‘Nutrition’ Articles at , Page 3

Runners Drinking by the Gallon: Beating the hydration issue into your brain and Nuun’ing your water

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Cait — 11 Comments ↓

I’m a runner who sweats like an elephant and drinks by the gallon. It may mean waking up in the middle of the night a half dozen times but at least I know I’m hydrated. The big H.

I’m still floored every time I hear runners talk about how they ‘hate water’ or the only liquids they consume is in the form of coffee. Soda doesn’t count either, and that could actually be making matters worse and dehydrating you.

Luckily thanks to savvy marketing and all that is the internet runners are getting all things water, hydration and liquids almost poured down their throats for them. Knowledge is key people and you’ve now got no excuse not to know:

* If you’re actually feeling thirsty you’re already in a mild state of dehydration
* Hydration works on consistency: Just like with your running and training, you can’t just never think of about your fluid and electrolyte levels until the morning of a race and pound the liquids. You have to be drinking consistently on a daily, weekly, monthly basis.
* Heat exacerbates things but… even in the dead of winter and running in a snow storm you still sweat and lose both water and electrolytes
* It’s more than water: Elecrtrolytes, especially sodium and potassium, are lost through sweat and you need to ensure to replenish these stores. These micro-nutritents AREN’T found in the water from your tap so you need to drink liquids that contain these.

I’ve done some previous posts on all things liquids HERE and HERE. Revisit those my friends but because this is crucial information I’m going to beat it into your heads. I’m also bringing it up because one fluid of choice that offers runners the chance to electrolyte enhance their water is Nuun. They contacted me after revamping some of their products and wanted me to give it a test. You can read my first review of them HERE. Let’s see what’s new, shall we?
Nuun Blueberry Pomegranate Source
Nuun All Day Hydration

Premise: Nuun comes in little tablets that you add to water, then watch it fizz and work it’s magic. Give it a shake or stir and your water is both flavored and infused with electrolytes.

Taste: There are a variety of flavors, I’d say my favorite was the Blueberry Pomegranate. Now, I’m also one of those people who has no problem drinking straight water, sort of a plain jane in the taste bud department. The Nuun tabs are a nice flavor perk but not overly sweet.

Cost/Damages: There are 15 tabs per little vial and 4 vials to a pack. When you order online a four-pack comes out to just under $30 without shipping.

What’s New: So Nuun All Day Hydration is widening it’s target audience to include whole families and the little kiddies. Hydration is IMPERATIVE for athletes but it’s still important for everyone, so let’s help cut out the crazy sugar waters and remind kids of their smart drinking habits. Dentists be warned. 😉

What it’s not for: Now, Nuun tabs are a great way to perk up your water and make sure you’re drinking those electrolytes throughout the day. But they don’t contain many calories (under 8 per tab) or energy for your muscles. So if you’re actually out running a marathon and working on an energy fueling plan these aren’t going to do it. Also, if you’re just finishing a run and in that crucial 30 minute restorative refuel window, you can drink these for the electrolytes but you would still need something of substanance, giving you protein and carbs.

Bottom Line: This runnerchick is a fan overall. That said, I’m off to the bathroom…

1) Where do you stack up on the hydration issue, are you really good about keeping your fluid and electrolyte levels stocked up and balanced?

2) What’s your top drinks of choice? For running and performance which do you go for to drink throughout the day, and do you have a different option for viable energy while you train?

3) Have you tried Nuun at all?

4) Are you one of those people who can’t stand drinking much straight water or find you need a taste perk as an incentive?

Runners Going Gluten Free: Could making the switch work for you?

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Cait — 19 Comments ↓

Running on a gluten free diet may seem like more work than structuring your training regime. Though there are no shortage of runners ditching the gluten and raving that they are far better for it. Admittedly some were ‘forced’ into because they have an intolerance, celiac disease, but there are others that willingly did a diet overhaul.

Are those pancakes gluten-free?? 😉

I’m not going to lie, I’ve got friends who are gluten free (But being that ‘going gluten’ is basically trending on Twitter who doesn’t have friends who are eating this way?!) and I don’t envy the way they have to interrogate the kitchen staff and be extremely cautious when reading food labels. I honestly have no worries when it comes to the restaurant thing, it’s not that I mind it at all, I totally understand how important their questions are. To be frank, I think it just comes down to me being too ‘lazy’ to put in the work to get gluten-free savvy.

But I’m curious, just as many others, and had heard the benefits of going gluten-free for possibly reducing the amount of inflammation in your body and solving various GI problems. In case you missed it I wrote an article all about this over at Competitor: ‘Gluten Free = Inflammation Free?’. I also included a three day gluten-free sample menu.

The truth is, it’s not THAT incredibly complex, trust me 400 meter repeats are a far tougher pill to swallow. I’d say the hardest part would be the initial learning curve and getting used to what you ‘can’ and ‘can’t’ eat, remembering to double check labels and mostly getting used to how to travel and eat out without gluten sneaking in there.

