Flanagan High School Cross Country and Track

Re-Fueling the Runner: Post Workout Nutrition

Satisfying the Specific Needs of the Competitive Runner

By Jackie Dikos, R.D.

There are so many good times to think back on from my high school and college running years. Among the many memories are all the laughing and joking with good friends after a hard practice. The residual burn of a tough workout always seemed to be eased by an off color remark made by the team clown. Having a good time always seemed so effortless. Nutrition was easy to overlook during the social hour shared with friends after a run.

Most days at practice, a run would always start as a group. As our fatigued bodies gradually trickled one by one back to school, we would guzzle water from the fountain and regroup back in the gym. There were a few last words from coach and teasing with teammates before the phone call for a ride home. Once home, that growling stomach would finally be sated with food almost an hour and a half after completion of the run.

In college, the pace did not vary quite as much between teammates so we would return to the fieldhouse in sets of 4 or 5 for a post-run stretch. Before long though we found ourselves in lengthy discussions over class demands, the latest gossip, or what to do over the weekend. Finally, after a walk to the cafeteria or drive home, a meal is served about an hour and a half after practice.

If recreational running was the goal this type of regimen would not be much of a problem. Someone who runs 3-4 times per week has more time for fluid and glycogen replacement. However the more competitive runner would benefit from keying into a refueling regimen.

First and foremost rehydration is priority. It is common for a runner to replace only a fraction of the fluids lost from a run. This is usually not related to a lack of resources. Poor fluid consumption is often by choice; it is a decision to simply stop drinking for whatever reason.

Ideally the aim should be to replace any fluid lost between each run. Having a flavored drink on hand may aid the rehydration process. A sodium containing beverage may also be beneficial for two reasons. It will help you to voluntarily drink more fluid and it will also help to retain more fluid therefore aiding the rehydration process. Rehydration is not limited to drinking water. Eating watery foods such as soup, watermelon, and citrus fruits will continue the process.

Having a general idea of how much fluid to replace can be useful. Weighing yourself before and after practice is a great way to assess fluid needs. A weight loss of 1-3% is considered normal. If weight loss exceeds this amount, drink more fluid during the workout to prevent potential performance impairment due to dehydration.

Once you know the amount of weight lost in the workout, you will require drinking about 16 ounces of fluid for every pound lost. A sign of the return to a hydrated state is to assess the color of your urine. If urine is a concentrated, dark color with little volume, keep the fluids flowing. Drink until you urinate frequently and a pale color is achieved. This will indicate that you are effectively rehydrating.

A workout can not only lead to dehydration, but it can drain muscle and liver glycogen stores. Resynthesis of muscle glycogen stores occurs at a faster rate over the 4 hours after a workout when carbohydrates are consumed shortly after the workout takes place. This plays particular importance for those who train more than once a day. This includes a training camp of two a days, sneaking in recovery miles, or even heavy weight lifting. Any time there is less than 8 hours between workouts or races a glycogen replacement regimen should be applied.

The goal is to consume a high carbohydrate meal or snack within 30 minutes of the workout or race. Eating a source of protein within this high carbohydrate snack will also help recovery. This may require being prepared with an after practice snack while you wait for a ride or teammates. Examples of great foods to choose for recovery include chocolate milk, fruit smoothie, sports bars, and trail mix -- but any source of carbohydrate is better than no carbohydrate at all.

If your glycogen stores are not particularly challenged, a standard meal routine that supplies adequate daily carbohydrates is sufficient to replenish glycogen stores. It is wise to make effort in structuring your meal to be eaten soon after a run to continue to optimize any potential recovery benefits. Good timing will support efforts to maintaining a desired caloric range for weight management while promoting refueling.

Time passes quickly after a run or workout when socializing or simply getting in daily responsibilities. Be sure to plan ahead and create the best refueling strategy for you, based on your nutritional needs, training demands, and racing goals. Efforts in refueling your body will help you be as prepared as possible in taking on the next workout, race, and rival.

