

Running School

Runners World Articles

Predict Race Performance

Training & Nutrition Newsletter: April 2007
Improving the Experience - for you!

A Fall goal can keep you motivated and focused on running/walking through the Spring and Summer. My "Fall Favorites" are listed below. You may change your goal along the way, but write a date on the calendar now. In this newsletter are some suggestions for improving your runs/walks. Above all, try to make every run/walk an enjoyable experience.

Jeff Galloway
US Olympian and coach to over 200,000 runners and walkers

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HISTORY QUIZ
Brought to you by www.AthensMarathon.com "the most meaningful running vacation I've ever had" - Jeff. You can experience the history of running with Jeff and Apostolos tours!

Q: In what year did the first Ancient Olympic Games occur?

See next month's newsletter for the answer.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NEWS

* I have a blog! Subscribe for free: www.JeffGallowayBlog.com

* Registration Open for E-Coaching - Jeff can coach you through email.

* Training Programs are enrolling in Washington DC, Greenville, Los Angeles, New York City, Mahwah NJ, Raleigh, Philadelphia, Dallas, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Charlotte, Austin, Jacksonville ... more information

* Special Discounts
- Cooper Complete Vitamins--10% discount. "I haven't had but one cold since I started taking this vitamin over 7 years ago. It's designed for exercising people" 20% discount when they shop online at www.coopercomplete.com. Members must enter GALLOWAY in the coupon code field to get the discount. Shipping/handling is not discounted; but people who order $120 or more get free shipping.

- SALE: "Year Round Plan" This book tells you what to do each day of the year, including rest days. The crucial elements of training are included. Link to book

* Injury Prevention
- "Foam Rollers have kept many runners from having serious Ilio-tibial injuries, and have speeded up healing faster than treatment I've seen" -Jeff

- Plantar Fasciia prevention exercise: toe squincher (see below for a detailed description)

* Speed Training. Training for a faster 5K can improve half and full marathon times. Preparing yourself to run faster improves your racing form and improves your ability to run with an oxygen debt. See "Testing Yourself".

* My Fall Favorites: Portland Marathon Oct 7, Army Ten Miler Oct 7, Des Moines Marathon Oct 21, Marine Corps Marathon Oct 28, Athens Marathon (the original in Greece)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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. Always get your doctor's OK when you train strenuously. This newsletter is an offering of information from one runner to another.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUSTAIN SPEED THROUGH AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF REPETITIONS

The maximum benefit from speed sessions, is at the end of the program. As you increase the number of speed repetitions from 4 to 6, 8 and beyond, you teach yourself how to keep going at your assigned pace, even when tired. To maintain speed when tired - is the mission. The only way to prepare for the "race reality" situation is to do this during speed training. Speedwork teaches you and your legs that you can keep performing even when very tired. The result is that you won't slow down as you would before speedwork.

- From Running A Year Round Plan by Jeff Galloway

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WOMEN'S ISSUES Do women inevitably gain fat with menopause?

No! Women do not always gain weight with menopause. Yes, women commonly get fatter and thicker around the middle as the fat settles in and around the abdominal area. But the changes are due more to lack of exercise and a surplus of calories than to a reduction of hormones. Young athletes with amenorrhea (and reduced hormones) do not get fat...

- From A Women's Guide to Running by Jeff & Barb Galloway

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RUNNING UNTIL YOU'RE 100 Your morning pulse can help you monitor over-training

Record your morning pulse immediately upon waking.
1. As soon as you are conscious, count your pulse rate for a minute. Record it before you forget it. Keep a pen and paper handy by your bed.

2. It is natural for there to be some fluctuations, based upon the time you wake up, how long you have been awake, etc. After several weeks and months these will balance themselves out. The ideal situation would be to catch the pulse at the instant that you are awake, before the shock of the alarm clock, thoughts of work stress, etc.

3. After 2 or so weeks of readings, you can establish a baseline morning pulse. Take out the top 2 high readings and then average the readings.

4. The average is your guide. If the rate is 5% higher than your average, take a easy day. When the rate is 10% higher, and there is no reason for this (you woke up from an exciting dream, etc.) then your muscles may be tired indeed. Take the day off if you have a run-walk scheduled for that day.