I tapped into some AWESOME sources for this one, Krista Austin Ph.D and Amy Yoder Begley who has become sort of the poster runnerchick for going gluten-free. After you read the article, I’ll add a few more thoughts and tips that didn’t make it but I found interesting and worth mentioning.

* Amy’s Top Restaurant Picks: “For really important races, I try to go to places with a GF menu like PF Changes, Outback, etc. However, you need to make sure they have gluten-free prep not just gluten-free food. Things can’t be fried in the same oil as breaded items or grilled in the surface as bread. Cross-contamination is a word to know and ask questions till you feel comfortable, even if it takes 45 minutes,” Amy Yoder Begley explains that cross-contamination is probably the biggest hurdle when dining out.

* Kitchen Overhaul: The same issue applies to your own home kitchen and cooking habits, “To begin with GF eating you need to get rid of the old toaster, really clean down the grill or get new grill plates, and buy new cutting boards. I would also clean out the cupboards, wipe down all surfaces and read all ingredient labels until you know for sure what is in each item,” Yoder Begley explains. I actually roomed with Amy for a while and while her husband does not eat gluten free they are extremely well practiced in making sure none of his gluten products even come near Amy’s plate or food.

* Inflammation and Gluten: Austin explains that while gluten may cause extra inflammation, the biggest reason an athlete’s inflammation may go down as a result of a gluten-free diet is because you’ll be cutting out most of the overly-processed junk, “Usually if you do a gluten-free nutrition plan right, you end up replacing these [processed foods]…as a result, it automatically reduces the high percentage of unneeded trans fatty acids (most hydrogenated) and bleached, nutrient-less flour is removed from the diet. The extra chemically produced fats (think hydrogenated) are what fuel inflammation in the body, so if we eliminate them we will reduce inflammation. Bottom line: we eat cleaner more naturally found foods and thus inflammation goes down.”

* No Diet is a Magic Bullet: That said, I’ve talked a lot about how jumping into a certain style of eating, or overly-cleaning it up isn’t always the ‘best’ thing for your running or your sanity, and it really comes down to WHY you’re switching to a new style of eating. There is something to be said for both moderation and the old adage, ‘if the engine is hot, it’ll burn.’ Austin is frank about this, “However, as a side note, I know many an Olympic athletes, etc in the sport of running that eat horribly and still get the job done, (Although yet to medal so maybe this is why?) …in fact they are the guys on top! Eeeeek…so at the end of the day, the message is this: it’s how you train that matters most…however, if your fuel intake is too low or not adequate in some way, just know training is suffering and we are not optimizing performance.”

I think I’ll end or reiterating that fact: “It’s HOW you train that matters most.”
——–
Check out Amy’s excellent resource for eating gluten-free at her site, Gluten Free Olympian: GFOlympian.com

Check out more from Krista Austin at her own site: PerformanceAndNutritionCoaching.com
——–

1) Do you eat gluten free? Have you tried a gluten free diet for any sum of time and what was your experience?

2) What have you heard about eating gluten free? Benefits, drawbacks, etc.

3) What’s your stance on your running diet, how do you approach the fueling issue?
I make sure to get in enough calories, so that means eating things I want and aren’t exactly the ‘healthiest’…but at the same time I think of the ‘junk’ as ‘bonus’ after I’ve made sure to get in the good stuff and enough proteins and such. 😛

5 Running Flash Factoids: Keeping it short and to the point for us lazy runners

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Cait — 11 Comments ↓

Runners and Sundays; for some it’s the delegated long run day which then means: license to be totally lazy and slothful for the rest of the day. You don’t even have to move hand to mouth if you don’t want to, just train Fluffy to grab the spoon, Ben & Jerry’s and learn to shovel. 😉

Eat the ice cream before it melts!!! 🙂

Just kidding, but to be fair to B&J cold ice cream isn’t the worst kind of post-run refuel, I mean there’s the whole chocolate milk movement…ice cream seems like a logical piggy-backer onto that, right? Regardless, Sundays are also known to be a little lazy and lackadaisical so in tribute I’ll spare your eyes much reading and give you some flashes of brain nugget wisdomisms.

* Running’s mental but not THAT mental. Running usually comes down to a battle of wills, but sadly you can’t totally imagine your workouts into fulfillment…there is visualization to improve what could be but you have to follow up with DOING it. Motivation wanes but when in doubt, kick yourself in the tush to get the first mile done…the first interval done…and get ‘er done.

* Lean, mean, protein machine. I’m a carbo-loving freak like none other; running burns lots of energy so for a long time I didn’t actually think about my carb to protein ratio and dived into Pop-Tart gluttony. BUT that changed after I graduated high school and once I made a conscious effort to up my protein (I still didn’t slack on the carbs though!) I noticed a big difference in the amount of lean muscle I had.

