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WANT TO GET A LOOK AT THE BOSTON MARATHON COURSE, through the eyes of someone who has run it? Brian Metzler has a piece in Competitor.com "Beware of More Than Just Hills In Boston" in which he offers advice (about bringing toilet paper and other necessary items), paints a picture of the course's famous features, and generate thrills and chills of anticipation for future participants and onlookers alike with dire warnings about uphills, downhills, tempting sirens, and Red Sox fans. He also calls on us to remember the victims of the 2013 terrorist bombing incident.
His piece should teach at least ONE LESSON to all runners who hope to race anywhere this year: the importance of "learning" a course before you race it, especially if the distance is longer than that over which you are accustomed to competing. I cannot imagine planning to run more than 26 miles and not knowing what to expect along the way. Other runners can tell you about their experiences, but I expect its not the same as running, walking, or running/walking it beforehand, perhaps even before training starts. Doing so might provide the type of inspiration (fright?) that could power you through the weeks of workouts. It also might lead you to choose a training plan of longer duration that begins earlier than you had anticipated. Below is also a link to the BAA Boston Marathon Course Map RUN HAPPY! http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/event-information/course-map.aspx http://www.running.competitor.com/2016/04/boston-marathon/beware-of-more-than-just-hills-in-boston_148217
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APRIL IS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH
Robyn K. Schneider’s book, “Silent Running: Our Family’s Journey To The Finish Line With Autism” was released in 2015. According to the book’s jacket, the cover of which shows them wearing their BOSTON MARATHON FINISHER MEDALS, it “is the story of how running saved their lives”. Robyn’s and husband Allan’s identical twin boys had been diagnosed with autism at the age of 21 months in 1992. Eventually they would be told it was severe; the boys could not verbalize their thoughts or feelings. The book tells the story of the parents’ personal struggles, and of their efforts to assemble and coordinate teams of helping therapists and other caring people who would attempt to analyze and modify the behavior of their sons, around the clock. Not for a cure, they eventually learned, but for survival. It was a time when advocacy for this condition was non-existent or at best in it’s infancy. I started reading, thinking I would have an idea of the challenges they all faced, as a medical professional. I was so wrong. This story is not a fairy tale, so it has a reality ending. It demonstrates how running allowed this emotionally and physically stretched family to enjoy togetherness and normality, through racing together. I was struck by how much time and resources these parents expended in registering and getting their sons to various organized races, in addition to the effort they made to find dedicated and skilled coaches to train and race with their twins. Not all families dealing with autism have such resources or flexible time. I think EarnedRuns bibs and support might help families. RUN HAPPY! See www.autismrunners.com for their story; www.charitynavigator.com has ratings on charitable organizations; search for “autism” to donate. 2015 Boston Marathon: https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2015/04/19/autistic-twins-to-run-boston-marathon-once-again THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION has a Boston Marathon Official Charity Program that " began in 1989 and since then has grown to support as many as 30+ charities each year. " This is a reminder; if you are running a personal competition and have not had to pay a registration fee, consider donating that amount you would have spent on registration, or a portion of it to your favorite charity. See the GENEROSITY page for some suggestions and information on how to check up on how wisely you are spending your charity dollars through Charitynavigator.org.
One of the charities listed on the Boston Marathon's Official Charity Program is The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, which receives a high rating on the Charity Navigator listings. Tomorrow's post will highlight how running helped one family struggling with the effects of autism. Autism Speaks is a well known charity that has increased awareness with a national presence has a lower overall score on Charity Navigator. (This post was corrected at 11:12 am) RUN HAPPY! http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/event-information/charity.aspx www.charitynavigator.org http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.programs&orgid=8742#.VwxOq3BGql0 A PIECE FROM SALTYRUNNING.COM, “5 Times It’s Okay To Wear The Shirt From A Race You Did Not Run” by Pepper, is GREAT reading for all runners and walkers, both experienced and newbies. Those of us who have been running races and around the sport for ages might still hold to the rule that one does NOT wear race apparel if you did not run that race. It looks like this notion has possibly become outdated. Read this piece AND all the comments it inspired to find direction if you are thinking of putting on a race-related piece of clothing or giving one to someone else, without having sweated through the event.
