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Newsletter: December 2004

This newsletter is dedicated to the thousands of you who finished marathons and half marathons during the last month—in spite of career, family, sickness and injury interruptions. An equal number of you are gearing up for winter or spring challenges. As we overcome the inevitable challenges and cross each finish line, we unlock a series of connections to hidden strengths which will help us in other areas of life.

For those who want to stay motivated through the winter, look at the “runner’s renaissance weekend” below. These can inspire you, while providing the individualized information to get you there.

Above all, have fun along the way!

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.

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Pain—don’t run through it!
Everyone gets temporary aches and pains, that go away during a run. Here is my recommendation for dealing with it to avoid injury.
1. When the pain comes on, walk gently for a minute or two.
2. Start running for 10-20 sec and walk for 10-20 seconds—see if several of these alternate segments allow the pain to go away.
3. If not, walk for 3-5 minutes and try the alternate 10-20 sec repeats again.
4. If the pain is still there, stop the run and call it a day.
5. Most of the time, the pain will go away.

For more info on injuries and avoiding them, see New Marathon & Galloway’s Book On Running 2nd Edition

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Runner’s World, November 2004, p. 40

Stay Racing Fit: 5K Substitute
The end of fall can also mean the end of the local 5K racing season. Maintain your racing fitness by running this workout once every two to three weeks. Warm up as you would before a race. Then, start your watch as you begin a familiar route at slightly slower than 5K race pace. At about the half-mile point, pick it up to 5K race pace and run another half mile. Note your time, then walk or jog for three to five minutes. Then try a one-mile segment at race pace. Accumulate enough segments to add up to the 5K distance. See how your total time in segments compares to your actual 5K times.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Renaissance Weekends—revive your running in every way!

Imagine going to an area with great running trails, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, good people and motivational instruction and stories. This is a renaissance weekend. One of these is scheduled for December 10-12 at Blue Mountain Beach, FL. If you register by Nov 22, you’ll receive a $50 tuition discount.

Here is the schedule:

Friday:
5 pm: run on the beach at sunset
6 pm: pizza and getting to know one another with running stories by Jeff

Saturday:
8am: run on trails
9-10am: Breakfast
10am: Setting up your year-round program, walk breaks, how to set realistic goals
11:30am: Cadence/turnover drills, and Acceleration Gliders--to improve running form and efficiency
12:30pm: Lunch
1:30pm: Staying injury Free
2:30pm: Nutrition and Fat Burning that keeps it off
3:30pm: Individual running form evaluations with each person--
Dinner--on your own, but most generally go to the same restaurant

Sunday:
8am: run on beach and trails
9-10am: Breakfast
10am: Motivation
11am until whenever: Q & A and individual training program help

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Fall and Winter Marathon Guide

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 - Freescale Austin Marathon (and Half)

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

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Jeff's Upcoming Running Schools:

11/27/04 - Cape Canaveral, FL
12/4/04– Washington, DC
1/15/05 – Lost Dutchman – AZ
2/5/05 - Davis, CA
2/12/05 – Austin, TX

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

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When the temperature rises…

This Fall I’ve had several of my e-coach clients set personal records and qualify for the Boston Marathon. Many others have finished their first marathon, or Half, and enjoyed it so much that they have already signed up for their second. But several picked marathons when the temperature rose to 75 degrees or more and did not achieve their goals.

It is very frustrating to train for 4-6 months, with great success, only to have a warm or hot day, during the second half of the race. This is very common among those who train in cold winter weather and run spring marathons. Here are my recommendations.

