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Training & Nutrition Newsletter: Feb 2006
Improving the Running Experience - for you!

There are few things in life that you can count on to make you feel better inside.

During my first 3 years of running I felt great after a run, about every 4th or 5th run because I was running too fast in the beginning. The pace didn't seem to fast at first, but when I started out more slowly, almost every run improved vitality for hours, energized the mind, reduced the negative thoughts and bestowed a positive outlook. This has only gotten better over the years.

My new book GETTING STARTED (on sale this month) has a program and hundreds of tips which can help others avoid the problems that I had, years ago. I believe that the fat-burning section is the best yet. All of this is designed to give you control over the enjoyment of running, pacing, energy,
and body size.

There's a lot of great running ahead of you--enjoy it!

Jeff Galloway

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News:
· E-coaching positions now open. Sign up now!

· Featured Book: Running - Getting Started (on sale this month, too!)

· Freescale Marathon (Austin TX) this Sunday, Feb 19

· Big Sur Marathon extends open course time to 6 hours. Running School that weekend, too.

· Enroll Now! Running Schools: Austin TX, Winston Salem NC, Sarasota, DC, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte

· Enroll Now! Next Beach Retreat: Blue Mountain Beach, Florida. March 17-18 and April 14-16

· USA Marathoning: 2005 Report - exclusively from MarathonGuide.com

· Online Registration will begin on May 17th for the 31st Marine Corps Marathon (Oct 29, 2006)

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

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Writing in Your Journal
In a few seconds of writing in your journal, you control the process of running improvement.

A journal allows us to plan the future, track our behaviors, learn from our mistakes, and chart our progress in a consistent direction. With a simple logbook format that each of us chooses, we can see what to do, usually within a few minutes, and make the adjustments necessary. Journals give us control over our future while they allow us to learn from our past.

Of all the activities that surround running, it is the writing and review of your journal that gives the greatest control over the direction of your running so that you can make adjustments. It only takes a few minutes every other day to record the key information. Looking back through your entries
will provide laughs and enjoyment.

The various types of journals include a wall calendar, an organized running journal, a notebook or a computer log. The best journals are those that make it easier for you to collect the data you find interesting, while allowing for creativity.

from Running Getting Started by Jeff Galloway, Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd., 2005, pp. 69-74

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Cross training for fat burning

To maintain a regular dose of set-point lowering stress, while minimizing orthopedic stress, cross training can help. The best activities are those that raise core body temperature, use a lot of muscle cells, and can be continued comfortably for more than 45 minutes. Cross training is done on days when you don’t run. Swimming is not a good fat-burning exercise. The water absorbs temperature buildup, and therefore core body temperature doesn’t rise significantly.

Good fat burning exercises
- Nordic track
- Walking
- Elliptical
- Rowing
- Exercise cycle

For more info on lowering the "set-point", see Running Getting Started by Jeff Galloway (Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd., 2005

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Galloway Success Story

Hello Jeff! You probably get many emails like this one, but I just wanted to thank you for making training and racing so simple! My mother-in-law gave me your book (Galloway's Book on Running) a few years ago, and I've been using it ever since. However, until recently, I chose not to use your run/walk method. I always felt that the walking part was kind of wimpy, that is until I was injured last fall and missed the Rock and Roll Arizona 2005 marathon that I was training for.

So now that I'm 38, and not wanting to miss 3 months of running again, I implemented your run/walk method in my training and racing. After the Rock and Roll AZ 1/2 marathon a couple of weeks ago, I've become a firm believer in the method. While my time was not the fastest (1:52:14), I'm pleased
with the outcome, particularly - no injuries!

Now I'm looking forward to the Rock and Roll full marathon in San Diego this June! I've gone from the uncertainty of being able to run at all, to running the distances I've grown to love!

C. A.

More Success Stories. Send YOUR story to jeffgalloway@mindspring.com and you may be published!

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Jeff’s Schedule of Clinics, Race Expos, Retreats, etc.
Feb 18: Austin - running school and expo
Feb 26: Winston-Salem, NC - running school
March 4: Sarasota Marathon - running school and expo
Mar 17-19: Blue Mountain Beach Retreat
April 1: Washington, DC running school
April 8: Houston - running school
April 9: Dallas - running school
April 14-16: Blue Mountain Beach Retreat
April 23: Charlotte - running school
Apr 28: Monterey CA (Big Sur) - running school
July 7-14: Jeff's Lake Tahoe Retreat Week
July 14-16: Jeff's Lake Tahoe Retreat Weekend

Running School Info

Beach Retreat Info

Lake Tahoe Retreat

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Jeff's Race Picks

Freescale Austin Marathon Austin, TX, February 19, 2006
Albritton Fruit Marathon Sarasota, FL, March 5, 2006 (NEW EVENT!)
Big Sur International Marathon Carmel, CA, April 30, 2006
Boston Marathon Boston, MA, April 17, 2006
Flying Pig Marathon Cincinnati, OH, May 7, 2006
Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon & Half-Marathon Deadwood, SD, June 4, 2006

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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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Quick Fix: Poor Pacing
From Runner's World, "Training," October 2004, p. 34

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 feel 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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Special Item of Interest!

Jeff's annual Tahoe Retreat is coming up again in July. It's hard to imagine needing a sweater in the middle of the summer, but you'll need to pack one for this trip! Enjoy the laid-back atmosphere with Jeff, his guests and the other campers for a real vacation treat.

