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Newsletter: Volume 49, July 2003

For those of you who have signed up to win a FREE trip to Athens Greece at Expos over this past year, watch for the winner's name in next month's Newsletter. For more information on this trip go to www.athensmarathon.com.

Fall Marathon Update

10/4/03 St. George Marathon
http://www.stgeorgemarathon.com
Race registration is now closed. The lottery was held on Tuesday, May 6.

10/5/03 Portland Marathon
http://www.portlandmarathon.org
Online or mailed marathon entry is guaranteed to those who enter before midnight August 15, 2003.
After that time, a cap of 9000 Marathon runners and walkers will be imposed to ensure the highest
quality and best event possible. Entries will be accepted until the cap is met or until September 1st
whichever comes first.

10/5/03 Twin Cities Marathon
http://www.twincitiesmarathon.org
As one of the top destination marathons in North America, the Twin Cities Marathon has once again
reached its limit of 8,500 participants. Registration filled in just 23 days. Due to the early closure, TCM
will auction off 100 additional TCM race entries in a silent mail-in auction.

10/12/03 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
http://www.chicagomarathon.com
All entries must be submitted by September 2, 2003, although registration may close earlier than date
listed; race is limited to the first 40,000 registered participants

10/12/03 Durango Marathon
http://www.durangomarathon.com
The first 1000 registered participants in the Durango Marathon and Durango Marathon Relay will receive
a one year gift subscription from the Durango Marathon and Running Times
Magazine, a proud sponsor of the Inaugural Durango Marathon.

10/26/03 Marine Corps Marathon
http://www.marinemarathon.com
The lottery is now over and the race is closed. You can
go to http://www.doitsports.com/register/mcm-lottery/confirm02.adp to check if you have been accepted. Via Galloway Productions, race numbers are still available for those in certain geographic locations. For more information, email us at jeffgalloway@mindspring.com.

11/2/03 New York City Marathon
http://www.nyrrc.org
Check the database of accepted entrants in the 2003 ING New York City Marathon
go to http://nycmarathon.org/entrant info/entrantdatabase.html.

1/11/04 Walt Disney World Marathon
http://dwws.disney.go.com/wideworldofsports/sportingevents/sportingevent/sportingeventindex?id=SPORMarathon04SporEvn

The Half Marathon is closed. The full marathon is still open, but the spots are dwindling so act fast!
There are three ways to register:

Click on the "Register" button and follow the steps to register on-line.
Click on the "Register" button above and follow the steps to print a registration form and mail.
Email: wdw.sports.marathon.road.races@disney.com to have a registration form mailed to you.
Mail forms to:
WALT DISNEY WORLD® Marathon
PO Box 536547
Orlando, Florida 32853
Phone: (407) 896-1160
Make all checks payable to: WALT DISNEY Parks and Resorts

Marine Corps Marathon Entries

Great News! For certain geographic locations, we have a number of entries for this year’s Marine Corps Marathon available for Jeff Galloway Marathon Training Program members. As many of you know, it has been sold out for a while. We’re pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to participate in one of the most popular marathons in the country. For more information, contact gallowayprod@mindspring.com.

What is the best sports drink? Jeff's opinion.

Despite some of the world’s best advertising from sports drink manufacturers, you cannot drink something during a run and have the nutrients go directly to the muscles. Drinking sports drinks during a long run, for example won’t replace the electrolytes your body loses through sweating during that run.

Why then, should you drink them at all? The best answer is recovery. The reason I recommend Accelerade is that a growing volume of recent research is showing that by consuming 80% carbohydrate and 20% protein, during and after exercise, you’ll speed up muscle recovery. Accelerade is the only sports drink that has this 80-20 ratio.

There are other reasons for stocking up on this sports drink now, as summer heat is building. By drinking 6-8 oz of Accelerade every 1-2 hours the day before long runs, you’re more likely to go into the run with full hydration. Accelerade is the best product I’ve used for getting my fluid levels where they need to be.

I’ve looked at a lot of research done on endurance athletes and Accelerade does the best at going the distance.