* It’s a gas. Runner’s are always fun to chat up GI issues with…not in the moment though. Gas, the runs, bush dives, 6 pre-race port-a-potty stops, you name it. Don’t be shy about speaking up because we all struggle with it and if you don’t talk about it you may miss out on a possible remedy to your…runs. 😉

* My feet are SUPER! Actually, I’m a huge pronator, like the majority of people, and while I rock out supportive shoes I also have arch support inserts. I use green SuperFeet and they help. But shoes are incredibly personal to the runner so BE SURE to know your foot type before just diving into the discount shoe bin…mkkk!

* Always laugh. You can be a grouch on the inside after a bad run, horrible race, nasty workout, but pretend that whenever you’re around others, teammates, competitors, an audience…that you’re on the Miss America stage. Put some Vaseline on those teeth and bust out the fake smile. The thing is, negative attitudes are infectious, and if you happened to win a race and start pouting, think about how the person you beat would feel to see that…like they must REALLY suck. When you’re by yourself, or with coaches/close family, feel free to vent and reflect on the race…sure…but in the end learn from it and move forward.

Sorry if that last one got a little too wordy for Sunday! Get back to making Fido spoon shovel feed you! 😉
———
Get Chicking shirt update! I’m down to my last handful of shirts so if you want one before I have to make another order act fast you speedy peeps! 🙂
———

1) Do you have a flash factoid to share?

2) Is Sunday your long run day?

3) Do you make sure to get enough protein in your diet? Do you make sure to also get that full quota of carbo-loving goodness too?

Is It Really That Bad? We’re runners but we’re humans too…are some of those ‘human bad habits’ really doing any harm to our running?

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Cait — 20 Comments ↓

I’m a runner…not a nutritionist, I’m not a super scientific sports physiologist, I admit that the vast majority of what I know is through experience, what I’ve seen and what I’ve learned from others who are experts. I’m not ashamed to admit that, and I think one of the best ways to learn something is to admit your own brainiac limitations and seek out answers from credit-worthy sources.

Now we are all runners here, but we’re also human; that human thing can offer up some battles of internal wills when it comes to our training. Being human means we have that brain of ours to wage the mental battle when the going gets tough. It also means that we have lives and other things that we do, indulge in, and want outside of miles, core work and sweating.

Balance is awesome and some of the ‘being human’ things actually help our running; focusing too much on a single thing leaves us much too one dimensional and over-thinking your training is another way to send it down the drain. On the other hand the human part of us can sometimes want things that may not exactly be the best for our training…we are human, we have weaknesses, but how bad are some of those ‘weaknesses’ really? Here are my thoughts on a few things…

* Soda. I don’t drink soda, I used to guzzle tons of diet but I had a really bad experience once where I think I must have downed darn near a gallon in a meal and I was gassy and bloated for so long after I kicked it cold turkey. Now there are tons of people saying soda is the devil, others that don’t care, and some that still think it’s totally fine. As for regular soda, I think it’s not doing any favors to the overweight masses, for runners though I still think it’s probably best to avoid because it dehydrates you and you could be drinking something far better for you. Diet, yea, the calories aren’t there but it’s still not an awesome beverage of choice. But I don’t think it’s the devil either.

* Coffee. If you’re totally frapa-macho-machiado’ed to the point where your drink is more like a sundae I think it’s like a dessert. But I’m pro-caffiene if done right, I’ve seen/know too many exceptional runners who swear by coffee not to be. I think that if you want the benefits it comes down to how much and when you drink it; if you build your caffeine tolerance to such a high level that you need an absurd amount to get any ‘perk’ then that’s not so good…caffeine may give you a little extra kick for your workouts but you don’t want to have to guzzle coffee to get in enough caffeine to get your ‘fix.’ So try to keep the intake moderate the rest of the day (if at all) so that when you do have that cup of coffee an hour or so before your workout you get the little boost.

* Junk food. This is opening up a whole can of worms, and I could argue back and forth for ages so I’ll try to keep it short. We’ve all read the Frank Shorter pizza and mayo combo, on the far other end we’ve got the vegans who only eat what they grow in their backyards. We all know cases of runners winning title on either ends of the spectrum, and elites too. The thing with distance running is that it takes up a lot of energy, and that takes calories; if you need some ’empty’ junk calories to keep pace with your energy levels than I don’t see the harm in indulging with whatever. I’ve eaten through boxes of Pop-Tarts and know plenty runners who dig through the ice cream by the pints. The thing though is that for most of them they ALSO take in the good stuff (veggies, protein, etc) too…it’s all a balance kind of thing. Then there is the mental and sanity thing. That said, not every runner ‘can’ eat as many calories as others thanks to that little metabolism thing…it can be an unfair card but it’s the truth too and to not say it would be lying by omission.