A beautiful place and great company - what more could you ask? As always, we're planning to
have Joe Henderson, Bob Anderson, Dr. Gary Moran, Sister Marion Irvine and Dr. David Hannaford, who will share information along with their insights and experiences in the running world.

Want more info? Contact carol.miller@jeffgalloway.com.

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Cross training for fat burning

Good fat burning exercises
- Nordic track
- Walking
- Elliptical
- Rowing
- Exercise cycle

From Running Getting Started by Jeff Galloway (Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd., 2005, pp.

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EXERCISE & WEIGHT CONTROL: Myths, Truths, and Gender Differences

“For all the exercise I do, I should be pencil thin!”
"Am I the only runner who has ever gained weight training for a marathon???"
"Why does my husband shed pounds when he exercises and I don't???"

When I listen to athletes complain about their lack of success with losing body fat, I hear abundant frustration: “Why can’t I do something as simple as lose a few pounds!!!” Why? Because weight loss is not simple and often includes debunking a few diet and exercise myths. Perhaps this article will offer some insights that lead you to success with your weight loss efforts.

Myth: You must exercise in order to lose body fat.
To lose body fat, you must create a calorie deficit. You can create that deficit by adding on exercise (which improves your overall health and fitness) or by simply eating fewer calories. Sick people commonly lose body fat but they do not exercise; they create a calorie deficit. Similarly, injured athletes can also lose fat despite lack of exercise. The story “I gained weight when I was injured because I couldn’t exercise” could more correctly be stated “I gained weight when I was injured because I was bored and depressed. I overate for comfort and entertainment...”

Myth: The more you exercise, the more fat you lose.
Often, the more you exercise, the hungrier you get and—
- the more you eat, or
– the more your believe you “deserve” to eat, or
-the more you want to eat as a reward for having both gotten to the gym and survivedthe exercise session.

But if you spend 60 minutes in a spin class and burn off 600 calories, only to reward yourself with twelve Oreos (600 calories), you quickly wipe out your weight loss efforts in less than 3 minutes...
The effects of exercise on weight loss are complex and unclear. We know among older people (56-78 years) who participated in a vigorous walking program, daily calorie needs remained about the same (2,400 without exercise, 2,480 with exercise). How could that be? Well, the participants napped more and were 62% less active throughout the rest of their day.(1)

Another study with post-menopausal women found the same results from 8 weeks of moderate exercise training. Their 24-hour energy expenditure remained similar from the start to the end of the program. (2) The bottom line: You have to eat according to your whole day’s activity level, not according to how hard your trained that day.

Myth: If you train for a marathon, your body fat will melt away.
Wishful thinking. I commonly hear marathoners, triathletes and other highly competitive endurance athletes complain “For all the exercise I do, I should be pencil thin...” They fail to lose fat because, like the fitness exercisers described above, they put all of their energy into exercising, but then tend to be quite sedentary the rest of the day as they recover from their tough workouts. A study with male endurance athletes who reported a seemingly low calorie intake found they did less spontaneous activity than their peers in the non-exercise parts of their day. (3) The bottom line: you need to keep taking the stairs instead of the elevators, no matter how much you train!

Alternatively, athletes who complain they eat like a bird but fail to lose body fat may simply be under-reporting their food intake. A survey of female marathoners indicated the fatter runners under-report their food intake moreso than their leaner peers. (4) Remember: calories mindlessly eaten standing up or on-the-run count just as much as calories from meals.

Myth: Couples who exercise together, lose fat together.
In a 16-month study looking at exercise for weight loss, men and women completed an identical amount of exercise. The men lost 11.5 pounds; the women maintained weight! (5) In another study with previously sedentary, normal weight men and women who participated in an 18 month marathon training program, the men increased their calorie intake by about 500 per day; the women increased by only 60 calories—despite having added on 50 miles per week of running. The men lost about five pounds of fat; the women two pounds. (6)

What’s going on here??? Well, a husband who adds on exercise is likely to lose more weight than his wife because he’s likely heftier and thereby burns more calories during the same workout. But, speaking in terms of evolution, Nature seems protective of women’s role as childbearer, and wants women to maintain adequate body fat for nourishing healthy babies. Hence, women are more energy efficient. Obesity researchers at NY’s Columbia University suggest a pound of weight loss in men equates to a deficit of about 2,500 calories, while women need a 3,500 calorie deficit!!! (7) No wonder women have a tougher time losing weight then do men....

The bottom line
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; that makes exercise feels like punishment for having excess body fat. When exercise is something you do to your body, rather than do for your body, you’ll eventually quit exercising. Bad idea.

Instead of focusing on exercise to lose body fat, pay attention to your calorie intake. Knocking off just 100 calories a day from your evening snacks can theoretically result in 10 pounds a year of fat loss. Seems simpler than hours of sweating...?

References:
1. Goran, Am J Physiol 263:E950, 1992
2. Keytel, Int J Sport Nutr 11:226, 2001
3. Thompson, Med Sci Sports Exerc 27::347, 1995
4. Edwards, Med Sci Sports Exer 25:1398, 1993
5. Donnelly, Arch Intern Med 163:1343, 2003
6. Janssen, Int J Sports Med, 10:S1,1989
7. Pietrobelli Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 26:1339, 2002

Sports dietitian Nancy Clark MS, RD counsels casual and competitive athletes in her private practice at Healthworks (617-383-6100), the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill MA. Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook ($23), Food Guide for Marathoners ($20) and Cyclist’s Food Guide ($20) all offer additional weight management information. The books are available at www.JeffGalloway.com or via www.nancyclarkrd.com.

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