Real Thought for Food for Long Workouts

Some runners had asked me earlier this year about the right foods to eat, particularly, right after a workout. I liked the analysis of this question presented today in a New York Times article. See http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/health/nutrition/05Best.html?em&ex=1212984000&en=2e6ea712ef9a8433&ei=5087%0A

The jist of the article is that, for all but the most hardcore athletes (such as those doing multiple workouts in the same day with rest in between the workouts), there is no clear evidence of performance-enhancement from specialized (4:1, protein:carb) diets, or from eating "recovery" foods or beverages right after a workout. Instead, the advice is to simply eat a balanced diet of "real foods at regular meals." I would add, that you will be better prepared, mentally, if you place your faith in training techniques have been proven effective. So, if you are training to improve as a 5K runner, keep your attention on factors that you know matter, namely, not getting injured and doing the right amount of different forms of running.

Welcome to the 2008 SAS XC Summer Blog

Hi,
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer break.

The summer time can be a hard time for staying connected to the rest of the team. So, last summer I started a blog (runningcardinals.blogspot.com) to keep in touch with the cross country team. Rather than take last summer's blog down, I am just starting this new one for this summer (runningcardinals08.blogspot.com). I hope you find it helps to remind you of the team.

From time to time I will be posting tips on summer running. For example, I noticed that Delaware and much of the Middle Atlantic is currently experiencing its first spell of challenging summer weather this week.

(See http://www.accuweather.com/forecast.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&zipChg=1&zipcode=19709&metric=0). The way I have tried to deal with this challenge is by planning ahead. For example this coming week, the weather forecast shows that Monday will have not only high temperatures but also, high humidity and hazy sunny. This would be a particularly good to not run. So, if you are trying to get in several runs this coming week you will want to make sure make the most of the more favorable conditions. Wednesday morning, for example, is forecasted to be the ideal time for your longest run of the week. More generally, the single most important technique for avoiding summer heat is to run early in the morning. In the Middle Atlantic region in the summer, the morning is typically much cooler than the late afternoon or evening. The hottest time is typically in the mid-afternoon, between 1:00 and 4:00 PM.


Also, I like using the RealFeel feature on acuweather, or some other weather report that measure not just the temperature, but instead, the totality of conditions that make it hard to keep your body cool.

It is always easy to find an excuse for not running,but if you are really motivated, and plan ahead you can almost always find a way to safely and enjoyably go running.

I hope to hear how your summer has been going. Send me an email, or post a comment on the blog.