* Sloth. I actually love this word and try to use it whenever I get a chance, so I did…hey, it’s my blog. Now you may think, “Me, lazy, never!” 😉 For some that’s true, but there are some lazy runner habits that are running rampant. The warm-up skimper: HORRIBLE for your body and your performance, I’m not going to spend wordage arguing, do a real warm-up people. The cool-down avoider: HORRIBLE again, a bit less only because at least the race/workout isn’t sacrificed on that day but your next runs will be. Letting pools of lactic acid sit in your muscles is only going to make you feel worse and hinder your recovery process…move it no matter how tired you are. Standing during your recovery before the next interval: JOGGING is better in my opinion and I wrote on that HERE. Some may not share my opinion but the majority of top runners I know keep moving during their recovery.

There you have it…just a few things, and again my opinion. I’d like to hear from you guys, do you agree, disagree?

1) What are your thoughts on any of these?

2) What are some of your ‘bad habits’ that make you human; how ‘bad’ do you really think they are for your running?

3) Favorite not-so-‘healthy’ food?

4) Own up, do you ever fall victim to the ‘sloth’ runner temptations?? 😉

You Can’t Win if You Melt First…

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Cait — 17 Comments ↓

Running in the heat sucks…

It’s a Friday so I think we should kick the weekend off laughing. That said, I’m pretty sure I’ve left more than my fair share of melted person on the track in my time.

Today’s going to be short and sweet but I will also give you a refresher course on all things crazy hot and hydration related with some of my previous posts. Summer weather is hitting us full swing and here’s to hoping you don’t wind up a puddle of runner goo! 🙂

Runners Are Hot: Staying hydrated on the run

All About Liquids: What to drink and when

To Tote or Not to Tote: Carrying water-bottles on the run

The Great Smoothie Debate

1) Are you one of the runners who tend to run better than most in the heat? Do you tend to suffer more than others?

2) Do you live in an area with the dry heat or do you have the humid factor too?

3) How do you handle the heat where you live and your best survival tip?

Smoothies Aren’t the ONLY Way to Go: Eating those fruits and veggies rather than sipping

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Cait — 26 Comments ↓

I don’t like smoothies. Now, before all you smoothie loving masses stop reading here and immediately black-ball me, at least let me explain my case. I don’t get a lot of trendy things, I don’t even drink coffee, for shame! But I’m hyper enough as myself, caffeine would probably end up effecting me like cocaine.

I prefer to eat my food fresh, or at least not blended. (Just some design inspiration I tossed to Sprouts, they just opened a store near me.)

The running realm and the healthy living world are interconnected and whenever people find out I’m a runner and the conversation drifts to food and nutrition, the topic of smoothies seems to inevitably come up. They rave about their protein powders, their spinach combos leaving their glass looking like the Swamp Thing, they start spouting off their must-try recipes and I nod and smile. But in the back of my mind I’m thinking, “I still have teeth and I plan on doing as much chewing as I can until I lose them and then I’ll turn to your smoothies along with Jell-O and applesauce.”

Smoothies work great for TONS of folks and power to you, I can see the benefits:
* Quick and easy to make sure you hit the 30 minute recovery window
* Convenient to eat on the go and tote around
* Wonderful for people who don’t like fruits and veggies and thus need to sneak them in
* Adding protein to them is easy and great for people who are lacking in that department

Again, more fun I thought Sprouts may enjoy. 😛

I get it, and keep on blending if that’s what you need and it works for you. But I’m one of those crazies who really do enjoy eating fruits and veggies as they are and don’t have a problem eating the real versions throughout the course of my day. I also love eggs, cottage cheese and shrimp and have no problem getting that protein amount in real food either. The ocean called and they were running out of shrimp because of me, actually. 😉 You know it if you got that last one.

So an ode to fruits and veggies today, they are great in oh so many ways, even if they are blended. With summer coming up plenty folks find them more appealing and could see using their teeth as a more plausible option.
* Water content: A portion of the water you get each day does, in fact, come from a few of the foods you eat, fruits and veggies are some of those. Obviously not enough to slack on the real liquids but watermelons, melons, pineapple, celery, lettuce and ‘juicy’ fruits/veggies supply more of that H2O good stuff.
* Fiber: Yes, running can help keep you regular, but fiber does that too! Fruits and veggies can be a great source of fiber; again celery and lettuce fall into that category, as do broccoli, cauliflower, and apples. But be warned, because of this they may be better eaten AFTER your run, not before, if you are sensitive to GI issues.
* Antioxidants: Berries are our besties for this one, those colorful blueberries and raspberries may stain your fingers but they are rockstars in the nutrient department. Pair these babies with cottage cheese or greek yogurt and you’ve got an award winning protein, carb, and antioxidant combo!
* Iron: Those dark, leafy spinach greens contain iron which is essential for runners…trust me, low iron is NO energy and it’s important to ensure you get enough of this element.
* Potassium: Bananas, because they also have more carbohydrates than many other fruits, are often thought of as the ‘perfect runner food’. The reason that their high potassium count also swings in their favor (like a chimp on a vine…sorry, lame-sauce, I am!) is because this is an important electrolytes; it’s one of the ones, that when their levels are too low in the body (along with sodium), that people have gotten over-hydrated by drinking too much water.