In modern times, many race organizations might gladly have anyone and everyone purchase and walk around in their gear, advertising that particular race; but not all. Could this be the motive for shoe manufacturers coming out with an ANNUAL SELECTION OF SHOES THAT COMMEMORATE THE BOSTON MARATHON that year? See the article from Competitor.com that highlights the limited edition shoes for 2016. They are offered online before the race and at the race expo and stores in the Boston area. ADIDAS SELLS BOSTON MARATHON LOGO CLOTHING, including the famous CELEBRATION (anthem) jacket. This company is the exclusive supplier of officially licensed apparel. My instincts tell me that wearing the shoes (in spite of not having qualified for or run the race) would not ruffle anyone’s feathers, but wearing the logo clothing, especially the ANTHEM jacket, would be controversial. Perhaps because one must QUALIFY to run this marathon by running a prior marathon below a specified time. Races are personal competitions for most who run them. Non-professional participants are hoping to better their own personal records, cover greater distances, or take on and complete new challenges. The sense of accomplishment one earns depends on honesty and integrity in training and racing. Cheating doesn’t “work” in the honor system that most follow when engaging in friendly competition. So, wearing a race shirt, jacket, or hat isn’t what brings personal reward. As most who comment in this piece agree, lying about participation is NOT ACCEPTABLE, EVER. The author makes some great points, and I am happy to see them. What do you think? RUN HAPPY! http://www.saltyrunning.com/2015/09/25/race-shirt-etiquette-did-not-run/ http://running.competitor.com/2016/03/photos/photos-boston-marathon-special-edition-shoes_147454 http://www.adidas.com/us/boston_marathon MONDAY APRIL 18, THE BOSTON MARATHON WILL BE RUN This race was the first marathon held in the US, and it commemorates a holiday that all Americans can celebrate. So this week EarnedRuns will feature items that relate to this historical, unofficial start to the running, specifically marathon, "season". The official Boston Athletic Association (B.A. A.) website provides a history of the Boston Marathon, which it has sponsored since it’s very first running. The page explains that “after experiencing the spirit and majesty “ of the marathon run at the modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, “B.A.A. member and inaugural US Olympic Team Manager John Graham was inspired to organize and conduct a marathon in the Boston area. “ According to a Wikipedia entry, the “Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, inspired by the success of the 1896 Olympic marathon and held every year since 1897 to celebrate Patriots Day, a holiday marking the beginning of the American Revolution, thereby purposely linking Athenian and American struggle for democracy” “Patriot's Day (or Patriots' Day) commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord, which were fought near Boston in 1775. Patriot's Day is annually held on the third Monday of April. It should not be confused with Patriot Day, held on September 11 to mark the anniversary of terrorist attacks in the USA in 2001.” It’s an official state holiday in Massachusetts and Maine. (FROM: http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/patriots-day) Boston Marathon History that you may not know: - The race’s distance was not always 26 miles 385 feet! The first modern Olympic marathon course covered 24 .5 miles and the Boston Marathon covered 24.8 miles. The official marathon distance was standardized by 1924. - The first year in which women were officially allowed to run was 1972. However, one ran and finished the full race without a bib number for 3 years, 1966-68, and one ran and finished but did not identify herself as a female in 1967. Read the page to learn their names and more about women in this race. - This was the first marathon to include a wheelchair division, in 1975. RUN HAPPY! http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/patriots-day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/boston-marathon-history.aspx WEEK 5 ON TO A HALF MARATHON STARTS TODAY!
There's not much new except for the 12 miles you'll cover on your long run at the end of the week...almost there!!! When I ran my first half marathon (in which severe weather caused the shutdown of the race) I was waiting in the back of the pack before the start with other runners. Some told me their training plan had only called for them to run 12 miles before the race. It was felt that the extra 1.1mile could easily be added on race day. Wow, I felt nervous FOR THEM! You will have the confidence of knowing you ran slightly more than the full race distance before your taper when you run 13.5 miles next week...your last long run of the plan. Congrats for making it this far in training. Make sure you foam roll BEFORE or AFTER this 12 mile run. Or BOTH times! The schedule puts it on Friday, but you can do it any time(s) it seems to help you the most. You will feel better physically, and the knowledge that you are NOT dead on your legs will PREPARE you for that 13.5 mile run at the end of week 6. Remember to use these last 2 long training runs to build MENTAL TOUGHNESS/ CONFIDENCE for RACE DAY. RUN HAPPY! BURPEE PROGRESSIONS AND A LOW IMPACT ALTERNATIVE are offered by Tony Bonvechio in a myfitnesspal.com blog. He demonstrates how burpee progressions might be performed instead of the traditional “squat down-and thrust back to push up-then jump up” version, while maintaining a good technique (he calls it “Hands Elevated Burpee”). He also demonstrates an alternate exercise (“Medicine Ball Thruster”) that is a “complex” routine like the Burpee, but which does not end in a jump, thereby making it low impact. A “complex” routine involves stringing several exercises together to get the entire body worked in one set of moves; many times one of the moves is plyometric (involves rapidly and repeatedly contracting and stretching muscles; usually with short jumps).