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Jackie Dikos is a mother, registered dietitian and 2:45 marathoner from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is currently living in Germany for 2 months.

Cross Country Checklist

The following is a short list of everything you will and (may) need with you for meets.  Keep it handy and check off your list when you pack your bag the night before.  It pays to be prepared!

Uniform top

Uniform shorts

Flanagan team shirt

Uniform Sweatpants

Running shoes

Socks

Racing flats

Water bottle

Snack for POST-RACE

Girls:

Sportsbra

Hair tie- no metal clips/ribbons!

optional:

Under Armour- must be matching (white only)

Sandals/slides

Towel

Before The Gun

Strides are the best way to prepare your body for top performance.

By Ed Eyestone

At the starting line of any race, you're bound to see runners doing all kinds of odd stuff as part of their prerace rituals--everything from jumps and hops to weird breathing exercises. Some of these activities do help prepare the body for a fast performance; others are most valuable as entertainment for interested bystanders. While I don't recommend madly bouncing from foot to foot at the starting line, there is one effective method of preparing your body to run fast: strides.

When done before a race, strides--that is, 80- to 100-meter pickups--give your body a preview of the hard effort that's about to commence. Specifically, race-pace strides activate the fast-twitch muscle fibers that your body will call upon during the race, prepping you for peak performance.

Strides also improve neuromuscular coordination as the bursts of speed stimulate neural pathways. In plain English, that means you will feel less like a klutz when you try to run fast after you do a few strides. As your coordination improves, your running form becomes more fluid, making it easier to maintain that quicker pace. By rehearsing your race pace with four to six prerace strides, you'll also be more likely to settle into the proper pace early in the race instead of going out too fast or too slow.

Practicing strides is easy. First, find a flat stretch of road, trail, grass, or track. Then run your strides in thirds: Accelerate to your race-pace speed for the first third, hold that speed for the middle third, and gradually decelerate for the last third. If you run 30 steps for each third, you will cover about 100 meters. Catch your breath for 60 seconds by jogging or walking, then turn around and run a stride in the opposite direction.

When you do strides, try to run more like a sprinter. Get up off your heels and more onto your forefeet and toes. And rather than trying to lengthen your stride, try to increase your turnover. Pump your arms quickly and your legs will follow.

Of course, strides shouldn't be restricted to your prerace warmup. Once you've mastered strides, you can incorporate them into your training with the workouts on the right, which will give you the practice you need running fast.

The Right Stuff?

Five prerace nutrition mistakes—and how to keep them from ruining your big day.

By Kelly Bastone

If you're like many runners, you've spent the last few months training for a big race. And as your 5-K, half-marathon, or marathon approaches, you're probably taking extra care with what you eat and drink. Maybe you're loading up on carbs, drinking lots of water, ordering extra servings of broccoli and beans. But are you doing the right thing?

"How you fuel up before the race has a huge impact on your performance," says Beth Jauquet, R.D., a nutritionist for Cherry Creek Nutrition in Denver. Unfortunately, runners tend toward extremes: Skimping on fuel, overdoing food or drink, or eating foods that cause digestive disaster. Here's how to avoid common mistakes and ensure what you eat and drink in the week before your race will help you secure the PR you hoped for.

The Mistake: Eating a Box of Pasta

Many runners like to top off their glycogen stores by feasting on carbs the night before a race. And why not? You're going to burn through them the next day. But flooding your system with more carbs than it can process may lead to digestive problems that will have you running to the porta-potty every mile.

The Fix: Consume moderate quantities--not huge portions--of carbs for several days prior. "Massive amounts of any food throw your system a curve ball," says Jauquet. Have oatmeal for breakfast, potatoes at lunch, and pasta for dinner. "Eat just to fullness, so you don't get indigestion or have trouble sleeping," says Tara Gidus, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

The Mistake: Drinking Gallons of H20

Not only will chugging too much water before a race leave you feeling bloated, but it will also dilute your electrolytes--minerals responsible for optimum muscle contraction. Diluted electrolyte levels can cause muscle weakness or cramping and, in extreme cases, can lead to hyponatremia, a life-threatening condition triggered by abnormally low sodium levels.

