Here’s how I survived my ultra marathon:

• Carb-load - Carbs are gasoline for the body and you can’t attempt a 50K without putting gas in the tank. I had two cups of whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce and some salted steak fries the night before my run.

• Early riser breakfast – I woke at 4 a.m. for a 7 a.m. start and I noshed on a toasted plain bagel with almond butter, a banana, and water.

• Drink early and often – Always run with fluids. Water is OK if you are exercising in cool weather less than an hour, but after that I’d choose a sports beverage. I gulped on 3-4 ounces of the sports drink every 2 miles (20-22 minutes), even if I didn’t feel thirsty. The number one health risk in an ultra marathon is dehydration. You prevent it by drinking from start to finish of your races and training run.

• Eat on the run – I had my last meal at 6 a.m. and crossed the finish line at about 1:30 p.m. That’s a long time to go without any nutrition. This is one of the things that makes ultra distance trail running different than other races, you spend more time at your rest stops and you get bits of food that help you delay fatigue and stay energized. I usually go for what looks appetizing and I favor salty foods over sweet, mainly because my sports drink is so sweet that the salty foods are a happy change.

Not only that, but the longer you engage in outdoor activity and the more you sweat, the more salt you lose. It is common for a heavy sweater to lose 1,000-2,500 milligrams of sodium per hour, and up to 5,000 mg sodium in a hot environment. I had 1/2-1 cup of chicken soup or broth at miles 15, 19, 25, and 28 and I honestly think it boosted me the entire time. The salty broth made me want to keep drinking between stops. I also enjoyed a boiled potato dipped in rock salt at one point along the journey. Other items on my list included cola, pretzels, and frozen oranges. Between rest stops, I chewed on cola flavored Powerbar gummies with 50 milligrams of caffeine (which actually gives a bit of an athletic performance boost).

Non-runners might be reading this and thinking “How can this stuff be good for you? Isn’t it what you are supposed to avoid?” That’s a mistake you don’t want to make if you venture into distance running. It can be very challenging and rewarding, but people who ignore the basics of hydrating and fueling to delay fatigue are the ones who end up with cramping, heat illnesses or the dreaded DNF (did not finish).

I finished the race in 6 hours 29 minutes and placed sixth out of 30 in my age group, and while I was completely happy with those stats, I think I was most impressed with my attitude and energy at every mile. Eight years ago, I worked in information technology, weighed 165 pounds, and even though I was a former aerobics instructor and personal trainer, I was barely active and my nutrition was in the toilet. I never would have guessed that I would one day finish an ultra marathon – something less than 10% of runners (that’s people who already like to run) ever attempt. If I can do it, you can too. Start somewhere. Take one mile at a time. Believe in yourself, even if nobody else does.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

How to Survive an Ultra Marathon

The triathlon took me 3 hours and 2 minutes to complete and I estimate that I burned 2,000 calories! In fact, once I got my appetite back I was hungry all day! Clearly, my metabolism was on overdrive!

In this kind of race, good nutrition is paramount to have a strong finish. But if you just focus on what you do during the event, you’re too late. You need to fuel well all during your training to maximize the benefits. Most importantly, you need to take care to deliver the right nutrients 1-2 days before the competition. That’s what this article is all about.

Carbs are King

For endurance events, carbohydrates are the almighty nutrient. Consuming adequate carbs allows optimal muscle glycogen storage. The glycogen is used during the event, when you need it most. When you eat enough carbs you spare your muscle protein (you won’t break down muscle for energy – a process called gluconeogenesis – or making new glucose). Glucose is the basic unit of all carbohydrates. If you don’t eat enough carbs, you will actually use amino acids (muscle protein) for energy and you don’t want to do that.

The last two to three weeks before a big race, your exercise tapers off, but if you keep up the high carbs, you will actually “carbo-load” or store glycogen for the race. This is a good thing.

Healthy Carbs

Choose healthy carbs like those found in fresh fruits, low-fat and fat-free dairy or soy, potatoes, beans, and hearty whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat bread products.

Healthy Sports Meals (please note, any meal plan should be individually developed for the athlete’s needs and preferences)

• whole wheat bagel with almond butter, banana, and fat-free milk
• Submarine tuna sandwich with veggies, salted pretzels, orange, and 1 cup minestrone soup
• 1.5 cups black beans and rice topped with 3-4 ounces of tofu or the meat of your choice, garden side salad with oil-based dressing, and a cup of vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt with 1 tablespoon carob chips

How Many Carbs?

The ideal amount of carbs depends a lot on the length of the race and the athlete’s weight, but it is generally somewhere in the range of 5-10 g/kg body weight. This can seem like a lot of carbs in the 7-10 g/kg range, but if the athlete is in a healthy weight range and working out for two hour blocks most days of the week, their calorie needs are way higher than those who pop in an aerobics class a few days a week.

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What to Eat Before Endurance Races

So what did I do? I got in the ring and went a couple rounds with a trainer! I am not that into fitness classes or anything like that, but what a workout. I do the usual weights and cardio and then move on with my day.

Boxing not only increases the heart rate, but helps you learn proper technique, speed, power, balance, stability, and overall endurance. I totally recommend giving it a shot if you have never done so. Below is a sample workout from one the boxing classes. Good luck!!