The burpee is a full body exercise used in strength training and as an aerobic exercise. The basic movement is performed in 4 steps and known as a "four-count burpee" (adapted from Wikipedia entry): Begin in a standing position.
A very common version is the “bastardo”, which incorporates a pushup after count 2, before going on to count 3. Short History of the Burpee on Wikipedia: “According to Oxford Dictionaries Online, the exercise was named in the 1930s for American physiologist Royal H. Burpee who developed the burpee test. He earned a PhD in applied physiology from Columbia University in 1940 and created the "burpee" exercise as part of his PhD thesis as a quick and simple way to assess fitness. The exercise was popularized when the United States Armed Services adopted it as a way to assess the fitness level of recruits when the US entered WWII. Consisting of a series of the exercises performed in rapid succession, the test was meant to be a quick measure of agility, coordination and strength." Anyone who finds it difficult to perform jumping jacks or other jumping exercises, or has been told to avoid jumping exercises due to joint or other medical issues may wish to stick with the Medicine Ball Thruster. RUN HAPPY! http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/burn-calories-less-time-burpees https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burpee_exercise THINK ABOUT PERFORMING SOME STRETCHES BEFORE GETTING OUT OF BED in the morning! You can extend the luxury of lazing about AND GET STARTED ON YOUR FLEXIBILITY WORKOUT. A Livestrong.com article "3 Wake-Up Stretches To Do In Bed" shows a picture of a woman stretching in bed sitting up and stretching BUT actually describes 3 LOWER BODY STRETCHES:
Straight leg (for hamstrings) Bent knee to chest (for piriformis) Side knee bend (for quads) There has been considerable discussion about static stretching prior to athletic performance. In a February 25, 2014 post by Sonya Collins, reviewed by David T Derrer MD, WebMD advises that it isn’t necessary prior to exercise as it’s not been “proven to help prevent injury, curb muscle soreness after exercise, or improve your performance.” The emphasis has been rather to perform dynamic stretches to warm up, “which are like your workout but at a lower intensity”. Before a run this could mean starting with brisk walk or doing “walking lunges, leg swings, high steps, or "butt kicks" (slowly jogging forward while kicking toward your rear end)”. The best time for static stretches is AFTER exercise when the body has been moving and blood has been circulating to all the tissues. HOWEVER stretching ANYTIME has benefits “It is not a must that you stretch before or after your regular workout. It is simply important that you stretch sometime. This can be when you wake up, before bed, or during breaks at work.” The section quotes Lynn Millar, PhD, a physical therapist and professor at Winston-Salem State University, “‘Stretching or flexibility should be a part of a regular program.’” Millar also authored an article posted on the American College of Sports Medicine organization’s website “Improving your Flexibility and Balance” dated Feb 12, 2012. WITH TIME OF STRETCHING NOT BEING CRUCIAL, think about performing some stretches before getting out of bed in the morning! There are the Livestrong stretches (see above). The Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma also offers a set of Lower Body Exercises under it’s education section “Runners Resource Guide: Therapeutic Exercises” that include stretches performed in the supine (lying on the back) position, which can be done in bed. Some exercises are shown performed with a band (this could also be a thin towel), but actually the same moves can be done without this aid. The stretches are described/pictured at the later section of the guide, after the exercises (listed here): Stretches Hip Flexor Stretch (Supine) Hamstring Stretch with band (or towel) Iliotibial Band Stretch with band (Crossover) Iliotibial Band Stretch with band (Crossunder) Prayer Stretch Exercises (these are terrific for improving lower body strength) Seated Hip Flexion Side Lying Hip Abduction Clamshells Hip Extension (Prone, Knee Extended, and Bent) Bridge Another stretch that I find particularly easy to perform in bed is the Piriformis Stretch, described by WebMD: "Piriformis Stretch
RUN HAPPY! http://www.livestrong.com/article/14392-3-wake-up-stretches-to-do-in-bed/ http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/piriformis-stretch http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/how-to-stretch https://www.acsm.org/public-information/articles/2012/02/02/improving-your-flexibility-and-balance http://www.nismat.org/patients/therapeutic-exercises/lower-body-exercises THIS WEEK THE FINAL SEASON OF THE TV singing talent show “American Idol” comes to an end. The finale is Thursday night. Whenever something is posted here that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with running, the questions is asked, “Why DOES this matter?”