The Fix: In the days leading up to your race, drink fluids as you normally would to stay hydrated. This can include water, sports drink, juice, even coffee and tea. On the morning of the race, Jauquet recommends drinking 16 ounces of water two to three hours before the start, giving your body time to process extra fluid; drink another one to two cups right before the gun goes off.

The Mistake: Loading up on Fiber

Normally, runners should make sure to eat lots of cruciferous vegetables, beans, and whole grains. And if you're used to such foods, all that roughage right before a race may pose no problems for you. But if you've been living on pizza and burgers, now is not the time to become a vegan. Loading up on high-fiber foods can cause uncomfortable gas, especially if your stomach is plagued by prerace jitters.

The Fix: If you think fiber might be an issue, "cut back on those foods three days before a major race," says Gidus. That includes beans and bran cereals-but not fruits and veggies, which you should eat in modest portions. Think one cup of pineapple, a handful of cherries, or a few broccoli florets. But, Gidus cautions, if you're racing every weekend, reduce your fiber intake only on race day to make sure you don't trim all fiber out of your diet.

The Mistake: Skipping Breakfast

Too nervous or worried about feeling full, some runners can't face food on race morning. But without it, you're likely to bonk in any race. Why? Because studies show that a prerace meal keeps your blood sugar steady and provides energy to power you through. "There's no way to get enough fuel midrace to make up for the energy you missed at breakfast," says Jauquet.

The Fix: If you know you get too nervous to eat before a race, wake up a few hours before the start-so you can eat breakfast slowly, letting each bite settle before taking another. If you can't stomach solid foods, drink a smoothie with bananas, fruit juice, and milk. These ingredients are easy on most stomachs, provide energy, and won't leave you feeling overly full.

The Mistake: Trying Something New

If you've never had spicy salmon sushi, don't order it the night before your race. You won't know how a food affects you until you've tried it-and last-minute experimentation could send you bolting for the bathroom and leave you dehydrated.

The Fix: Stick with what you know for a week before race day. If you're not used to downing sausage burritos prerace, you're better off sticking with a familiar bowl of pasta. As long as it isn't huge.  *Eat better: In the days before a race, vary your diet with nongrain carb sources, such as fruits and starchy vegetables, to benefit from a wider range of nutrients.

Go Zone Racing

A strategy for better performance

By Greg McMillan, M.S.

As featured in the April 2009 issue of Running Times Magazine

In analyzing the splits of hundreds of competitive distance runners, it's clear that personal records and breakthrough performances at distances from 800 meters to 10K come only by getting out of your comfort zone and into your "Go Zone."

Go Zone racing involves serious mental toughness and some risk-taking, as well as a heavy dose of pre-race planning. It is not for the faint of heart. It is for runners who want to perform their best, who want to challenge themselves, who want to go beyond their previous bests.

In short, Go Zone racing puts particular emphasis on the most critical race stage -- the stage where you likely fail to stay on pace and the goal slips away. For most runners, this occurs in the third quarter of races (see chart), the time that is usually the No-Go Zone. But with the right mindset, you'll turn this into your Go Zone and your next races into breakthroughs.

Pre-Race:

In your mental prep in the hours (and possibly days) leading into the race, get mentally ready to run fast. The efficacy of this is demonstrated in the "Carlsbad Phenomenon." The Carlsbad 5000 in California is the site of multiple world records and untold PRs by inspired non-elite runners. These records are not because the course is fast; it is not hard, but it does involve two 90-degree turns and two 180-degree turns, plus two slight inclines. It's the mindset. Everyone knows the race is going to be fast so they get mentally ready for it. They expect it to be a fast race, and so it is. Transfer the Carlsbad Phenomenon to your next race. Go into it expecting it to be fast and it likely will be.

