Alameda Runners – Get After It!

I am always asked about my energy levels and how I manage to sustain so much energy.  Where to start?  I will start with a list in no particular order.

1. Get plenty of sleep
2. Eat well
3. Eat enough
4. Do not eat before bed
5. Get plenty of exercise
6. Carry your energy with pride

1. Sleep is an interesting thing.  We all know we need to get plenty of sleep but we rarely get enough sleep.

• Give your body a reason to sleep.  A body that is tired is a body that is ready to sleep.
• Do not eat before bed.
• No caffeine before bed.  A lot of people can tolerate caffeine at night but skip it anyway.
• Clear your mind for a good nights rest.  Take notes at work so you do not have to think about things for the next day.  I write things down in a clear area of my desk.  That way work stays at work.

2. Eat quality foods.  It is not as easy as it sounds to eat good food.  I often eat food that is not healthy but it is whole food.  If I cheat, I like to eat something that they were eating 100 years ago.  Something like sausage, a pretzel or even cake.  I try my best to avoid food with extra stuff.  I think iced tea should contain tea and water.  I will add sugar or lemon if the mood strikes me.  There is nothing wrong with quality foods.  Try to eat a balanced natural diet.  I don’t get all of the vitamins and minerals that I need so I take daily multivitamins to help keep things up.  I don’t think there is anything natural in a multivitamin but I do the best I can with what I have.

3. Eating before bed is bad because it messes up your metabolism and your body will burn the food while you sleep instead of stored energy from fat.  Every now and then you can sneak in some vanilla pudding, vanilla ice cream, apple pie or something similar before bed — but don’t make a habit of it.
A well worked body keeps you invigorated throughout the day.  If you can exercise in the morning, the energy that you build up for the workout will stay with you all morning.  A lunch time workout does the same thing for the afternoons.  Sometimes, if I workout too hard at lunch, I crave coffee late in the afternoons.  A body that gets good work during the day sleeps well at night.

4. Carry your energy with pride.  After a while, people will notice your energy and start to rely on it.  When your energy starts to fade, the whole group’s energy will go with it.  Stand up straight, let the world know that you are here and go.

I could go on for a while but our format has been to keep it short.

Take care of your feet.  They are the first thing to hit the ground every step you take when walking and running. We tend to forget about our feet because they are way down there at the ends of our bodies.  Some of us can’t even see our feet when we start running.

I will start this article by talking about socks because they are the cheapest.

Socks are a really important items.  Poor selection can cause serious problems when the mileage increases.  A lot of people are used to buying socks in packs of 3 for about $5.00.  It can be a real shock to the system to go to a running and store where they cost up to $10.00.  Spend the money.  Most good running stores have them available to try on.

Socks come in all styles and varieties.  The best advice I can give you is to try them on in the store and see how they feel.  I never know if I will like a sock until I try it on.  I reviewed some SofSole socks here a while ago and I absolutely love them.  They are pretty cheap considering they’re running socks.  I gave some away to a couple of readers who loved them.  The main reason the readers loved them is because they moved up to the high quality running socks.  It makes a big difference.  High quality socks conform to the feet, have thinner seams and wick the sweat away.

Now that you have some good socks, lets support those comfy things with high quality insoles.  I can hear you out there now telling yourselves that you don’t need no stinkin’ insoles.  “You” may not need insoles but for most of us they really help.  Inserts help absorb the impact of the ground evenly to help keep the bone motion consistent in your feet.

I alternate running shoes.  One pair of running shoes has SofSole inserts and the other has SuperFeet insoles.  My every day shoes have Red Wing insoles that are placed into the oven to soften up.  Then I stood in them to have them conform to my feet.  It may take a bit of research to get the right product on your foot but the inserts are worth the effort as they put some personal customization to your running shoes.

Running shoes are usually the most expensive things on your feet and they should be replaced often.  I used to replace my shoes every 300 miles.  Now that I use inserts, I get 500-600 miles out of a pair.  Every now and then, I will get a pair that crashes with only 100 miles on them then I hate that brand until I forget about the crash.  My best advice for shoes is to go to a running store like Roadrunner Sports or Transports and have them put you on the treadmill for examination.  A couple of minutes on the treadmill will let you know about your running style and what type of shoes you should wear.  Most running stores have the shoes broken up by running style to make your selection easier.

Typically, I will buy my first pair of shoes at the running shop then go to a discount store to buy older models of shoes for my running style.  I don’t like to spend $150 for running shoes every 1-3 months.  If I could afford it, I would buy all of my merchandise from the running stores because they are so helpful.