It’s about MENTAL TOUGHNESS. Tuesday night there was a special in which contestants and winners of previous seasons, past and present judges, and people (like producers) who were operationally connected with the “AI” show were interviewed. The comments that struck me as significant concerned the preparation that was required to be successful as a contestant. Each week of the competition the stakes were HIGHER and the contestants had to “up their games” to move on. If the most recent performance was not judged to be their best, comments were critical, and elimination was imminent but did not occur, the singers needed to not only improve their voices but their “performances”. Above all singers had to select songs that best showcased their talent. Isn’t this what we as runners preparing for our goal competitions also do, but on a less public and stressful stage? Matt Fitzgerald has an insightful piece on Competition.com about how to use each training session to prepare mentally for competition, "Don't Separate Mental Training From Physical Training" . Rather than just visualizing success, he contends that we might benefit more from scheduling and completing the kinds of training sessions that are designed to build real confidence in our capabilities. “Don’t worry about which workout you need to do to boost your VO2 max, and so forth.” he says. “Those details don’t matter. Just think about the sorts of specific training experiences you need to have behind you going into a race in order to arrive on the start line confident in your ability to achieve your goal.” I very much enjoyed “American Idol” through the years. January though May of each year I was preparing to deliver a significant portion of the medical school pathology lectures for which I was responsible during these months in which the show was aired. I found the young people on the show inspiring. Surely I thought, if they had the courage to do what was required to prepare for their weekly performances, I could do the same to prepare to “perform” my lectures! (this was a terrifying experience for me for all the years I was a lecturer). Whether or not you like “Idol”, read what Matt Fitzgerald has to say, and think about using every training session to mentally prepare for competition. RUN HAPPY! http://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/television/2016/04/04/american-idol-vows-spectacular-finale/82632842/ http://running.competitor.com/2014/03/training/don%e2%80%99t-separate-mental-training-from-physical-training_27280 IF YOU ARE INCREASING YOUR MILEAGE for half marathon training, or just because the weather is better (sometimes anyway), and if you are NOT doing MYRTLs prior to your longer runs, this reminder is for you. There will be a post about stretching in a few days. Both MYRTLs and stretching can help you survive and ENJOY these runs. The name comes from the idea the exercises in this routine will increase the motion/mobility or strength of your "hip girdle". The RESOURCES page has the links to the Coach Jay Johnson video if you want to access it anytime. If you HAVE BEEN DOING MYRTLs, now's a good time to check your form and make sure you are doing them correctly!
RUN HAPPY! http://www.coachjayjohnson.com/2011/12/building-a-better-myrtl/ INTERNATIONAL DARK SKY WEEK 2016 IS APRIL 4-10!
What does this have to do with running? Although most runners and walkers occasionally use treadmills and indoor tracks to work out, most of us spend a lot of time outdoors and greatly value the natural beauty of the world about us. We appreciate an environment that is as free of pollution as is possible, whether we live in urban, suburban, rural, or wilderness areas. Light is another form of pollution of the night sky that can be harmful to human, animal, bird, marine, and insect life. Read what the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) has to say about it this week at http://www.darksky.org. Think about the outdoor lighting on your home, and in the parks and trails you visit for running and recreation. Does it confine illumination to the intended areas for the intended use, or throw light upward indiscriminately into the sky, while serving no useful purpose? In my experience, wonderful people who would otherwise be horrified to learn they were contributing to pollution of the water or air are reluctant to change night sky-polluting habits. This is likely because replacing lighting can be expensive and it's not recognized that light is a night sky problem. In one neighborhood in which we lived there were lovely old-fashioned streetlamps that were on 24/7; they shone mercilessly into all areas of our home, since we were on a corner. In another city the neighbor’s garage floodlight lit up the bedrooms at the back of our house all night. Our response was to put in room darkening shades and wear eyeshades to sleep. The least costly, first step toward reducing light pollution will be to educate and increase awareness that a problem exists. Check out the information on the IDA website. There are activities in the State of Michigan ( I could not readily find others) ; check locally to see if something's going on in your state this week that may be near your location. If you have not seen the Milky Way in recent memory, make that a summer priority. Once you see what you’re missing, taking action might seem more important. RUN HAPPY! http://www.darksky.org