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It's a question I get from the marathoners I coach.
The answer is yes, I do GU. I think using calorie replacement on long runs, such as marathons, is imperative.
But people generally ask the same questions about it and have the same concerns. They sometimes have trouble taking them, especially in later miles when the stomach can feel unsettled. Or they wonder if it really works. And if it does, how many packets do you need to take during a race?
So let's talk about these concerns.
First of all, if you are about to compete in a long distance event of any kind -- whether it be a marathon, half Ironman or Ironman -- you need to do a proper carb load.
This doesn't mean a plate of pasta the night before the event. It means systematically shoring up the glycogen in your muscles by adding additional carbohydrates to your diet in the days before the event. Yes, you will put on a few pounds. But you'll shed them race day. And the body takes the extra carbs and makes glycogen, the basic fuel of the muscles. It then stores that fuel in your muscles to use when you need it, especially later in the race.
You can get these extra carbs through a combination of adding some additional carbs from foods such as pasta, bagels, pretzels, and bread into the diet in a larger amount, as well as using the carb drinks that are available on the market. Some of these products pack as many at 100 grams of carbs per bottle. Using both the food and the carb drinks make taking the extra carbs doable and easy on the digestive tract.
Making sure you are drinking enough water during the load is also key. That water helps the body absorb the extra glycogen into the muscles.
So you are loaded and ready to go.
How do you manage the gu intake race day? Before we get to the do's, let's look at one major don't.
Do not take a gel at the outset of a long race. You don't need it at this point. It causes your blood sugar to go way up. Your body then has an insulin response to the sugar to clear it from your bloodstream, and you can feel a lull in your energy after that happens.
This negative effect from gobbling gu doesn't happen later in the race, if you take the gel after you have been working the muscles for at least an hour. By that point, your body uses the sugar that the gel gives you immediately. There's no need for the body to release insulin to clear the sugar from your blood, because the exercise itself is allowing it to be used properly. Receptors in the cells are open from the exertion, and the gel immediately gets used by the body.
I tell my clients to do the first gel about an hour into the race. Before the race, find out where the water stops are located and plan appropriately. If, for example, the water stops are every two miles on the even mile, then take your first gel on the odd mile before the water stop.
And this is the next key point. Take the gel a bit at a time. Do not just pop the top and put the whole thing in your mouth. No wonder people get sick.
Your blood is in your legs, not your digestive tract, so you need to be careful about how much you dump into your stomach. That is why taking the gel over the course of the mile before the water stop works so well. You get all of it in, bit by bit, then get to wash it down with the water from the stop. In this way the body can best use what you have given it to help you along with your energy.
So how many should you take? For a marathon, I take about four or five, depending on how I am feeling. I start about an hour and 15 mintues into the run. Then I take them about every 20 minutes from there on out. In terms of the miles, I usually take my first around mile 10 or 11. Then my next ones at 14, 17, 20, and 22. That usually does it for me.
Carry your gels with you. There are packs, shorts with pockets, and various other ways to do it. But don't run the risk the race will have them out there and available. Cover your bases and bring them with you.
Finally, make sure you practice taking them on your long runs. Practice consuming them a bit at a time as we mentioned. Find and use the flavors that work best for you. Don't try something new on the race course!
These little packets are designed to help you sustain your energy through the course of a long event. They work. So try to use them appropriately and proactively, so that along with your carb load and proper training, you can hit your goals in your long distance races without hitting the wall.
Tags: Marathon Nutrition Sugar
A week ago I was sitting in my house, on the edge of my seat, beer at my side, remote in my hand. At one time there was a Cubs game on (and as most folks know we believe we are World Series bound this year), a Bear's preseason game, and the Olympics, which was highlighting the women's marathon. I was enraptured and in heaven. My boyfriend said I might need to set the next few weeks aside for sports withdrawal, as the Olympics ended on Sunday. He's right. It's going to be a tough adjustment, because it's been a great run.
What a treat to pop on the TV in prime-time - any night of the week - and be able to enjoy such high level athletics. I've had a chance to watch sports that I'm less familiar with and begin to understand these more fully. Or watch the sports I know well and love, and feel the excitement and the nerves as we triumphed or failed in our quest for medals.
