Greetings Winter/Spring Runners; Week #14
I just finished reading “Born to Run”. I had been kind of avoiding starting it. I was a little skeptical that is would be another text book approach or a ‘see what I have done’ – I have become a little jaundiced about ‘running books’; a lot of rehash; same old, same old.
I must thank Ali Hollander. She gave me a copy, signed by the author, Christopher McDougall, “To Ron – A true guru of the two –legged art”. I thought ‘nice’ until I finished the book. Then I was really moved and humbled. This book touched my soul – and I don’t’ say that lightly.
It validated (the best word I can find) what I have felt all my life. Since I was an 8 year old, chasing my dog, ‘Pepi’, through the sage brush on/near the Navajo reservation as he chased Jack Rabbits. I remember the joy I felt and the infectious since of freedom ‘Pepi’ exuded – even though we never actually caught a rabbit :-) It was the chase, the run, the exuberance, the feeling of ‘letting go’.
Some of you have heard me say I was a sophomore in High School before I realized my football, wrestling and baseball coaches were making us run laps for something other than as a reward. Yes, I was a naïve kid.
I have always felt a little reluctant to go beyond the mechanics of running when coaching – you – because I know how I feel when I think someone is prostelsizing to me. Lance Armstrong’s “It’s Not About the Bike” touched me as well. It is not (should not be) about the ‘mechanics’ or running; the PR’s, the Age Group finish, or losing weight.
After finishing ‘Born to Run’ I felt a kind of relief – someone else felt the same way I do – I was not so different after all :-) Okay, maybe a little.
I don’t expect everyone to embrace the passion the same way – but I do hope you try to open your mind/soul to the idea that there is something more primeval to why you run.
“You don’t stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running”
As a lot of us are getting ready for upcoming races (10 days until Umstead 100) I have gotten some questions on how many gels to take and when. My research texts books use the formula’s
Calory intake: 2cal/#/hr = 370cal/hr (for me about a Gu every 15 minutes)
Sodium: 4mg Na /#/hr = 740mg/hr (for me)
20oz/150#/hr = 25oz/hr (for me)
Steve Carton sent me a link he found on the subject. Below is an excerpt that touches on the subject.
“This study by the University of Western Australia, which reads more like a science experiment than a running how-to article, proved you can increase the impact of carbo loading on glycogen levels as much as 90 percent. Then I validated the experiment at the last LA Marathon.
Here's what you do.
- Eat lightly and normally the week before the marathon.
- The day before your marathon, do a 3 minute, very-high-intensity speed workout in the morning. For me, that meant running two-plus all-out laps at the track, leaving me gasping for breath and really feeling the burn.
- Consume 12 grams of carbs for every kilo of lean body mass spread over the next 24 hours. That's a HUGE amount of carbs. For my 150 pound body, that meant buying four 18-ounce cans of ABB Carboforce at 24 Hour Fitness and nursing them down during the course of the day (ten 12-ounce bottles of new Gatorade Carbohydrate Energy Formula would work as well).
If you wade through the study, you'll find the science of it is that your body responds to the all-out workout by getting ready to handle this stress again, i.e., it loads a ton of glycogen into your muscles. Yet the short duration of the workout means it has no impact on your readiness for the race the next day. And Carboforce isn't bad: it tastes like a really syrupy version of Gatorade.
While I must admit to feeling a little bit bloated at the starting line, I breezed past the free cellphone call area coming into downtown LA, where I had hit the wall in 2007, and felt strong all the way to the finish. My time was 23 minutes faster overall, and most of the improvement was in the last 5 miles, thanks to not hitting the wall. “
The ‘take away’ here is 1) the majority of us do not take in enough calories pre and during the race. 2) trying to take in more (much more) calories (GU, Carboom, HEAD, PowerGel, etc) during a race without practicing with the amount can be disastrous – bloating, greater dehydration, puking. 3) We are ALL “an experiment of one” and everyone has different adsorption rates and taste tolerance.
My advice is to use the above formula as a starting point, try it on a few longer training runs – adjust as necessary with type calories/gels and amount – try what you find in a race – re-adjust as necessary – repeat – repeat J………and let me/us know what you find works for you.
Mark the Date:
Saturday 17 April – METAvivor Adventure Race, Annapolis MD. 1 Mile Kayak; 17 Mile Bike; 5k Run. Details and Registration at: http://tinyurl.com/yh8r7w9
Details and Registration at: http://tinyurl.com/ykug576
Tom Nelson has constructed a site to show our routes and water stop locations for the long run coming up each week. You can indicate your intention to run and see who else is planning on showing up – one more incentive for getting there. Check back to the following website later in the week for the latest info on water support: http://www.runningahead.com/groups/truman/Forum