5. If your pulse stays high for more than a week, call your doctor to see if there a reason for this (medication, hormones, metabolic changes, etc.)

- From Running Until You're 100 by Jeff Galloway

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIT KIDS Why Exercise? Creativity.

Teachers have told me that on many days, their kids show the greatest creativity when they return from recess or a Physical Education period. Exercise stimulates the activity of the creative center of the brain-the right side. This is also a primary source of intuitive and gutteral activity. Teachers also find that many kids find solutions to problems after exercise. While physical and intellectual resources may be limited, the creativity of the right side of the brain is never ending.

- From Fit Kids, Smarter Kids by Jeff Galloway

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GETTING STARTED Toe squincher - for prevention of injuries of the foot and lower leg

I believe that this exercise will help just about every person who runs or walks. Whether barefooted or not, point your toes and contract the muscles of your foot until they cramp. It only takes a few seconds for this to happen. You can repeat this exercise 10-30 times a day, every day.

This is the best way I know to prevent a foot injury called Plantar Fasciia - but it strengthens the areas all over the foot and ankle for better support. I've also head from runners who believe it has helped to prevent Achilles tendon problems.

- From Running Getting Started by Jeff Galloway

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JEFF'S RACE PICKS
Big Sur Marathon Apr 29
Cleveland Marathon May 20
Med City Marathon May 27
Peachtree Road Race July 4
KP Corporate Run/Walk Atlanta Sept 27
Army Ten Miler Oct 7
Portland Marathon Oct 7
Des Moines Marathon Oct 21
Marine Corps Marathon Oct 28
Athens, Greece Marathon Nov 4
Breast Cancer Marathon, Jacksonville Feb 17, 2008

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GETTING FASTER Good running posture is actually good body posture.

The head is naturally balanced over the shoulders, which are aligned over the hips. As the foot comes underneath, all of these elements are in balance, so that no energy is needed to prop up the body. You shouldn't have to work to pull a wayward body back from a wobble or inefficient motion.

* forward lean - the most common mistake that usually occurs at the end of a tiring run.

* sitting back - the legs are not allowed to go through a natural range of motion and the stride length becomes shorter than ideal.

* a backward lean is rare

* Correction: imagine that you are a puppet on a string. Suspended from up above, your head lines up above the shoulders, the hips come directly underneath, and the feet naturally touch lightly directly underneath.

* It helps to combine this "puppet" image with a deep breath. Breathing improves when you straighten up. A leaning body can't get ideal use out of the lower lungs. This can cause side pain. When you run upright, the lower lungs can receive adequate air, maximize oxygen absorption, and reduce the chance of side pain.

- From Running Testing Yourself by Jeff Galloway

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WALKING Why the best shoes for walkers are generally running shoes

While there are a few good walking shoes, shoes designed for running are usually better for walking. Not only do they have more research behind them, but with so many more choices you're more likely to find one that fits and works better on your feet. The process of fitting a shoe involves trying on several, and comparing them, while hopefully drawing upon the advice of shoe experts. I want you to control the process by narrowing down and then picking the one that works best.

- From Walking The Complete Guide by Jeff Galloway

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NUTRITION The Athlete’s Kitchen www.NancyClarkRd.com
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS, RD, CSSD April 2007

Liquids with Calories

If you are among the many sweaty runners who wonders what to drink to quench your thirst, you may feel confused by the abundant choices of fluids. There's plain ol' water, sports drinks, soft drinks (sugar-sweetened or diet), 100% fruit juices, juice drinks, milk (skim, lowfat, or whole), beer, wine….and the list goes on. As a sports dietitian, I get lots of questions about what's best (or worst) to drink. Here are my answers to just a few commonly asked questions about liquids with calories.

Q. Should I stop drinking orange juice because it is loaded with (fattening) carbs and sugar?
A. No! To start, carbs are not fattening, but rather an important fuel for your muscles. Please do not knock OJ out of your breakfast (and then, gulp, replace it with a Coffee Coolatta). OJ offers a strong dose of vitamin C, potassium, folate and other health protective nutrients. Yes, eating the whole orange is slightly better because solid foods are more satiating than liquids, but you can simply balance the OJ-calories into your daily calorie budget.