http://darksky.org/dark-sky-week-2016/ http://www.globeatnight.org/dsr/ http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2016/03/state_parks_to_be_open_later_f.html A BIT OF DARK CHOCOLATE MAY IMPROVE PERFORMANCE A BIT! Gretchen Reynolds in the New York Times "WELL" Blog provides a nice summary of new research into the effects of dark chocolate (DC) supplementation (Dove brand manufactured by Mars, Inc. specifically) on athletic performance: "Chocolate Can Boost Your Workout. Really.", March 23, 2016. The study, "Dark Chocolate Supplementation Reduces the Oxygen Cost of Moderate Intensity Cycling" by RK Patel and colleagues, was small (9 cyclists) and included only males. The daily dose was small (40 grams) and the experimental supplementation period was only 2 weeks. There was no indication that participants were blinded to what they were ingesting (dark versus white chocolate). The improvements were relatively small, a little over a tenth of a mile in a short duration, 2 minute-cycling time trial and an 21% and 11% increase in gas exchange threshold over the baseline measurement and after white chocolate supplementation (which translates to a reduced oxygen cost for the moderate intensity exercise performed by the test subjects). With all that in consideration, this type of supplementation would be a safe and relatively minor change to the diet for runners seeking faster times. What if there is a major placebo component to the improvement? Remember that Ron Weasley took what he thought was Felix Felicis ("lucky") serum and brought the Griffindor Quiddich team a victory, in the book "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" by JK Rowling. The mental contribution to competition can be significant in real life and in fiction! Give a try if you can stop at the recommended dose and can afford the extra calories (I bought a bag; you can see the foil wrapped pieces in the above image; 40 grams= 5 pieces @ about 210 calories). The components in commercially available DC that the authors thought contributed to the results include flavanols (it's especially rich in a substance called epicatechin) in the cocoa powder, which allow for the increased production and bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) by endothelial cells that line blood vessels. NO, they state, is known to "potentially increase vasodilation, glucose uptake and regulate muscular contraction". The full research article is available online. The Reynolds piece informative and goes into more detail. RUN HAPPY! http://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-015-0106-7 http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/chocolate-really-can-boost-your-workout/?_r=0 THIS WEEK INCLUDES A TEMPO RUN OPTION!
On Thursday you can include a tempo run if you feel you have built a good running base over the past several months. This would be running 3-4 times a week and feeling that 6 miles is comfortable distance to run. See the March 25, 2016 BLOG post for information on TEMPO RUNS. It can be accessed here and will also be a PDF on the RESOURCES page. RUN HAPPY! Tempo Runs Explained copy of March 25, 2016 BLOG post SLEEP IN! IT'S THE WEEKEND and the calendar says we are headed for later sunsets and earlier sunrises and warmer evenings. There are lots of reasons that a good night’s sleep may be difficult to achieve in modern times, even when we sleep in our own homes. Some runners will be traveling on vacation, or to destination races that require staying in unfamiliar rooms (friends, relatives, or hotels will host us) in which we don’t control the environment.
An inexpensive aid to peaceful slumber in the DARK, is to wear a sleep mask or sleep shades to bed. I have used them for decades, keeping some given to my family by the airlines on an overnight flight. That long ago they were FREE! My husband now occasionally travels far and picks one up. They are simply made of a smooth black fabric and elastic bands, don’t wear out, and can be easily washed. I haven’t needed to shop for replacements. This is much less trouble than putting in room darkening shades! You can check out this review or surf internet shops for more options. My experience is that the shades especially help to extend sleep in the morning, when it’s still too early to rise, but I am beginning to be wakeful. In my own home it’s okay to get up super early, make coffee, and get going. But as a visitor or a hotel guest, there might not be any options to laying awake in bed for an hour or more, especially if there are others in the room still sleeping. RUN HAPPY! http://www.tenbestreview.com/beauty-health/top-10-best-sleep-masks/ TO BURN FAT AND IMPROVE RUNNING PERFORMANCE