1. Reality: you have no control over temperature
2. Reality: for every 5 degrees of additional temperature, above 60F, most runners slow down by 25-30 seconds a mile (more when the temperature rises above 75F).
3. If you monitor the temperature and slow down according to these guidelines, you can avoid a much greater slowdown after mile 20 (mile 13 in the half marathon).
4. If the weather is hot, run it 3-4 min/mi slower than your goal pace. The race thus becomes a training run, allowing you to do another marathon in 3-4 weeks.
If you are interested in Jeff Galloway’s e-coaching contact (michele@jeffgalloway.com)

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Training Between Marathons—or Half Marathons

Once you have run a marathon, you can maintain the endurance for 3-4 weeks. Once you have run a half marathon, you can maintain endurance for 2-3 weeks. The first mission is to recover from the first one. Second priority is to do the long runs that can lead you to the next one. For more info and schedules, see New Marathon! or Galloway's Book on Running 2ND EDITION - order here

From one marathon to another

1. Count back from the next marathon and schedule your last long one (26-29 miles) 3-4 weeks before it. If there is 6-8 weeks between marathons, this will be your only long run.

2. If there are more weeks, schedule the long runs every 3 weeks back to your most recent marathon.

3. On the weekends after your first marathon, run 4-6 miles, then 6-8 miles, then either the long run, or 8-10 miles (in the latter case, you would run the long run 4 weeks after the marathon).

4. On the Tuesdays and Thursdays, you only need to run and walk for 20-30 minutes. Other days can be cross training or off. Take the day off before all long runs.

From one half marathon to another

1. After your first half marathon, run 4-5 miles easy, 7 days later.

2. Count back 2-3 weeks before your next half marathon. Schedule your last long one of 14-18 miles.

3. As you schedule your weekend runs between the first and second races, alternate weekends of long ones (1-2 miles less than the last long one) every other week.

4. On the non-long run weekends, run 5-6 miles, or a 5K race, plus 2-3 miles easy.

For Half Marathon training schedules, see Galloway's Book on Running SECOND EDITION.

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WINTER and NUTRITION: Fueling for cold weather exercise
by Nancy Clark, MS, RD November, 2004

Some athletes embrace winter's chill as a welcome change from exercising in summer's heat. But others complain about hating cold weather. If that's your stance, remember that exercising with proper nutrition (and layers of dry clothing) offers the opportunity to chase away the chills. After all, an aerobic workout can increase your metabolism by 7 to 10 times above the resting level. This means, if you were to exercise hard for an hour and dissipate no heat, you could raise your body temperature from 98.6° to 140° F. (You'd cook yourself in the process!) In the summer, your body sweats heavily to dissipate this heat. But in the winter, the warmth helps you survive in a cold environment. Runners can enjoy a tropical environment in their running suit within minutes of starting exercise.

Because food provides the fuel needed to generate this heat, the right sports diet is particularly important for skiers, skaters, runners and other athletes who are exposed to extreme cold. The following article addresses some common questions and concerns about winter and nutrition and offers tips to help you enjoy the season.

For safety sake, winter athletes should always carry with them some source of fuel in case of an unexpected slip on the ice or other incident that leaves them static in a frigid environment. Winter campers, for example, commonly keep a supply of dried fruit, chocolate or cookies near by for fuel if they wake up cold in the middle of the night. You want to have an emergency energy bar tucked in your pocket, just in case...

Why do I feel hungrier in the winter than in the summer?
A drop in body temperature stimulates the appetite and you experience hunger. Hence, if you become chilled during winter exercise (or when swimming, for that matter), you'll likely find yourself searching for food. Eating "stokes the furnace," generates heat, and helps warm your body.
Food's overall warming effect is known as thermogenesis (that is, "heat making"). Thirty to sixty minutes after you eat, your body generates about 10% more heat than when you have an empty stomach. This increased metabolism stems primarily from energy released during digestion. Hence, eating not only provides fuel but also increases heat production, warmth.

Do I burn more calories when I exercise in the cold?
Cold weather itself does not increase calorie needs. You don't burn extra calories unless your body temperature drops and you start to shiver. (And remember: the weather can actually be tropical inside your exercise outfit.) Your body does use a considerable amount of energy to warm and humidify the air you breathe when you exercise in the cold. For example, if you were to burn 600 calories while cross-country skiing for an hour in 0° F weather, you may use about 23 percent of those calories to warm the inspired air. In summer, you would have dissipated this heat via sweat. In winter, you sweat less.
If you are wearing heavy clothes, you will burn a few more calories to carry the extra weight of skis, boots, heavy parka, snow shoes. The Army allows 10% more calories for the heavily clad troops who exercise in the cold. But the weight of extra clothing on, let's say, winter runners is generally minimal...