Q. After a hard run, I really like having a Coke or Pepsi. How bad is this — for recovery and for my health?
A. Many tired runners welcome the combination of sugar + caffeine + water to refuel, rehydrate and revive themselves. While juice would offer far more vitamins and minerals, dietary guidelines indicate that 10% of calories can appropriately come from refined sugar. Hence, most runners can enjoy, if desired, 200 to 300 calories of daily sugar—a can or two of soft drink. Would spending those calories on “premium nutrition” contribute to greater health benefits in the long run? Unclear.

Q. Are soft drinks causing the obesity epidemic?
A. In 1942, the average person drank 90 eight-ounce sodas per year. By the year 2000, this jumped to 600 sodas per year. America's obesity problem mirrors this increase in soft drink consumption. The beverage industry states many other changes have occurred in this time-span, specifically, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, so soda is not to blame.

Independent studies (not funded by the beverage industry) suggest people who drink sugary beverages tend to be heavier than those who do not. This might be because fluid calories fail to “register” (that is, they may not satiate one's appetite), so soda drinkers consume more calories per day. Other studies report soda might trigger the desire to eat more food. Hence, if soda drinking culminates in consuming more calories than you burn off, the result is indeed weight gain.
You, as a runner, can likely enjoy a daily soda without fat gain if you keep the soda-calories within your daily calorie budget. (And please, choose wholesome foods for the rest of your sports diet!)
Note: If you are concerned about soft drinks being fattening, also pay attention to sports drinks. Many thirsty runners overlook the fact that chugging a quart of sports drink after a workout (or during lunch, for that matter) contributes 200 to 300 sugar calories—and these calories quickly erase what you burned during two or three miles of running!

Q. Soft drinks are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Is this really bad for our health?
A. Animal research suggests consuming pure fructose can lead to weight gain due to changes in insulin and leptin, two hormones that influence appetite. In humans, whether or not HFCS (comprised of about 55% fructose, 45% glucose) promotes obesity requires more study. Food industry research leads us to believe HFCS is not fattening. However, other research hints that fructose is digested, absorbed and metabolized differently than glucose in ways that favor fat production. Your best bet? Eliminate the concern by drinking less soda.

Q. Which is the healthier choice: regular soft drinks (sweetened with HFCS) or diet soft drinks?
A. That’s a personal choice; I’d vote for water for myself! Regular soda is filled with empty calories of sugar; diet soda has artificial sweeteners—“unnatural” substances that are rumored to cause cancer. Two recent studies show no link between artificial sweeteners and cancer. Pick your choice of beverage.

Q. Is green tea health protective?
A. Green tea is made from fresh tea leaves and, compared to black or oolong teas, has a higher concentration of compounds that may protect against heart disease and cancer, particularly cancer of the breast, stomach and skin. Many of the green tea studies have been done on animals or in research labs. To date, the FDA says there is not enough scientific evidence with human studies to prove that green tea reduces the risk of cancer. Stay tuned.

I have clients who have started drinking Starbucks green tea latte.This is a questionable way to invest in good health. Starbucks 16-ounce Tazo Green Tea Latte offers 230 calories, of which 60 are from fat and 140 from sugar. This likely wipes out the possible health benefits of the green tea...

Q. What about Enviga and other green tea beverages that claim to burn calories...?
A. Drinking Enviga is unlikely to solve your weight concerns. While the CocaCola Company claims the caffeine plus green tea extracts in three cans of Enviga a day (@ $116 a month) will result in burning 60 to 100 additional calories, you could just as easily create that calorie deficit by drinking less sports drink or eating one less cookie. Yet, desperate dieters will try any gimmick. Green tea-enhanced Celsius, another “calorie-burning soda", saw more than $1.5 million in revenue in 2006 and expects to blow past that figure this year. Do you really want to fatten them up with your efforts to slim down? I hope not….

Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) counsels both casual and competitive athletes in her private practice at Healthworks, the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill MA (617-383-6100). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Food Guide for Marathoners, and Cyclist’s Food Guide are available via www.nancyclarkrd.com. See also sportsnutritionworkshop.com.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See past issues of this newsletter