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Training & Nutrition Newsletter: March 2011
Improving the Running & Walking Experience - for you!

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March 18, 2011

Costumes, Pirates and Sisters

I'm confused. Last Fall, my most favorite “fun” race was the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon. Running through Disney venues in the dark, being rewarded by food and drink around Epcot afterwards--I'll be back this year. But just having finished the Disney Princess Half Marathon, I can't say which race is more fun. Most of the Princesses wore costumes which resulted in 13 miles of great entertainment. Inspiring were the continuous stories of sisters inspiring sisters, daughters running with mothers, and a stream of finish line smiles and celebration. For more about how I ran with a parrot on my shoulder, scroll down.

Jeff Galloway
US Olympian

P.S. Stay updated by following me on FaceBook and Twitter
Facebook.com/JeffGallowayFan
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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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Disney Princess Half—pure entertainment for 13.1 miles

From the opening of the expo, this event had a different feel. Over 95% of the participants were women, and they loved the chance to run as princesses, take pictures with characters (including Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Cinderella, me, and many more), shop, and play at Disney venues. I didn't see any frowns during the weekend except for certain Snow White dwarfs. It was fun on Monday to hear the “clanking” of race medals as Moms took their kids to the Disney parks.

Most interesting were the stories how sisters pulled sedentary sisters, moms, daughters off the couch with the lure of a Disney weekend. There were so many inspiring stories.

When Barbara discovered that most wear costumes she made herself into a “pirate princess”. Then she made me into her pirate. Both of us wore Mickey Mouse ears with priate motifs. She found a Johnny Depp looking dreadlock doo rag, a pirate belt and sash, and a rubber sword. Just before we left for the race, Barbara insisted that I wear dark eye makeup around my eyes. There's a first time for everything.

To finalize the look, Barbara sewed a stuffed toy parrot to my shoulder. Sure, it wobbled a bit, and sometimes got tired and slumped for a mile or two. But during the last 3 miles Parrot was in competition mode. As we ran toward the finish he would lean and take the lead and then fall back. It was only when the finish line pictures appeared that I saw who won. I must admit that he crossed first. Well....next year.

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Running Form Q&A

Is there a way to run that reduces aches and pains?
If you are not having problems, you should run the way that works for you. The suggestions below are only directed at those who have aches, pains or other posture-related problems. Your body usually finds the best pattern of running, intuitively, if you don't push it out of it's normal range of motion.

What is the best running posture?
Upright posture tends to be best: head over shoulders, over hips, as the feet touch lightly underneath. A forward lean often results in back or neck pain, and can force one to shorten stride length.

How much can I bounce off the ground?
The most efficient stride is more of a shuffle, in which the feet stay right next to the ground.

Should I run on my heels or on my forefoot?
Each of us has a natural pattern of running that is unique to the individual. It's best to let the feet move naturally. When runners who naturally land on the heel try to run only on the forefoot, there are often injuries.

What is the most efficient stride for reducing effort and running faster?
The range of motion of your legs should be minimal, with feet low to the ground and a light touch of the feet. This tends to reduce effort, while it helps you avoid aches and pains. The foot should absorb your body weight directly underneath you, as the back leg swings behind. Your foot should not rise above a 90 degree angle made by the body and the lower leg, when behind. There should be no knee lift, and almost no use of the quadracep muscle.

Is there a drill that can help improve your leg turnover, or cadence?
The “cadence drill” will help you improve running efficiency, as you increase the number of steps per minute.
• Warm up for 10 min of easy running
• While running, time yourself for 30 seconds, counting how many times your left or right foot touches
• walk for 30-60 seconds between each.
• Try to increase the count by 1 or 2 on each successive 30 second count.
• Do 4-8 of these, one day a week, every week.

From Galloway's Marathon FAQ

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The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD March 2011

When Food Has Too Much Power Over You

“I think about food all the time. I finish one meal and start thinking about the next.”
“I don't keep cookies in the house; I end up eating them all.”
“I'm afraid if I start eating, I won’t be able to stop...”

If any of those thoughts sound familiar, you are among a large group of runners who struggle with food. I routinely counsel food-obsessed joggers and marathoners alike who fear food as being the fattening enemy. They think about food all day, stay away from social events involving food, give themselves permission to eat only if they have exercised hard, and white-knuckle themselves to one meager portion at dinner.

If you (or someone you know) struggles with food, keep reading. This article can help food-obsessed athletes take a step towards transforming their food fears into peaceful fueling patterns and better quality of life. Much of the information is from Glenn Waller’s book Beating Your Eating Disorder, an excellent self-help book for adults at war with food and their bodies.