Scientists have been trying to help athletes improve overall performance through dietary manipulations of carbohydrate, protein, and fat in combination with different training regimens. One of the problems they have faced is that certain types of diets, mostly those low in carbohydrate (CHO), can decrease the ability to perform high intensity (HIT) exercises during training. This is because the preferred fuel for muscle cell contraction is glycogen, which is formed through the breakdown of ingested dietary CHO. The decrease in training ability experienced by research subjects following an experimentally LOW CHO protocol has made it difficult to fairly compare their performance with subjects following a CONTROL protocol, who seem able to exercise “normally” in HIT sessions. Thus in research studies, the biological changes seen with LOW CHO training have lead scientists to think it would improve performance, but they have not been able to demonstrate this in real sport situations. Researchers who recently published a study in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise feel they have overcome this difficulty. They demonstrated that a change in the timing of CHO availability during the training day in experimental subjects has improved cycling and running performance and slightly lowered body mass due to a slight decrease in fat composition, when compared with control subjects. Matt Fitzgerald does a wonderful job discussing the results of this research in a Competitor.com article, “Runners: An Easier Way to Be a Better Fat Burner”. I wanted to know the specifics of the study and below provide some of the details and my perspective on that research, “Enhanced Endurance Performance By Periodization of Carbohydrate Intake: “Sleep Low” Strategy by Laurie-Anne Marquet, Jeanick Brisswalter, Julien Louis, and colleagues. The study was conducted using 21 trained (>2 years; >10hr /week) endurance athletes (triathlete males; race/ethnicity not provided) over a 6-week period: 3 weeks of familiarization maintaining usual diet and exercise load + 3 weeks of the training experiment. The experimental group consumed a high CHO load lunch/snack/drink before a HIT session scheduled after 5pm (train “high”), then ate a zero CHO dinner with no CHO overnight (sleep “low), and finally performed a prolonged low-intensity training (LIT) session the following morning before 10 am, without ingesting any CHO (”train-low”). The control group consumed the SAME TOTAL AMOUNT OF CHO as the experimental group but WITHOUT RESTRICTION; CHO was available BEFORE and DURING the HIT and LIT. For each of 3 weeks ALL subjects followed the training schedule on 4 consecutive days. For each of the remaining 3 days ALL subjects performed one LIT session and ate a “usual diet”. ALL subjects consumed a high-protein sugar-free drink before going to bed. The authors indicate that, ingesting proteins after exercising “increases skeletal muscle protein synthesis and has been described to support muscle repair and remodeling“. Although the control group also had the evening protein-drink, the drink may have had an added effect in the experimental group during the overnight recovery period induced by the changed timing of CHO intake during training. For those interested: the HIT sessions consisted of 8 x 5minute cycling at 85% maximum aerobic power (MAP) determined for each individual, or 6 x 5minute running at their usual 10K triathalon pace, with 1 minute recovery between sets. The LIT consisted of 60 minutes of cycling at 65% MAP. MY TAKE* on what this study means for RUNNERS GENERALLY: 1) The results may not be the same in females; racial differences may change the results 2) HIT sessions are most likely to be productive if PRECEDED by high CHO intake several hours earlier 3) For LIT morning training runs of 60 or less minutes, it may not be necessary to eat breakfast beforehand, even if there weren’t many CHO in the preceding dinner 4) During a HIT session it may not be necessary to consume drinks/foods with CHO 5) A high-protein/zero-CHO snack before bed may be good idea with this regimen 6) Cycling is a low-impact training HIT exercise that may “save” your legs and help your performance 7) Without changing total calorie intake, this CHO/training timing regimen may help the body to preferentially burn fat; how many days and how strictly one adheres to the research protocol is not certain to obtain this result MY CONCLUSION: It may be worth a trial of altering your carbohydrate intake by time of day and training session to improve running performance or burn more fat. RUN HAPPY! *We cannot exactly re-create these research study conditions. It's possible that we cannot get the same results. But by understanding the principles on which the research was based we can make changes in our everyday lives that MIGHT have the desired effects. None of the trained endurance athletes' health in the study was endangered while exercising at high levels; there are no cautions by the authors in this regard. Personally, for several decades I have run short-moderate distances in the mornings without a morning meal. You must consider your own health history and experiences to safely make dietary changes. The usual warning always applies: if you have a medical condition or are new to running, consult a physician beforehand. http://running.competitor.com/2016/03/nutrition/an-easier-way-to-become-a-better-fat-burner_146746 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26741119 |
BRIDGE TO PHYSICAL SELF
Running, walking, and fitness activities enable us to experience our physical selves in a world mostly accessed through use of fingers on a mobile device. AuthorEARNED RUNS is edited and authored by me, runner and founder. In 1978 I began participating in 10K road races before 5Ks were common. I've been a dietitian, practiced and taught clinical pathology, and been involved with research that utilized pathology. I am fascinated with understanding the origins of disease as well as health and longevity. Archives
November 2023
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