Eating for running fuel and health: We all know fruits and veggies are things our body need to run at its best and if you’re asking your body to run to perform it’s even more important. Sometimes people find it hard to swallow certain things even if they know they ‘should’…I can’t argue cookie dough ice cream may be more appealing than an apple, but sometimes we need to eat to fuel!

The ocean called for me...

Other quick ideas to bulk up your fruits/veggie intake:
* Toss bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. into your omelets. Not only do you get the veggies but the protein in the eggs is even better.
* Stack those sandwiches higher with more veggies; toss in more veggies to your tacos and burritos too.
* Portabella burgers, have you ever tried these, they are in fact awesome.
* Kabob parties! Grill up those pineapple slices along with your skewered shrimp and chicken; also, have you ever skewered mangos and papayas?? Yum! For veggies, squash and zucchini kabobs rock too.

Smoothies aren’t the only way to go and I may be a bit of an anti-smoothie-ite, please at least read my case before hating me. And if smoothies are your slurp of choice, that’s okay too. 🙂

1) Are you a smoothie lover or hater? If so, what’s your favorite kind of smoothie?

2) Are you pretty good about getting your fruits and veggies in? What’s your favorite kinds and how do you eat them?

3) Do you use any kinds of protein powders in your recipes, smoothies included? If not what’s your top protein choices?
I’m not a huge powder person, I eat a ton of protein foods and know I’m covered.

4) Have you run into a person who refuses to acknowledge or accept you’re not a huge smoothie person?
Yes, I swear some people who try to sell Homer on the idea of the liquid donut.

To Tote or Not to Tote: Running with a water bottle…Clean Bottle Review and Giveaway

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Cait — 16 Comments ↓

Seems like the hot topic of as late is hydration. You can revisit my post earlier in the week about hydration tips for runners and wouldn’t you know that when I popped on over to the Running Times website there was an article just posted about the very same thing. Great minds think alike, maybe? I’ll kid myself into believing that even if it’s not true…hehe.

That's Running Times and me running with the same great idea...it's a stretch but roll with that. 🙂

Their article got really scientific about the whole ‘weigh yourself pre and post-run’ and then take the percentage of sweat lost from your entire body weight and apply that to the amount lost…etc. I sometimes feel that getting too wrapped up in these calculations and conversions may be a little much; certainly more knowledge can be better but at what point is it just over complicating things? In the end the article sums up that even outside of the fanciest tests, scientific equations, lab results and simulations everyone is different and should get to know their body and how they react to certain stressors. Isn’t that pretty much across the board in anything, hydration and training alike?

Athletes, the longer they are at it, become incredibly attuned to subtle nuances that the ‘average person’ probably wouldn’t think twice of. The thing is, when you’re constantly asking your body to perform at it’s best, you can sense those small degrees of deviations from the norm. Feeling 10% off of your best may not mean much if the most physical thing you do all day is stroll around the block, but in the quest for a PR 10% in a HUGE difference. Just some food and drink for thought.

Back to running and hydration, I’m not someone who carries a water bottle with me. I never have and unless I embark on marathon distance-plus training I don’t really plan on doing so. I’m a less is more type of runner and get annoyed if my watch is too big and bulky. Everyone is different and I know my body, I can make it through my runs without needing water or gels…that’s just me.

Taking hydration to an extreme.

But there are lots of runners who DO prefer to carry water and gels; there are the fanny-packs, the belts, and other similar contraptions. With today’s tech age I’m seeing runners taking their phones along like they are just as vital as the actual running shoes. Again, I’m a less is more person, but whatever floats your boat. It does make for some more interesting blog trolling as I can see the pictures other people post of them getting all sweaty with it. 🙂

I was contacted by a new company, Clean Bottle, who have come out with ‘The Runner’ and wanted me to share my thoughts on it. Even though I’m not a bottle-toter myself I’ll give my opinion on it to help runners who do carry hydration and other items on their runners.

The Runner Run-Down: Clean Bottle’s ‘The Runner’ is pretty neat in that it’s been able to combine a couple of different things in a smaller package. It’s a handheld water bottle with a mesh strap to hold onto; attached is a clear, pouch where you can slip in your phone or iPod in through a side zipper. There’s also a little cinch strap on the side that can hold some gels or other fuel. So it’s able hold quite a number of items that a fanny-pack would but it’s a lot less bulky.