The Start:

In the Start Zone, you must be aggressive. You must get out strongly for the first portion of the race (the first one to three minutes of a 5K, for example). Your Start Zone pace for most races will be slightly faster than goal pace but still under control and not too fast. While you won't win the race or PR here, you will set the tone of the race.

Fast Rhythm Zone:

The next section of the race is about finding a relaxed but fast rhythm -- that cadence and stride that is quick but relaxed and where you are smooth and fast. You are simply trying to stay on pace but cover ground as easily as possible. If you can do this and do it relatively relaxed, you'll be ready to attack the Go Zone.

The Go Zone:

This is it! After you pass through the halfway point, you enter the Go Zone. In this section, significantly increase your intensity and attack the race. This is vitally important, as the race will be getting harder and harder. You simply must increase your intensity to keep the pace going. Know that if you can just push harder through this section of the race and keep your pace on target, you will achieve your goal.

A good idea is to not only increase your intensity internally, but also to focus on something external. If racing in a pack, move up in the group. If racing in a line of runners, pass someone. If racing alone, pick out a point up ahead on the road or somewhere on the track and focus on running harder to that point. Then, pick another point or pass another person. Do whatever you must to keep the pace going. It's going to hurt -- breakthroughs always do -- but the suffering will be minimal compared to the days and sometimes weeks of knowing you didn't give it your all.

The Get-Time Zone:

Once through the third quarter of a race, you enter the Get-Time Zone. We can all sprint at a pace faster than goal pace. The key is that you must start your push toward the finish line earlier than you normally do. Don't wait until you see the finish line. You can't score too many precious seconds in the last 100 meters. But if you start your push to the line earlier (the last 1 to 2 minutes to go in a 5K or 10K race, for example), you'll score several seconds that can be the difference in your performance. It's not easy, of course, but if you can get your brain to risk it, and your legs to obey, you can Get Time.

It might take several races before you get the hang of Go Zone racing. But try it enough and eventually it will become the norm. If your experience is like that of others who have mastered it, get ready to re-write your personal record book.

Go Zone : Racing Rules

1) You must be race fit. For that reason, Go Zone tactics work well later in the race season.

2) You must be realistic in your racing goal relative to your training. No wishful thinking or exaggerating what is possible.

3) You must be willing to straddle the fine line between going too fast and going perfectly fast. Even "failure" will help you better understand where that line is.

4) You must be engaged in your races and specifically focus on the task of each zone.

Greg McMillan is an exercise physiologist and USATF-certified coach who helps runners via his website mcmillanrunning.com.

A Great Runner is Not Born

"A great runner is created.  A great runner is a fusion of potential and persistance.  Great runners are the product of dedication, spirit and the ever-present will to better themselves, regardless of obstacles."

-from a Brooks shoes ad

DRINK THIS The eight rules of fluid replacement, and how they'll energize your running.

By John Brant

PUBLISHED 04/28/2003

1. Drink early and often--every day. With dehydration, a drop ofprevention is worth an ocean of cure. Drink water or other low-caloriefluids in small, steady quantities throughout each day, to the pointwhen your urine flows clear. Bring a water bottle with you wherever yougo, or take a drink every time you pass a water fountain at work orschool. Staying well-hydrated throughout the day benefits you in waysbeyond your running. It helps keep you alert and will prevent thatdull, headachy feeling that slows you down in the middle of the day.

2. Fortify yourself with fluids before you run, and aggressivelyconsume fluids during your run. An hour or two before your run or race(depending on your tolerance), top off your fluid tank by guzzling 16ounces of water or sports drink. Then take in between 5 and 12 ounces of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes during the run. If you're running forless than an hour, you'll be fine drinking just water. Your body'sstores of carbohydrates and electrolytes are sufficient to carry youfor at least that long.