NOTE: any order placed online from www.jeffgalloway.com will receive a free sample of Accelerade, offer valid through July 31, 2003. This special is valid for ANY item ordered (ex: one of Jeff's books, a watch, or even some Accelerade).

Physical Energy: How acceleration gliders will bring more bounce to your step

Almost every day runners complain that they feel “heavy”….that they seem to be pounding more on each foot. Here’s a proven way to break out of this.

1. After a 5-10 minute warmup, of slow jogging find a gentle downhill of 20-40 running steps to get a little momentum.
2. Touch lightly with your feet as you run down this incline, picking up the pace slightly and then glide into the flat surface for a few strides.
3. Repeat this several times, increasing the number of gliding strides by 2-3 each time.
4. No sprinting—just a slight pick up of the cadence of your stride, due to a light touch of each foot.

As you do this, once a week, your whole body learns how to run lighter, which is energizing in itself. In the process, you’re conserving energy which can be used later. [for more info on this see GALLOWAY’S BOOK ON RUNNING SECOND EDITION pp 145-147]

Energy Source: How to stay energized all day long by eating more often (and you can still lose weight)

Each time you eat, even when it is a small amount of food, your metabolism speeds up. This is energizing in itself. In contrast, when you wait more than 3 hours between snacks or meals, your metabolism slows down, leading to feelings of laziness, fatigue, hunger, and drowsiness.

1. Small to moderate snacks, every 2 hours or so, can keep you energized all day
2. Simple carbohydrates (high sugar and refined flour,etc) are not recommended because you can easily consume too many calories. They are processed quickly and leave you hungry quickly.
3. Snacks that leave you feeling satisfied longer contain complex carbohydrates, some protein, and a little fat (10-20% of the calories).
4. Big meals leave you lethargic also, and draw blood away from muscles that could be exercising.

If you’re not feeling motivated to exercise at any point in the day try an energy snack of about 200 calories, with a caffeine drink. Caffeine further enhances the metabolism increase from eating.
[for more info on this see GALLOWAY’S BOOK ON RUNNING SECOND EDITION pp 226-227]

Reserve Now - Jeff's Weekend Energy Retreat - August 1-3, 2003
At Blue Mountain Beach, FL

The retreat house is about a 99-second jog to the brilliant white beach. There are 30+ miles of forest trails, a bike trail and state parks where you can run from the house. Take a dip in the pool after a run and philosophize. Join Jeff and his guests for the information you need for more energy with inspiration that will last for months. Jeff will help you set up a schedule for the goal of your choice—and you’ll receive priority email access in the months afterward. For more info, go here or email carol.miller@jeffgalloway.com.

Billy Mill’s inspirational and unexpected Olympic victory: Energy from the spirit

Before attempting something challenging like an ambitious training program, a marathon, etc., wouldn’t you love to have the confidence of having already done it – without the fatigue, sweat, aches and pains? Thanks to the wonderful word of visualization, this is now possible. Billy Mills won an Olympic gold medal by rehearsing his victory, without realizing he was doing it.

As a college athlete, Billy had not achieved his own potential; he had left something on the track. When the Marine Corps offered him a chance to continue his frustrated dream of qualifying for a U.S. Olympic team after graduation, Mills joined up, and became a member of the USMC track team.

Billy corresponded regularly with a college teammate who was training with the current world record holder, Australia’s Ron Clarke. At the end of almost every run, Billy would pick up his pace and visualize passing Clarke and breaking the finish tape.

In 1964, he unexpectedly qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the 10K, in the shadow of America’s great distance runner of the day, Jerry Lindgren. Captain Billy Mills was excited about his trip to Tokyo and proudly wore his Olympic uniform. As the starting gun fired, Mills settled into the middle of the pack where he was expected to finish. As the race progressed, however, many of the lead athletes, including Lindgren, dropped back. Mills kept going. By the final mile he was as surprised as anyone to find himself in the lead group, which included world record holder Ron Clarke and Mohamed Gammoudi.