Source
The Pro’s: Like I said it can hold a lot of things and it secures them safely. There are loops where you could fasten your keys into as well, even a pocket behind the phone/iPod holder to stuff some money or identification. The strap to hold onto while running is tight enough that it’s not slipping around, and as for a water bottle that’s pretty much self-explanatory. It gets the job done. I don’t usually run with a bottle but I do carry one around other places and I’d take this guy along with me just in everyday life.

The Con’s: Personally I just hate holding onto things when I’m running and a filled water bottle could be a pound or two, but I know you drink it down and it gets lighter. It’s also a little tough to manage your watch or Garmin if you’re taking splits or something; hitting a button while still clutching a tote can be a little tricky. Other than that though, I can’t really say anything bad about it. If I did take hydration on my runs I’d think this would be preferable to a fanny-pack just because I really can’t stand those.

The Company: Clean Bottle actually really impressed me on the whole and not just because of their products; I like the start-up stories and this is one of them. As to their Clean moniker there is a strong tie to being eco-friendly, for which all of their items are, and 10% of their sales go to an environmental related charity you can choose from. They are currently on the Kickstarter website and if you’d like to help support their burgeoning business check it out and support.

Clean Bottle also gave me one of ‘The Runner’ bottles to give away to a reader, so if you’d like to score one leave a separate comment for each of the following:

1) Follow Clean Bottle on Facebook or Twitter.
2) Follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
3) Tweet, blog about, or Facebook about the giveaway
4) Visit Clean Bottle’s Kickstarter fund and if you sponsor them leave two comments and get a double entry there.
5) Tell me, do you carry water, gels, your phone, etc on your runs?

Deadline will be next Tuesday! 🙂

Until later, keep on sweating and swigging…water, that is. 😉

Back to Running After a Long Hiatus and Tackling GI Distress For Runners

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Cait — 21 Comments ↓

Here’s what you relearn every time you get back to running after a long hiatus:

When you hit that slap of back to running reality it's a combo of pain and ecstasy to be back. 🙂

* Cross-training is just that. Nothing is the same as running, mentally and physically, and while you’re a world better off doing that tedious cross-training, it’s still a cold slap of reality when you get back to the real deal. Hello, muscles, almost forgot about you until you were sore again.

* Thank you muscle memory. That slap of reality stinks but it’s kind of crazy how the hazing period isn’t that long…thankfully the longer you’ve been a runner the more your muscles remember how to slip back into runner mode. Push past those initial harder than they really should be runs and you start getting back to your self.

* Nothing clears you out like running. Forget Activia or colonics, sorry if I err on the side of TMI, but it’s true, running keeps you regular.

This segues into my topic for today…the guts, the intestines, and GI issues on the run. I know some of us runners are ‘blessed’ with more than our fair share of these troubles and I’m one of them. Sometimes it’s totally unpredictable and you just do a slight prayer to the running Gods before each hard workout, race, or long run that you won’t have a GI disaster.

The tricky thing with these types of things is that they are different for everyone and really tough to nail down a remedy for. Experts suggest:

* Eating bland foods that sit easy in the stomach. You could call these ‘low residue’ foods, they don’t have much bulk (read as fiber). Examples would be plain, white rice; Dathan Ritzenhein goes to this before his big races because he knows that is what works for him. Other athletes find that drinking their last meal of caloric intake keeps them safe; just make sure it’s a drink that is more than just electrolytes and actually has carbohydrates and sustenance.

* Don’t over-eat. I have a very temperamental stomach and to be quite frank like to run first thing in the morning before breakfast. If I were training and had a hard workout I’d get up earlier and have some oatmeal, but it would have to be a few hours before. Planning your meals helps, and you can revisit my article about ‘Timing Your Fuel’ in Running Times.

Real book, I made it, you want one? 🙂

* Eating on the run. If you’re training for a marathon or doing a really long workout things get even more complicated. During exercise the blood is being sent to your muscles doing the work and all the energy being spent is geared towards getting you to perform; this means that there isn’t the extra blood supply to then go to your stomach and start doing a ton of digesting. For this reason that’s why sometimes people can get into trouble eating just too much during their event; estimates are that you should consume roughly 200 calories per hour of exercise if you’re running more than one hour but everyone is different. Again, liquids are your friend.

* The night before. I know going into a morning run the possibilities that there will be a pit-stop in order are much higher if I’ve eaten a certain kind of food the night before and had a bit more than my fair share. I’ll call it the “Well, I know I’ll pay for it later but it’s worth it right now” effect. Today’s run was brought to the OD of Entenmann’s cheese filled coffee cake last night…but it was worth it. 😉

* Other remedies. I’ve talked to people who swear by this or that supplement, I’ve known people who have had their GI problems solved by acupuncture, there were periods where I’d have to pop an Imodium before every hard workout or long run and it seemed to help. If you’ve suffered with this issue enough you’re willing to try or do anything.