We have so much to be proud of as a country. From the run of Michael Phelps and his eight gold medals, to the Redeem Team, who have shown the kind of professionalism, resolve and stunning talent we knew they had, but failed to demonstrate in 2004. With Coach K at the helm and leadership from players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant on the floor, we have realized the potential that was always there and have gone unbeaten.
And in defeat, Tyson Gay would not make excuses for the failures that besieged him. What a rough road this Olympics was for this young man... From his failure to make the 100-meter dash final to the dropping of the baton on his anchor leg of the 4x100 meters. But he never made excuses. Never threw fits. He maintained his integrity and accepted what happened, vowing it would just make him work harder. He is a class act.
As is Allyson Felix. Having run the fastest time in the world last year in the 200-meter dash, she ran second for the silver this year behind her rival, Veronica Campbell of Jamaica, who had also beaten her at the 2004 Olympics. Since that race in Athens, she had never lost to Campbell again... until the 200 final last week.
This had to be a bitter disappointment to her and yet she held her head up, grateful for the medal she did win and showed the best of who we are to the rest of the world. She finally received her gold medal when the women's 4 x 400-meters won Saturday night. I couldn't have been happier for her.
So we walk away knowing there is work to do. What happened to us in track and field demonstrates a need for leadership. Dropping the batons in both the men's and women's 4 x 100-meters, shows that we need work to come together as a U.S. Olympic team in track and field. There is a lot of work to do there.
The sport of cross country mountain bike racing is a sport born in the U.S.A. Yet our best woman finished 7th and our best man, 29th. I think this happens because too often,
American athletes who participate in some of the lesser known sports, lack an ability to have
time to develop, because most of them are holding down full-time jobs and raising families, without the benefit of the financial support provided by other countries to their own athletes in these particular sports. And that affects our ability to compete.
The marathon is a good example. In recent years, there has been more of a spotlight on running and greater funding. We now have development happening with some of our younger phenoms, like Ryan Hall and Dathen Ritzenhein, who have the support behind them to train in a way that allows them to be more competitive. They finished 9th and 10th respectively in the men's marathon, being the first pair of Americans to run sub 2:13 in 34 years. The conditions in Beijing were terrible and their times reflected that, as they are both capable of faster finishes. But the heat made those kinds of performances nearly impossible for those who have not been acclimated to them since birth.
But they represented us well and I am proud of what they accomplished. The future is bright for both of these young men and I believe we'll see them in London in four years.
It would be great to see that kind of support and development in sports like cross country mountain bike racing, as well as others. We have the athletic ability and talent that can be developed when the opportunities are there. We have proven that again and again, as we once again win the medal count with 110 Olympic medals for these Summer Olympic games.
And finally, I believe the greatest gift the Olympics gives its spectators is the gift of motivation. Swimming centers all over the country are chock full of new swimmers, looking to learn how to swim, because of Michael Phelps' run. Beach volleyball courts will be rife with new competitors as Misty May-Trainer and Kerrie Walsh brought this challenging sport to the forefront, along with Phil Dolhausser and Todd Rogers; as both the men's and women's teams brought home gold.
Watching the Olympics reminds us there is more to life than baseball, basketball, golf, and football; the bulk of what we know as televised sports. But rather there is a world of athletic possibilities open to us, new and interesting sports to help up stay fit, athletically engaged and healthy.
It's been a fun three weeks. Can't wait til 2012. Some say that the 2016 Olympics may be right here in Chicago. Murmurs are we've moved into the No. 1 spot. And wouldn't that be an amazing opportunity to BE there next time to watch, rather than to be on my coach, remote in hand and beer at my side. That would be a dream come true!
Of course I'm going to write about the men's 4 x 100-meter relay at the Olympics. I saw it Sunday night. It was on everyone's lips on Monday.
It had to be one of the most exciting and emotional sporting events I have ever witnessed. My 17 year-old and I had a discussion about why it was great. He says it is because the French were expected to win. Destined, some say. And that it didn't look that good for us on paper. The excitement came in seeing not only the world record smashed by such a large margin, but witnessing the Americans do what others said they couldn't and take the gold medal in a come-from-behind victory.