On to hygiene – Keep your feet clean and your toe nails trimmed.  It is amazing how many bad things we can do to our feet that can have an adverse effect on our athletic lifestyle.  If you go to a gym, wear shower shoes that you clean often.  Let the shoes dry between use.  At the first sign of athlete’s foot, begin treatment.  Do not let it go until the skin starts to peel.  If you do get any dermatological problems with your feet, wash often and wear closed toe shoes as little as possible.  Treat blisters just as carefully.  When you trim your toe nails, get down there and get personal with them.

If you can’t reach your toes, take some yoga classes to improve your flexibility, then get personal with your toes.  Don’t just clip your toe nails and leave the sharp edges to catch on the next toe or to bump into the shoe.  File the nails down so they are nice and pretty.  If you are prone to blisters, try some athlete glide or Vaseline on the spot that is sticking.  Eventually your feet will get tough and you will get fewer blisters unless you try something new on a long run.  Take care of your feet and they will take care of you.

I woke up yesterday morning with a sudden pain in my ankle, and it caused me to shriek and flail around the bed for a couple of minutes.  It was a muscle cramp that mysteriously hit me early in the morning.  Ouch.

I can recall the recent times I’ve suffered from muscle cramps – and it isn’t a very big list. 

I had cramps in both legs after a very intense muay thai training session that my body clearly wasn’t ready for.  I also suffered a cramp during my first 13-mile run (prior to the Oakland Running Festival in late March).  I also suffered a nasty cramp during the Tilden Tough Ten race — a race that I expected to be a fun, easy event, especially after a difficult Wildcat half.

My most recent cramp, which suddenly hit me in the morning, is more likely due to a lack of water and electrolytes.  My soda and caffeine consumption has significantly increased the past couple of weeks, while my water and electrolyte intake dropped.

Active.com posted five ways to end muscle cramps and it’s an article worth reading over.

Here is a tidbit from the article:

How would dehydration cause muscle cramps? Fluids in the body are either inside the cell or outside of the cell. When we become dehydrated, the fluid outside of the cells decreases. Reductions in fluids cause nerve endings to be squished together, overexcited, and spontaneously discharge. That spontaneous discharge is a muscle twitch, which can lead to a muscle cramp. By maintaining proper hydration, you can prevent dramatic shifts in fluids that contribute to abnormal muscle contractions.

As the Active.com article also says, prevention and treating cramps may not be directly related to fluids — but since proper hydration will help increase performance anyway, it’s a good idea to make sure your fuel tank is properly topped off.

Getting active and deciding to sign up for a local race can be much more intimidating than it needs to be.  I find people are surprised when I tell them I signed up for a half marathon, got out the door to start training, and the rest is history.

My start in distance running likely won’t be as effective for most people:  Ted is an avid runner, swimmer and triathlete, and a few of my friends are extremely dedicated runners and cyclists.  My mom has finished half marathons, and I also have a couple of other family members that run.

It wasn’t a total shock when everyone heard I wanted to run – I was seen as just another member of the family.

For those of you trying to help a friend or family member get more active, there are a few great online resources.  Active.com, Runner’s World, and other well established running sites often provide great guides for runners of all levels.  Jen Murphy, a writer for The Wall Street Journal Online, provides a great guide for women looking to get started.  Murphy talks about mental challenges, lists first-time running stories from other ladies, and offers a basic training plan:

If you’re starting off at square one–you’ve never run or you’ve been inactive for quite some time–give yourself eight to 12 weeks to build a base. Begin by going on a brisk walk so your body gets used to physical activity. Then progress to a walk/run. Try walking three minutes and running 30 seconds to one minute for a total of 25 minutes. Eventually shift to a run/walk with three minutes running and 30 seconds to one minute of walking. Gradually run more and walk less until you’re running a full 30 minutes.

I’ve seen some interesting training guides since I started running, but this should be effective while also preventing injury.  If in doubt, this could be worthwhile advice to remember:  Starting slow will help you stick to your training plan.

You should also encourage any new runners to start slowly and work towards goals… it will help keep motivation and morale high, and help prevent injuries.

People seem to think I eat bird seed and fish because I am skinny.  I am always being asked why I am drinking milk or coffee.  I often hear “I didn’t know you could eat that.”  I am also asked by people why their latest magic diet is not working and I can drink chocolate milk with whole milk.

Dieting is a life long commitment to nutrition.  It is really hard to be nutrition conscious in today’s highly processed food climate.  The marketers and food manufacturers are good at making bad things look healthy.  I have a few rules that I live by for healthy eating.