As the three lead runners rounded the first curve of the last lap, Clarke was boxed in on the inside by Mills. Clarke tapped Mills on the arm to let him get out (so he’d have some room to pass the lead runner), but Mills didn’t move. Clarke then burst through, shoving Mills out of the way. It was now a Clarke-Gammoudi race for the gold, with Mills too far out of position to win.

Mills fought his way back into balance, regained his stride and moved back into the inside lane, significantly behind. But coming off the final curve, Billy forgot about how bad he felt, and about how he had been pushed around. Billy saw ahead of him the same vision he had held on each run for years: Ron Clarke ahead of him and the finish tape beyond.

Like a carbonated beverage bottle that had been shake up, Mills built up pressure and exploded, passing Gammoudi and Clarke to hit the tape. The inner strength was there all along, but Billy had talked himself out of the competition. The daily rehearsal of this finish made his final spring a reflex action.

Mental Rehearsal
The power in Billy’s rehearsal was based upon three factors: 1) it was very specific to the action he needed in the race, 2) it brought body and mind together and, above all, 3) he practiced it almost every day –it became an automatic response. By mentally touring an experience you want to have, many times in advance, you desensitize yourself to the stress of the unknown and the anticipated discomfort. This means fewer left-brain messages, but there’s more going on.

From Galloway’s Book on Running (Shelter Publications, 2002), pp. 171-172

Jeff’s Upcoming Free Clinics

July 26 – Houston Training Program Kickoff
July 27 – Tampa, St. Petersburg & Sarasota Training Program Kickoffs
July 28 – Orlando Training Program Kickoff
July 30 – Atlanta Half Marathon Training Kickoff
August 9 – Austin Training Program Kickoff
August 10 – Phoenix Training Program Kickoff
August 21 –24 – Crim Festival of Races

For more info, go to our Where's Jeff page.

Running Schools—Chicago August 16

"How to enjoy running more while staying injury free. . . for life"

Chicago – Saturday, August 16, Oak Park YMCA
* Individual running form analysis, with suggestions
* Summary of “The Runner’s Heart” info
* Motivation—goal setting
* Training programs for specific goals
* Motivation, Fat-burning, Injury Prevention
* More Info

Jeff's Picks

July 11-18 – Jeff Galloway’s Running Retreat at Lake Tahoe
July 18-20 – Jeff Galloway’s Weekend Running Retreat at Lake Tahoe
July 26 - Greater Clarksburg 10K, Clarksburg, WV http://www.clarksburg10k.com/

August 23 – Crim Festival of Races http://www.crim.org/

September 7 – Chicago Half Marathon http://www.chicagohalfmarathon.com/
September 18 – PROMINA Corporate Run/Walk in Atlanta – http://prominacorporaterunwalk.com/
September 20 – Al’s Memorial Run in Milwaukee – http://www.alsmemorialrun.com
September 21 – The Home Depot Governor’s Cup in Denver – http://www.bkbltd.com

October 11 – Akron Marathon - http://www.akronmarathon.org/
October 12 – Durango Marathon - http://www.durangomarathon.com/
October 26 – USMC Marathon - http://www.marinemarathon.com/therace.html

November 3 – Athens Marathon - http://athensmarathon.com/

December 6 – Enmark Savannah River Bridge Run 5K & 10K http://active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1041897

SALE Item: “I run-walk” T shirt $13 long sleeve
Heather Grey, Long Sleeved. To order, click here.

Nancy Clark – Nuggets from the American College of Sports Medicine Conference 2003

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is the nation's largest group of exercise scientists, sports medicine doctors and sports nutritionists. The members meet each year to present their research. Below are some tidbits of nutrition and exercise news that were presented at the May 2003 meeting in San Francisco.