I say the most exciting thing was the sheer heart that Jason Lezak showed in the anchor leg. It was absolutely astounding. He was pulling so hard he was actually coming up and out of the water in those final strokes. It was incredible to watch. And it gave Phelps the ability to continue in his quest for eight gold medals.
So for me it was being reminded how much our desire plays into our results. It is easy to go through the motions. Especially when we've been doing this for years. It's easy to take our talent or fitness for granted; to just sort of stop wanting to do better. And frankly, there is definitely a time for that.
But when we make the decision to improve or to compete at a higher level; when we commit to the training required, we always need to plug into the fact that our desire to achieve the goal can directly dictate its outcome.
Having our "head in the game" is really having the focus to execute and the desire to push beyond what we've thought we could do previously. And rather than it really coming from our heads, it is coming directly from our hearts.
And that is what separates the average moment in our sporting lives with the extraordinary moments. When we put our hearts into the process and the event and hit the mark.
Lezak did that before my eyes the other night. It gave me goosebumps. It was a timely reminder to me that I am blessed to be an athlete and have the direct experience of putting my heart into what I am doing and seeing what I can achieve.
I just got back from a hike in the Rocky Mountains.
We hit one of the many trail heads at Rocky Mountain National Park on Thursday with our packs, which included tent, sleeping bags, bug repellent, sun block, a change of clothes, some camp cookware and some freeze dried food. And not much else. Gotta keep those packs as light as possible.
Our plan was to do a three-day/two-night hike and camp, which would average about 6 to 7 miles of hiking a day. Quite reasonable, even given the altitude and the elevation gains we'd need to deal with.
But upon reaching the ranger station on Thursday morning to get our permit, we learned the camp sites we wanted were unavailable. Time to regroup. We decided to do the same loop only backwards. This plan allowed us to get the desired campsites, but it would now require an 8- mile, 12-mile and 4-mile hikes, with a heck of a lot of climbing.
Hiking with a 40-pound pack on your back is challenging. But schlepping it several miles and up 4,000 vertical feet is, uh, hard. Darn hard. But darn rewarding.
The first day we did the 8 miles, which was mostly up. The hike was a bit of baptism by fire, but it was a good workout. We spent our first night under a cloudy sky, snuggled in our bags and our tent, trying to get a few Z's in prep for the long hike the next day.
After some green tea and instant oatmeal, we headed out the next morning for what we knew would be the most challenging part of the trip. The first 8 miles of the 12-mile day would be climbing.
We hit the pinnacle of our hike at that 8-mile mark. It was some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever come across in my entire life. Truly amazing.
We saw a gorgeous lake near Long's Peak. The peak is 14,000+ feet, but we climbed to about 12,300 to get this amazing view. We hid our packs and hiked unencumbered to the area where the lake was located. High above the treeline, our views were unobstructed and awe-inspiring.
Our next challenge was to descend from that altitude, down to our next camp site. Just like in a marathon, the punishing part of up and down is the down. Especially with the weight of the pack. It is hard on the legs. But we managed.
We reached our camp site, dropped our packs and hiked back on the trail a bit to explore an old mine that was there. Between that out and back and the out and back we did at the lake, we added another two miles to an already long day.
But it was completely worth it. Again we made ourselves a nice little home at our campsite, fixed dinner and retired with tired legs, but content with what we'd accomplished that day.
Our last day was 4 miles. Mostly downhill once again. And knowing we were drawing near to the end of the hike, that somehow made the hike feel short.
Finally in the bright sunlight of late morning on Saturday, we emerged from the trails, hot, tired, a little hungry, perhaps a little stinky, but deeply satisfied.
This is what I love about being a geezerjock. We make lifestyle choices that allow us a level of fitness and health that keeps doors open. As our kids grow and time becomes a little more available, we find we can do the things we'd wanted to when they were young and time was short.
We are capable of those choices because we stay fit. We take good care of ourselves. We remain active and cherish that activity, as it is a major component of the life we choose for ourselves.
And when you stay in shape, you always have options. We can once again prove to ourselves, that limitations are largely self-imposed, and when we choose fitness for ourselves, anything is possible.