Even with all of this there is never a sure bet. Every GI sufferer sympathized with poor Paula Radcliffe during her marathon pit-stop and it proves that 1) don’t be ashamed to talk about these things because nearly every runner has experienced it 2) don’t make fun of people pulling the bush dive, Karma is a bi*** 3) we’ve been there and if nothing else, try to laugh at yourself, it’s the only way to keep on going.

Still, even after all of these slaps of back to running reality (seriously, the last pain free running this runnerchick got in was somewhere around Halloween!) it is SO worth it, gurgly guts, sore muscles, and all! 🙂

1) What’s the longest you’ve gone without running? Did you cross-traing during that time?

2) What’s one ‘slap of back to running reality’ you have?

3) Do you have stomach or GI issues? What have you tried and what works for you?

4) Is there a certain ‘trigger food’ that you know will set off your stomach? Are there times when you throw caution to the wind and dig in anyways??
Pretty sure we all do it, I’ve got a friend who is nearly Lactose intolerant but orders up the biggest sized Blizzards if she’s sure an easy day is on tap for the next day.

Runners are Hot: Staying hydrated and running when the temperatures rise

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Cait — 17 Comments ↓

You’re starting to sweat and you haven’t even started running yet.It’s hot. Summer is fast approaching and good old, Mr. Sun is making his appearance. It doesn’t feel like long ago you were suited up in full running tights, long-sleeves, and gloves and now you’re donning a sports bra, shorts, and still feel over-dressed.

The heat will zap your energy...

Heat is a touch competitor, and if you’ve been following any of the Boston Marathon buzz it was getting rather toasty over there for those runners. When there had been talk of World Records being set weeks ago that tune started changing when weather conditions started to become a factor. A little ironic being that this was the 30 year anniversary of the epic race between running greats Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley, rightly coined the ‘Duel in the Sun’, where a combination of heat and an all out racing effort changed both runners forever.

The thing about racing in tough conditions is that EVERYONE is effected, so while you’re suffering so is everyone else. However, getting acclimated to such stressors will greatly improve your ability to perform in them. As excruciating as it may be to even think about, that’s why before the Beijing Olympics some top athletes went running at the hottest time of the day and donned full sweats or sauna suits. They also would weigh themselves before and after to see how much fluid they lost due to sweat and made sure to replace that; it’s 16 ounces (2 cups) of water and electrolyte containing drinks you need to drink for every pound of body weight lost.

Dehydration is dangerous and crippling performance wise, but it works against you not just on THAT day but it’s also a cumulative thing. You need to be consistently hydrating yourself every day; if you never drink enough and then pound a ton of water the day of your race it really isn’t going to be doing you any favors. (A side note, you could actually end up over-hydrating which can be just as dangerous if your electrolyte balances become too low.)

We’ve all heard that fun little pee-test scenario, you want your urine to be as clear as possible not bright yellow.

On those days you wish you were at the beach so you could jump in the water...

For every day training, when summer comes along I’ll admit to not being all too stoked to head out in 110 degree weather for my run. I get all salt crusty and come back looking like I’ve been out swimming, true story I’ve been asked that before. 😛

Best things I try to do during those hot summer days:

* Less is more. I long ago got over being afraid to don just a sports bra and shorts, it’s not worth suffering. I even envy the guys who can go on full-shirtless style…lol.

* Go early or go late. Don’t run during the hottest time of the day if you can avoid it. Unless you’re racing at that time and trying to get acclimated, be safe and do yourself a favor and catch the cooler temps if you can.

* Drink like a fish. Not of the alcoholic variety, duh, but make sure especially during these times you’re extra conscious of your fluid intake. That’s both water and electrolyte containing drinks. If you have to, weight yourself before and after a run to see how much you’re sweating out just in that run.

* Toting hydration.I don’t normally run with a water bottle but if you’re going out in extreme conditions or for long workouts think about that option. If you’re at the track grab some sips between intervals or if you’re on a run you can make planned stops where you know drinking fountains are.

Be prepared if you know race day is going to be toasty.

For races you know you’re going to be in hot conditions:

* Seek shade.Heat isn’t just energy zapping while you’re running but also if you’re just standing or sitting in the sun for hours on end. Try to stay in the shade, or inside, as long as you can prior to your race.

* Know your body and your distance. Everyone is able to handle heat less or better than the next person, know if heat is your krytonite and be smart. The longer you distance is the more you may want to hit up those drink stations. You may also need to reassess your racing plan or goal time.

* Double don’t go out to fast. Heat slows times and it will also exponentially kick you in the butt if you go out faster than you should in a race or any run for that matter. Go out conservative if you know it’s a scorcher.

* Training simulation. Getting back to becoming accustomed to racing conditions, you may be well off to take measures prior to your big race to get acclimated to those conditions. You don’t necessarily have to strap on a sauna suit, but do some of your runs and workouts at the same time as your race will be and at the same temps you’ll be racing at.