Why do I find myself shivering when I get cold?
Shivering is involuntary muscle tensing that generates heat and offers a warming effect. When you first become slightly chilled (such as when watching a football game), you'll find youself doing an isometric type of muscle tensing that can increase your metabolic rate two to four times. As you get further chilled, you'll find yourself hopping from foot to foot and jumping around. This is Nature's way to get you to generate heat and warm your body. If you become so cold that you start to shiver, these vigorous muscular contractions generate lots of heat--perhaps 400 calories per hour. Such intense shivering quickly depletes your muscle glycogen stores and drains your energy. This is when you’ll be glad you have some emergency food in your pocket!

What's a big nutritional mistake made by winter athletes?
Failing to drink enough fluids is a major problem among winter athletes—hockey players, skiers, runners and winter hikers alike. Cold blunts the thirst mechanism; you'll feel less thirsty despite significant sweat loss (if you overdress), to say nothing of respiratory fluid loss. That is, winter athletes need to consciously consume fluids to replace the water that gets lost via breathing. When you breath in cold dry air, your body warms and humidifies that air. As you exhale, you lose significant amounts of water.
Some winter athletes purposefully skimp on fluids because urinating can be problematic—too much hassle to shed layers of clothing (ski suit, hockey gear, snow pants, etc.) Yet, dehydration hurts performance and is one cause of failed mountaineering adventures.

What's best to eat to warm myself up?
If you become chilled by the winter weather, as can easily happen if you—
--wear sweaty, wet clothing that drains body heat,
--fail to wear a hat (30 to 40% of body heat can get lost through the head), or
--drink icy water (from a water bottle kept on your bike or outside pocket of your back pack when winter hiking),
the best way to warm yourself up is to consume warm carbohydrates—hot cocoa, mulled cider, and steaming soup, as well as oatmeal, chili, and pasta. The warm food, added to the thermogenic effect of eating, contributes to rapid recovery.
In comparison, cold foods and fluids chill your body. Research subjects who ate a big bowl of ice cream in five minutes experienced a drop in fingertip temperature of 2° F in the first five minutes, 5° in 15 minutes. In summer, this cooling effect is desirable, but in winter, hot foods are the better way to warm yourself. Bring out the thermos of soup!

Why do I gain weight in the winter?
Some people eat more because they are bored and less active. Instead of playing tennis, they are eating mindlessly in front of the TV. For others, the change of seasons has a marked affect upon their mood (known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD). Changes in brain chemicals increase carbohydrate cravings and the desire to eat more. Holiday temptations also contribute to weight gain. A study of 195 people indicates they gained on average 0.8 pounds in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years. Overweight and obese people gained even more, with about 14% of the group gaining more than five pounds. The problem is, very few of the subjects lost those holiday pounds. Hence, yearly holiday weight gain becomes a major contributor to America’s obesity problem ... that's eight pounds in ten years.

One weight management solution is to stay active in the winter. By investing in proper clothing, you'll be able to stay warm from head to toe. You'll benefit from not only being able to enjoy exercise but also from sunlight—a good way to battle winter depression (and attempts to cheer yourself up with food). Winter exercise is an asset for managing heath, weight and the winter blues. The tricks are to dress right, fuel well, prevent dehydration -- and you’ll stay warm!

Nancy Clark, MS RD offers nutrition consultations to casual exercisers and competitive athletes at her private practice located at Healthworks, the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill MA (617-383-6100). Her best selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook. 3rd Edition ($23) and her Food Guide for Marathoners: Tips for Everyday Champions ($20) are available via www.jeffgalloway.com.