Food Is Not the Problem
Food is not the problem. Food is fuel. Food is health. Food is an inanimate object, just like a desk, rug, or book. It has no inherent power over you. But if you feel as though a food (let’s say, bread) has power over you, bread is the symptom, not the problem. That is, the urge to over-eat bread can stem from:

1. getting too hungry and, as a result, craving carbs. The solution is to prevent hunger, so you don’t start craving carbs in the first place.
2. denying yourself permission to eat bread because it is a “bad” food. The solution is to learn to routinely enjoy bread and other carbs, which are the foundation of a quality sports diet.

Living by rigid, restrictive “food rules” can be a symptom that something has gone awry. Food rules serve a purpose; they can be a coping strategy to block out emotions and distract you from feeling your feelings. That is, if you are spending 99% of your waking hours debating whether or not to eat bread, you are not thinking about how angry you are with your boyfriend, how scared you are to go away to college, or how sad and lonely you’ve been since your dog died.

Being able to abide by strict food rules also gives you a (sick) sense of superiority that you can say “no thank you” to pizza, sandwiches, and even birthday cake with your friends. You can then take pride in being able to sustain yourself on lettuce leaves and Diet Coke. Why would you want to change this menu when you are so in control, have such a perfect diet, and are running seemingly well? Why? Because your quality of life stinks and you are losing your friends.

Some of my clients can revise their restrictive eating patterns with simple nutrition education. I teach them how much is OK to eat, how to fit bread (or whatever) into their sports diet, and how to enjoy food as one of life’s pleasures. For example, one client believed eating an English muffin plus an egg and a yogurt at breakfast sounded “piggy.” After one English muffin, she would stop eating because she “thought she should,” but then would succumb to the hungry horrors by 9:30 a.m. When she added the egg and the yogurt into her breakfast, she felt satisfied all morning, with no nagging food thoughts until she was appropriately hungry at lunchtime.

In comparison, another client refused to eat more breakfast. She was convinced that eating an additional packet of oatmeal would result in immediate weight gain. “I couldn't eat more breakfast. I'd get fat!!!” She believed her body was different from everyone else's and would instantly blow up.

I reminded her that hunger is simply the body's request for fuel. The body is saying, “I have burned off what you fed me. May I please have some more food?” Her response was “NO! Food is fattening.” She lived her days feeling hungry all the time, lagging energy, enduring cold hands and feet, obsessing about food, feeling anxious she’d succumb to sweets, and avoiding social situations that involved food. Her food rules undermined her quality of life.

Time for a change?
How can you break away from your restrictive food rules and start anew? One strategy is to understand that a few minutes of control (such as eating only one English muffin) can turn into a lifetime of misery. But a few minutes of anxiety (eating the English Muffin plus egg and a yogurt) can contribute to a peaceful future of enjoyable meals. You have to learn to sit through the anxiety and see that nothing bad happens when you eat an appropriate amount of food.

While you may believe that eating more breakfast will make you instantly fat, try this experiment:
• Weigh yourself (first thing in the morning) on Day 1 of the experiment.
• Make one dietary change that you are sure will make you get fat (such as eating an egg and a yogurt along with the English muffin).
• Maintain this one change for 7 days (without making any other food or exercise changes), and then weigh yourself again.
• Repeat this experiment for another 7 days and average the weights. (Weight fluctuates due to shifts in water.)

Have you gotten fat? Doubtful. But take note: if the scale has gone up a tiny bit, the gain is likely due to replenishment of depleted muscle glycogen (carb) stores. For each one ounce of carbs stored in your muscles as glycogen, your muscles also store about three ounces of water. Hence, do not obsess about a number on the scale. Rather, observe how much better you feel during the day and also during your workout.

Easier said than done?
While food experiments sound like a good idea, the reality is they can be very anxiety- provoking and hard work. (If changing were simple, you would have been able to resolve your food issues ages ago, right?) Eating more calories is hard because you are giving up a coping mechanism without being sure you will feel better in the long run.

To get rid of your eating disorder, you need to learn how to cope differently. This will involve feeling your feelings, instead of starving them. A counselor might be able to help, as well as reading Beating Your Eating Disorder and other self-help books (visit gurze.com). Just imagine how nice life will be for you and your loved ones when you can wake up without food fears and rigid food rules?

Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) helps both casual and competitive athletes find peace with food. Her practice is at Healthworks, the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill MA (617-383-6100). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook and food guides for new runners, marathoners and soccer players offer additional information. The books are available at www.nancyclarkrd.com. See also sportsnutritionworkshop.com.

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