* Still warm-up. Don’t skip a warm-up just because it’s hot and you think you’re warm enough already…that’s not smart. Do your same routine, go a little slower if you have to, but still get your body primed and ready to run fast for your event.

We can’t control the conditions outside but we should take measures to best prepare ourselves to sweating it out in them. On that one, let’s raise a water-bottle in a toast to getting toasty. 🙂

1) Do you like running or working out in the heat or cold more?
I’m a weenie, I like running in ideal weather all the time. 😉

2) What do you run in on really hot days?

3) If you know it’s going to be really hot for you run or your race what do you do to prep for it?

4) Do you pee clear? 😉 Actually, are you really good about being hydrated?
I do and I am.

5) If you hit up the gym do you like to have a fan blasting on you?
A necessity, I wish I could hire one of those big ones they use for photo shoots sometimes. 🙂

The Post-Run Refuel: Why 30 minutes is your winning window of opportunity

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Cait — 26 Comments ↓

Dairy overload comes to mind in watching the Cal Fenton’s Creamery 5k video. Yesterday was Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s so I hope you all got your ice cream on…too bad it was only one scoop for free and not a bucket or we could have all gone out and seen how fast we could truck a 5k after devouring it all. 😉 Half Baked flavor for me!! Hehe.

Dairy is NOT my prime choice for pre-race fuel, and I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s not an advised choice for any runner, you want something that will sit easy in the stomach. Think bland, plain, and boring too perhaps, but for pre-race and pre-run you’re eating for energy and sometimes that isn’t tantalizing on the taste buds. I’ve got an article featured in Running Times HERE all about pre-run fueling and how to best time your eats, but today will be about the post-run refuel.

30 minutes. Grind that into your brain because that is the golden ticket to recovery…that’s your window of opportunity to replenish those depleted glycogen stores and repair your muscles. You wait just 31 minutes or longer and recovery rates drop by at least 60%. What will that lost recovery look like later:

* More sluggish on your next runs
* More soreness in the muscles
* Lost chance to repair the muscle fiber tears incurred from your run
* Missed chance of coming back stronger, faster, and fitter for your next runs and workouts

Hey, cake with a side of protein totally works! 😉

Over time that could mean potential PR’s and precious seconds gone out the window. Nobody wants that, you work your butt off running the miles, don’t let something as ‘easy’ as just raising food to mouth quickly after a run hold you back in training and racing.

While pre-run foods may have to be bland, the rules of the post-run noshes are loosened up a lot…you don’t have to worry about any GI problems or stomach aches to run with! Still, for those first 30 minutes you do want to be conscious of two important things:

* Protein
* Carbs – preferably some that are digested quickly and absorbed into your system fast, like high GI foods for example

You want the protein because those amino acids are imperative for repairing those broken down muscle tissues and building them back up stronger. You want carbs to replace the lost glycogen used during your workout and for the immediate restock of energy. Here is a time when you can loosen the reins on opting for only the whole grain type of carbs, that white bread is your friend here because it is digested quicker and will get into your system within those precious 30 minutes.

Fruit is an excellent choice, and a banana is prime example post-run fuel if you combine it with some cottage cheese, greek yogurt, or peanut butter and you’re good to go. Convenience can be an issue, and here is where sports bars or even drinks can help in a pinch; if you’re out on a trail it may not be feasible to whip out a pan and make some pancakes and eggs!

Eggs and cinnamon buns, baby! 🙂

The thing with the 30 minute window is that it doesn’t have to be a full meal or ice cream gluttony. At least enough to tide you over until you have a full meal…it can be half a turkey sandwich, fruit and protein source, or a bar. But if you go with a bar make it one that is at least around 200 calories and with upwards of 10 grams of protein…not one of those measly 100 calorie bars, that’s not enough.

From there feel free to take a shower (or maybe not, hey, if you stink that’s your issue not mine) and head on out to get your real meal grub on. If you’re in training, there is more than just putting in the workouts if you want to maximize your full potential, there are the ‘little’ things that while they may seem ‘little’ in theory, when added up over time they make a huge impact. Not just in performance but with reducing your chance of injury and allowing your training to be consistent. Among the ‘little things are stretching, self-massage, warming up, and nutrition.

30 minutes. Time those post-run eats right so you can come back and demolish that next workout…or that next ice cream glutton fueled 5k. 😉

1) Do you pay attention to getting in those protein and carb sources within 30 minutes prior to your workout?

2) What is your favorite protein/carb post-workout combo?

3) Have you ever run a food/race kind of challenge? If so, what and how did you do?
I’ve done the soda mile a few times back in high school, I will say I’m a little proud to say I hold the record AND I never got DQ’ed for barfing…hehe. 🙂

4) What ‘little’ things do you do to prevent your risk of injury or improve your running and workouts?