Tags: Hiking Geezerjock
Have you noticed it? I have. I started noticing it during the spring classics in March and April.
I am talking about how different pro cycling races look since last year's Le Tour de Fiasco. When Operation Puerto began exposing the names of alleged dopers, team sponsors began pulling out as quickly as the accusations were being flung at nearly all the top riders. Cycling was a mess. Many wondered if the sport could rebound from something this damaging. No sponsors, no support, no cycling. Period. Things were going to have to drastically shift if the sport was to truly survive.
Then along came two American teams, Slipstream Chipotle, now called Garmin Chipotle; and Team High Road (and yes, I do believe the double meaning was intentional), now named Columbia. These two teams assembled an international cadre of riders, all who made the pledge to be tested extensively and by the team itself. They vowed to ride clean. Squeaky clean.
I had heard this desire to clean up pro cycling and restore its honor was being heralded not only here on our soil, but across the pond as well.
Look, I don't mean to be cynical. But when I heard this I was skeptical this could succeed, because the very nature of the sport of pro cycling is so demanding, unforgiving and punishing, doping had become a way to merely survive.
But bravo to the effort. Good news for those of us who tune in to Versus to watch the Tour de Flanders, Milan-San Remo, Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix in the spring, the Giro in May and the grand dame of them all, the Tour de France in July.
And when I saw my first race of the year, I noticed it right away. The race tactics looked different. The riders who were up in front were different. The old hammer, then hammer some more way of racing, forcing a rider to recover so quickly from an effort it defied logic (hello!) then attack again, was totally different.
I was seeing more conservative riding by the team leaders. More calculation with regard to attacks and counter attacks. And watching the domestiques ride hard for their man but doing it with more emphasis on strategy and less on brute force effort.It was truly startling. And predicting the winner was somehow much more tricky.
Now it is July. I have seen every stage of the Tour so far and it is definitely a Tour like I have never seen before.
The standing joke is that French riders haven't been successful in more recent years because they've been too clean to compete. Nearly every breakaway of the early stages thus far, has been brimming with Frenchmen. The Yellow Jersey is changing hands every day -- as are the Green and Polkadot jerseys for the best sprinter and king of the mountains respectively.
Also noted, the guys who are all around riders, who both time trial and climb well are showing a definite strength at one or the other, rather than that dominance of both, which has been the norm for so many years.
It's also apparent that riders are being more conservative with their energy. Should they decide to burn too many matches too early, you see that fatigue on the next few stages, where in the past, one day of pulling back and they were ready to go again.
I speak in generalizations here. There have been years with good riders who have competed clean. But the use of EPO and other performance enhancers seems to have been largely eradicated for so many of the elements of racing, in both the one day classics and the grand tours, to look so startlingly different.
And for that I am thrilled. It is a wonderful, challenging, crushingly punishing sport, that requires the riders to train with intensity, intelligence, and precision. The riders are subjected to a test of mind, body and constitution that is paralleled by few sports. It makes the awe and respect I have for them so much deeper, when I know this is the rider out there; just his own talent, training and mental strength, that accomplishes the most intimidating and strenuous of athletic feats.
And the effect is that the unpredictability that is a by-product of this movement has made the Tour incredibly exciting to watch. Gone are the days when only a handful of riders were really in contention for the Yellow Jersey. This is anybody's race and you can see that. All are welcome to put their helmets down and compete with all they have.
And that is the way it should be.
Tags: Cycling Training Doping
I've got a buddy named Dennis. Great guy. He has been racing triathlons and running races for a long time. He is in his 60s now and I saw him at a race on July 4th.
We started talking about training and racing as a master and how that is different from our younger days. We also talked about how important it is to choose a coach who understands the nuances in coaching as that athlete gets further into Masters status.
As we've said here many times before, you can still do very satisfying training long after conventional wisdom says you can't. But it has to be done intelligently and with proper rest and recovery. And sometimes that is best achieved with the help of someone who has been through this and understands the difference between training at 20, 40, 60 and beyond.
There are many coaches out there who are perfectly capable of training athletes older than themselves. That goes without saying. But I think it helps to be coached by someone who has been there -- someone who understands not only in concept but in experience, how different it is to meet the demands of training as the years go by.