PERFORMANCE
• Intramusclar fat––that is, fat that is stored within muscles--can provide up to 25% of the energy used during endurance exercise. Athletes may need two days to replenish intra- muscular fat if they eat a high fat (40%) diet and even longer with a lower fat diet (24% of calories; at least 60 to 80 grams of fat). Endurance athletes can and should appropriately include nuts, peanut butter, olive oil and other healthful fats into their daily meals. Fat-free diets are not conducive to optimal fueling.
• If you exercise twice a day, your morning coffee can still enhance your afternoon effort. Cyclists (who were accustomed to drinking coffee) consumed the equivalent of two mugs of coffee before a morning ride to exhaustion. When they took more caffeine before the afternoon exercise test, they performed similarly to when they only had the morning dose. Morning brew is enough!
• If you are tempted to buy oxygenated water, think again. It does not supersaturate the blood with oxygen (and thereby enhance performance). Yet, you do want to drink enough fluids on a daily basis––unlike a college hockey team of which 14 of the 16 players starting the practice dehydrated. During the 90 minute practice, not one player drank enough to match fluid losses. Be sure to know your sweat rates and replace fluid accordingly!

HYDRATION
For years, athletes have been told to drink as much water as they can tolerate. That’s no longer the case. Endurance athletes––who exercise for more than four hours and overhydrate with fluids that contain little or no sodium––can experience hyponatremia (low blood sodium; associated with malaise and confusion at least, and death at worst). A survey of marathon runners who experienced hyponatremia indicates they: 1) drank more fluid during the marathon and 2) had saltier sweat compared to others who maintain normal sodium levels.
• Hyponatremia occurs more often in women than in men. This might be because women are more diligent than men about drinking water or it might be related to menstrual cycle hormones.
• Football players with a history of severe muscle cramping during two-a-day summer practices drank less fluid than cramp-free players. They became more dehydrated and experienced more muscle cramps. They also had higher sweat rates and simultaneously higher sodium losses. Consuming sports drinks is a convenient way to boost sodium intake. Pretzels and broth work, too.
The bottom line: If you do extensive exercise in the heat, you should know your sweat rate as determined by weighing yourself naked before and after one hour of hard exercise with no fluid intake (1 lb weight loss = 16 ounces sweat) You can then replace fluids appropriately, preferably with sodium-containing fluids and foods that replace sodium sweat losses. If your stomach is sloshing, stop drinking.

BODY IMAGE
• When 700 young adults (average age, 24 years) were asked how they perceived themselves on the spectrum from very underweight to very overweight, the women were more likely to see themselves as more overweight than their actual weight; the men saw themselves as being more underweight. High school and collegiate runners hold similar perceptions. When questioned, the women reported wanting to be lighter than their current weight. The male runners, in comparison, wanted to be a little larger.
• The male desire to be bigger is based on perception, not the actual preferences of women. A survey of about 200 collegiate men and women indicates 1) men believe the male figure most attractive to women is more muscular than the figure the women actually chose; 2) women prefer men with standard muscle, not hulks!
• Weight lifting is associated with not just improved strength but also improved perception of self-esteem, sports competence, coordination and health.

WOMEN
Rat studies suggest the loss of regular menstrual periods that commonly occurs in active females may be related to inadequate calories, not excessive exercise. Rats that did lots of exercise but ate enough calories to support the exercise program maintained regular reproductive cycles.

Rat studies also suggest the bone loss associated with amenorrhea (loss of menses) is likely related to reduced muscle mass as opposed to hormone imbalances. Women need to eat enough to support exercise, muscles and menses.
• If you are a female athlete who has stopped having menstrual periods, be aware that many members of the medical community lack knowledge about the health problems associated with amenorrhea. A survey suggest only 53% of family doctors recognized all three parts of the female athlete triad (amenorrhea, eating disorders, stress fractures)––as did 36% of pediatricians and 17% of gynecologists. If you are told it's normal for athletic women to stop menstruating, find another MD!

Nancy Clark, MS, RD offers personalized nutrition consultations at SportsMedicine Associates in Brookline MA (617-739-2003).

From Runner's World, July 2003

Check out RW Editor Amby Burfoot’s thoughts on Oxysocks on page 22.

Also, look on page 24 for five tips to help reduce your sugar intake.