3. When you run long, use a sports drink. Study after study shows that for exercise lasting more than an hour, runners perform significantlybetter when drinking a sports drink than when drinking plain water.Sports drinks contain carbohydrates at a concentration of about 7percent, which, by the way, is significantly lower than that in your average soft drink. This is good, because the lower concentrationenables you to absorb the fluid more quickly. Its carbs provide fuel,while its electrolytes--sodium and potassium--stave off cramps, nausea,and hyponatremia (a dangerous condition caused by drinking too muchwater). Go with a flavor you like as this will encourage you to drink more.

4. Don't wait until you're thirsty to start drinking. By then, it could be too late. In other words, the old tenet of "listening to your body" doesn't work when it comes to fluid replacement. We often don't feel thirsty before or in the early stages of a long run, but that's exactlywhen we need to start drinking. Otherwise, dehydration can set off a chain of negative reactions. Since sweat is made from fluid in your blood, your blood becomes thicker as you sweat and your heart has to work harder to pump. Your body temperature rises, which creates theneed for more water. Meanwhile, dehydration compromises your body's ability to absorb carbohydrates and electrolytes from your digestive tract. And so on.

5. But don't drink too much. If you feel or hear sloshing in your stomach, its telling you it's full, and you don't need to drink for awhile. You might have to monitor this carefully, though, because we allhave varying rates at which fluids leave our stomachs and enter therest of our systems. Variations in size, gender, age, and metabolismcome into play. You might not slosh; you might cramp or feel nauseatedinstead. Whatever signal you receive, stop drinking for at least 15 minutes.

6. After your run, drink between 16 and 24 ounces of sports drink for every pound of body weight you lost during exercise. This means you'lltake in more than you lost, but that's okay because you'll urinate someof it away. Again, make sure you consume sports drinks or other fluidsthat contain sodium, which will help you retain the fluid you drink.

7. Beware of hyponatremia, a potentially fatal condition caused by taking in too much water and too little salt. Hyponatremia, or "waterintoxication," usually happens only during long, hot runs, when arunner loses a lot of sodium through sweat and consumes a great deal ofplain water. This combination may unwittingly dilute sodium levels inyour blood, which sets off an electrolyte imbalance. Hyponatremia cantrigger seizures, coma, and even death. Initial warning signs mimicthose of dehydration, including confusion, disorientation, muscleweakness, and vomiting. Women and slower, beginner endurance runnersare at most risk of this condition. Still, the likelihood of developinghyponatremia remains small. Banish hyponatremia from your worry list by1) including salt in your normal diet (particularly a few days before along event), and 2) drinking sports drinks, rather than plain water, onruns over an hour.

8. Be careful out there. The better your overall condition, the better you'll be able to cope with low or moderate degrees of dehydration.(Case in point: In the 1984 Olympic Marathon, Alberto Salazar lost 8.1percent of his body weight in sweat, and still ran a 2:14.) But if you feel yourself slipping into fluid debt-symptoms include chills,dizziness, disorientation, and cessation of sweating-don't panic. Stop running, find shade or an air-conditioned building, and start drinking as soon as possible. If you don't quickly improve, ask for help or call 911. If you do start to feel better, resist running and walk or ask for a ride home. Then vow to never let yourself become dehydrated again.

This is Coach Hellender checking in on your summer training.  We have had a consistent turnout at practice so far this summer, but I know we are missing a few familiar faces.  If 6:30 am is too early for you, or you just can't get a ride to school- make sure you are getting your running in at home!  Also, check out the video section of the website, I have added strength exercises that you can do in addition to our ab routine.

We are just 17 days away from running camp, and I know the girls are excited to bring back lots of knowledge and experience to share with the team.  I will also post pictures of the beautiful North Carolina countryside to share with the team. 

Keep checking the website for updates this summer and additional running information- I will be posting the running plan for August at the end of July. 

I am running my next marathon for Team in Training and anyone interested in helping with the car wash will earn service hours, so stay tuned for the date.  Also, pass on the following website to anyone that might be interested in donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:   

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sfl/nikesf09/jhellender

Hope you're having a great summer and stay safe,

Coach