For example, I run with a group of high school cross country runners in the summer. Back just three years ago, I could train five days a week with them, then go and run with my own clients several of those days and race on the weekends.
I started back with the group two weeks ago. I was very tired that first week. And while part of that is the fitness difference between now and that summer of 05, more of it had to do with my body just coming back a little more slowly from hard efforts.
The second week was better. As my fitness and speed continued to improve and running tempo work with them wasn't as taxing as the week before. But I know I need to be very tuned in to my body and how I am feeling. I ran with them on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this past week, but took Thursday on my own to recover, as I had a race July 4th and wanted to hit it hard.
I feel firsthand how training is different from only three years ago. It's subtle but it's there and I need to listen and respect the messages I get. And frankly the difference in how I have to go about things from 5 and 10 years ago is not subtle at all but quite different.
So when you are shopping for a coach, do your homework. Find out if this individual has worked with Masters athletes. If he or she is a Master athlete, find out how much experience they have not only racing and training themselves, but also coaching other Masters athletes and what ages they have worked with.
Ask for references and talk with people the coach has trained who fall into your specific age group. It is always helpful to get firsthand information from another athlete that coach has worked with.
Your body will thank you.
Tags: Coaching Running Masters
It's summer. The schedule usually changes. Longer days make us feel we have more time to get things done. It's just a time we can take a breath and relax.
Each summer I pledge that I am going to try a new sport of some kind. Even if it's one I played long ago, that still qualifies. But it has to have been a long time -- nothing I've done recently. That's rule one.
It is easy for us as athletes to get tunnel vision about our own sport. And that is usually a good thing as that focus helps us train properly, work hard and hit the results we want, while staying in shape and taking care of ourselves.
But I know how easy it can be to get complacent.
Shaking things up is good for us. It gives us a chance to go through the process of mastery again, which is something I find we rarely do as we get further into our lives.
The process of mastering something uses parts of our brains we don't normally tap these days. We feel unsure and then figure out the pieces of the process to succeed! It's a great feeling. It can also help us think out of the box and we can take that into other areas of our lives.
So each summer, I ask myself to do that. Two summers ago I tried wake boarding. Getting up on the board was challenging. Keeping my fears in check once I was up and the boat began to accelerate was the hardest part! But I did it. And it wasn't long before I was able to take a nice spin around the lake cruising on the wake board.
Last summer it was Frisbee golf. I had always loved Frisbee, and now I had a chance to hone the skill of accuracy with each throw. It was a gas! I really enjoyed it! Now I have something I can do on a warm summer night that is active, relaxing, athletic and fun.
This summer I think I am going to race a criterium, a a bike road race that is usually several laps around a closed, usually circular, course. I have been biking for years and did a few crits when I first started. But that was nearly a decade ago, and I have spent most of my ride time training for the duathlon.
I am at bike races nearly every weekend in the summer, as my boyfriend, Chad, is a crit rider. So if I am already there, why not sign up? It will be a challenge but it will be good for me.
So think about it. Even if it's something you did many years ago, like tennis or ping pong or skateboarding, give it a shot. Pledge to try something that is different from your day to day sports training, to push the envelope, explore a new frontier, or to break new ground.
Who knows? You may stumble upon something new that you are really good at and it can change your life. As Wayne Gretzky said, "You miss every shot you don't take."
So why not take a shot?
If you have been reading my blogs or you have read my profile, you know I love sports. Last week I wrote about the Celtics (what a great series winning game on Tuesday night), and today I want to talk about Tiger Woods.
Wow. What he did was incredibly impressive. Turns out he walked 25 miles of links and won his sudden death U.S. Open Championship with a double stress fracture, torn cartilage and a blown ACL in his left leg. Impressive. But smart?
Have you noticed the pop at the end of Woods' swing? It's powerful. And it's probably what sets him apart. And based on what I know about biomechanics and anatomy, it is also what probably started the problems in his knee. At the very end of the swing, he pops that left knee HARD. It looks like it would cause a healthy knee significant problems, not to mention a knee that had been surgically treated for torn cartilage a short time ago.