Warm Up:

100 jump rope with both legs

100 jump rope each leg (total of 200)

3 minute side shuffle back and forth across gym

30 seconds of jabbing (both left and right)

30 seconds of hooking (both left and right)

30 seconds of upper-cuts (both left and right)

3 minute side shuffle back and forth across gym

100 jump rope with both legs

100 jump rope each leg (total of 200)

Core training (at least 300 crunches)

Rest and repeat!!

Also check out The Muhammed Ali Workout

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Stay Fit with a Boxing Workout

In August I had surgery to repair a labreal tear in my hip joint from a 2006 injury. (Yes, I learned to run with that injury.) I told the surgeon and physical therapist that teaching dance is part of my income and I was going to run the mini again. Running had become an important escape for me. I probably started teaching dance before I should have and my recovery slowed. It was nearly Spring before I was allowed to start trying to run, and my training wasn’t very consistent.

Two weeks before the race I got ill, which terminated my training entirely. When I was still sick with a week to go, I told my best friend I would walk with her this year. A few days later, she had to have an appendectomy, so she’s been confined to the couch. It had been raining all week; everyone was hoping for clear skies on Saturday morning, but I had to admit that I should not walk 13.1 miles in the rain with an occasionally uncontrollable cough.

Two days before the Mini, I found another fab friend who blogs about Indy to take friend 1’s place and walk with me barring rain. As I was preparing for bed, I realized I had absolutely zero clean socks for the race, so I started laundry; I have no clue what time I got to bed, but it wasn’t early. Friend 2 was to pick me up because I had the bibs and timing devices, but she wasn’t responding by text or phone (she’d fallen back asleep), so despite everything, at ten minutes until corral call, I started walking to corral J (I live downtown and parking is ridiculous on race day). By the time I got to the starting line, I had probably already walked 5k.

If I was without anyone to talk to and starting in my earned corral, I wanted to run at least some of it. Since I was intending on running, I had not taken the time to really stretch out. My plan was to just do what I could and be satisfied, realizing that I basically had not trained at all. It did not take long for me to get into the race mindset and want to push myself. One of the first things I realized was that I was being passed more often this year than I was last year, but I reminded myself that last year I’d started at the back of the pack and this year I’d started in the middle. Last year, I used it as a challenge and let very few people pass me.

Trying to be kind to my body, I tried not to be as competitive this year. I was pleased with each mile completed and wanted more. I knew my physical therapist was not going to be pleased with me (although probably not surprised), but I wanted to push to my limit. As I approached the Indianapolis Motor Speedway right before mile 6, I determined that I would not walk on the track. As I left the track, a security guard informed us that we had 4.5 miles left and I started walking. I walked until half mile to go when a friend caught up to me. I matched her pace and challenged her to sprint the last .1 with me.

All things considered (recovery, illness, late night, weather), it was probably a little crazy for me to get out there. 13.1 miles is an accomplishment (I bow to all you full marathoners). The Mini is a fun, important event in Indianapolis. Every year registration is filled several months prior to the race. I did it. My legs ache, my hips are tight, I’m tired, and I have events scheduled ALL day. I would absolutely do it again and I plan to next year (with more training this time)!

*Although I am a therapist, licensed to diagnose, the term “insane” is only used in self-deprecating humor. It would not be good practice to self-diagnose nor do I think I would fit a diagnosis. I do however strongly advise against anyone following in my footsteps.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Inside the Insane Mind of an Indy Mini Participant

Today’s guest blogger is Josh Graston, a fitness enthusiast and triathlete from Sioux Falls, SD who remains active in a variety of sports while striving toward his goal weight.

Josh Graston at the finish line.

More than 70% of Americans report that they are active in trying to lose weight. When most people think of losing weight, they lean primarily toward nutrition. Nutrition is a vital part of healthy weight management, but a proper training regimen is also paramount to long-term success.

The fact is that regardless of your current fitness level or age, you can safely push yourself in the gym. One of my passions has always been doing things that people have said that I couldn’t. Just like in customer service you try to exceed your customer’s expectations, in fitness we try to exceed our own! For most people, the primary goal is going to be losing weight and inches. But having a secondary fitness goal is a great way to stay motivated when the scale stops budging.

The first step is to find what we call a ‘non-scale’ goal. For me, my first non-scale goal was to complete a triathlon. In the beginning even the WORD triathlon scared me. I had never actually completed a single lap of swimming, I hadn’t biked since middle school, and the word run was not in my vocabulary. However, I knew that if I put in the work, completing a triathlon could become a reality.

The next step is to find a plan that works with your current fitness level. Since I was not an endurance athlete, my training plan took a bit longer – 18 weeks instead of 8 or 12. But by using a gradual training plan, I was able to avoid injury, lose weight, and build my endurance before the event.

When race day came I was scared, but I was confident in how prepared I had become. Fast-forward the clock two hours later and I crossed the finishing line busting open my own previously-held physical and mental barriers. My mantra at the finish line was “Impossible is nothing!” and I stand by that to this day.

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Don’t Let Weight Limit Your Health Goals