News reports say that he tore his ACL running last year. ACL injuries are usually a result of a twisting or an impact when the leg is at an angle. You generally don't tear your ACL running in a straight line. Soccer and football players get this injury most often because they are in motion, the leg suffers an impact while weight is unevenly distributed and the joint is at an angle under the body.
My guess is that pop at the end of his swing began to injure or microtear that ACL. Then it became vulnerable and maybe he stepped wrong when running and it ruptured. But he didn't get it fixed. Then the entire knee was unstable and at risk for additional and more serious injury. The torn cartilage, while a byproduct, wasn't the only potential risk. An unstable knee is an accident waiting to happen.
And then he played on it.
After arthroscopic surgery to repair that cartilage which was probably torn due to that untreated ACL, he played the Open. I would be willing to bet that doing that made his stress fracture worse.
OUCH. Do you know how painful this must have been for him to play through this? Walking the golf course and swinging with that pop in that left knee at the end of the swing? He must have really wanted this win, because he may have just sacrificed an awful lot to get it.
Doctors say Tiger could return at 100 percent in 2009. But he is going to be very susceptible to more issues with the knee in the next 5 to 10 years, and the cartilage damage could result in long-term issues like arthritis.
He took a risk at this year's Open and it's possible this risk will have long reaching ramifications.
And that brings me to our own athletics. I have, time and time again, seen athletes push beyond the limits of what the body is telling them, to run a particular race, participate in one important event or meet a specific goal.
Overtraining, lack of recovery, training through injury, ignoring the body's signs to pull back and/or stop completely are things we really should not do for any reason.
I want to be doing what I am doing when I am 90+, if I live to that wonderful age. I want my body to be there for me. And if that is the goal, we have to heed the advice the body offers us.
When we experience fatigue, noticeable discomfort and/or pain, we need to stop and listen and do what is needed to get whole again. Because if we choose not to, we could wind up putting ourselves out to pasture much earlier than is necessary.
What is a few weeks or months of downtime, compared to the rest of our season or in some cases our lives?? Not worth it in my book.
I hope like heck Tiger heals well and quickly. I hope his decision to play through this injury and not fix the ACL does not result in arthritis or complications to that knee. I hope that decision, made in the here and now, doesn't bring an end to his incredible and storied career, in the near future.
Cross your clubs for him.
Tags: Golf Knee ACL Arthritis
It's not often that I talk about pro sports here. But what I witnessed the Celtics do last night in overcoming a 20-point deficit bears mentioning within the context of what we do as Masters athletes.
Don't know about you, but I am often met with the words, "Aren't you getting a little old for that?". I am 43. Not 105. And frankly, each time someone says something like that to me it makes me want to push the limits more.
While conventional wisdom and numbers tell a story, those numbers are affected by will, focus, experience and the strength of the human spirit.
The Boston Celtics are leading the NBA Finals by 3-1. If the Celtics take the next game, they are NBA champs.
The talk coming in to the series, was the Lakers in 5. I heard it again and again. Lakers. Lakers. Lakers.
What I am getting at is that on paper, the Celtics looked overmatched. Even after two wins, the talk was that the Lakers would hit their home court and have their way with Doc River's Celtics. Nope. While the Lakers did win Game 3, it was by a small margin and the Lakers brought their A game.
Then Game 4 started with the Lakers more than 20 points ahead in the first half. But the Celtics said no to conventional wisdom and to naysayers. They hung in and won Game 4. No one expected the Celtics to be in this position. If anyone was supposed to be be poised to win the championships in Game 5 it was the Lakers.
So this relates to us in this way. As we age we can hear those around us telling us our best times are behind us. They can tell us we are aging, there's nothing we can do, so why don't we just slow down? Don't listen. The more active and fit we stay as we add years, the healthier we remain. We can continue to challenge ourselves. We can continue to try new sports. We can continue to improve in the sports we already play. It is up to us to determine what we are capable of doing.
It was Soren Kirkegaard who said, "To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself."
So I say press on. Take on the challenges that make sense to you as a Masters athlete. Because one of the best things about being an athlete and competing at this stage of life, is that not only do we have physical strength, but we get to couple that with mental strength and wisdom that comes from experience. And that is something that is more valuable than any stat sheet or speed chart can offer or predict.
Tags: Basketball
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