Drink lots of water
Drink iced tea or a similar drink.  Add real sugar for sweetness.
Eat real yogurt
Eat 3-4 meals a day
Eat loin cuts of meat
Eat free range meat
Eat organic food
Use real butter
Carbs are good
Some fat is good
Eat what you like
Moderation is key
Occasional junk food is ok
Indulge in good chocolate
Exercise

Eliminate the soda (diet soda too)
Eliminate the diet foods
Eliminate the high fructose corn syrup.  It is a lot harder than you may think.
Do not skip meals
Do not snack or mooch
Do not replace meals with workout recovery food
Avoid empty calories
Avoid margarine
Stop eating when you are full
Avoid cheap chocolate (never waste calories on something average)
Do not be a couch potato

A lot of what I say here is easy and makes sense.  A lot of is hard and is against what we are told by marketers.  A lot of it is expensive.  I can’t afford to eat all organic and free range food, especially organic loin cuts of meat.  Do the best you can.  Watch out for the sneaky stuff like Yoplait yogurt that looks healthy but it is just a chemical bomb full of bad calories.

The bottom line of dieting – burn more calories than you consume.  Good calories build good muscles, bad calories don’t.

While reading an ongoing published feature posted on Nature.com, I stumbled upon a series of articles on doping in sports.  It started out with a blurb about the 1976 East German women’s swim team that won 11 of 13 gold medals.  Then it moved in to the realm of professional cycling where the probability of the winning cyclist at the Tour De France doping is believed to be 100%.

My first thoughts after reading something like this is something along the lines of, “Those dirty rotten cheaters”!  I read on.  The German women may not have known they were doing something wrong.

I am fairly certain they did not know of the problems they would have later in life as a result of the steroid use.  I am fairly certain the cyclist knew they were and are doing something wrong.  When elite athletes die from heart attacks at age 30, something is wrong.

Reading into doping in sports, it makes me wonder what is really right or wrong in sports.  Take a look through this web site and you will find that it is loaded with information on better living through chemistry.  Do I really know what is in a protein mix?  What about the instant energy in a bag that I carry around for long runs?  What is a BCAA or an amino acid compound?  They seem to work for me and they don’t seem to have side effects.  Where do we draw the line?  Who am I to say my line should be the same as everyone else’s?

I will put my line in the sand as something that does not cause adverse side effects or harm others as fine for use.  Anything that has a risk of adverse side effects or causes harm in others is bad.  I am sure that I can find thousands of reasons why both my standards are wrong.

Reading the articles gave me a lot of insight into doping in sports and I found that I really like the Scitable web site.

Since I am still in an explaining mood, here are some more thoughts on information provided in the magazine that I mentioned in a previous article.  The two biggest things that all magazines say in a lot of different ways is to just do it and get rid of the high fructose corn syrup.  I am not saying that high fructose corn syrup is bad (I am saying that) but switching to sugar tastes better and you use less.  On to my thoughts.

• Whey Protein – When we exercise, our bodies burn fuel that is stored from food, fat and muscle.  Proteins feed the muscles.  Feeding strained muscles helps to build strength and aid in recovery.  The older you get, the more you care about recovery.
• Nuts and trail mix – It is amazing what your body burns during a long workout.  Trail mix is loaded with salt, sugars, chocolate and lots of other stuff that makes it taste great during a long day on the road.
• Equipment advertisements – When it comes time to purchase exercise equipment, you can never have enough information.  The stuff is expensive and it is hard to get something that is just right.  Most companies wind up adding as many things as financially feasible in an attempt to suit our variable desires.  It is common to like things that you did not want in the first place.  Sometimes, our attitudes can make it very difficult for manufacturers.
• Tips – We all need tips for our daily lives.  I tend to forget to slow down on my long runs.  I seem to have a hard time accepting the fact that long, slow run means to run slowly.  As I get older, I realize most of my injuries are from excess, wasted harder efforts.
• Organics – I have been gravitating towards organic food for a few years now.  I notice that it has a better taste.  In some cases, I just notice the taste.
• Injury prevention and treatment – It is amazing how many little things can go wrong when you exercise a lot.  Marathon training causes all sorts of injuries from road rash (falls) to a plain old rash under your arms.  Who thought up the idea to use diaper rash cream on a body rash?  I like to swim in the bay.  Drinking coffee is better than water after a long swim because it helps combat hypothermia.  The water zealots will come after me for that comment but they have never had to deal with limbs that refuse to work after a long, cold swim.
• Fitness – We tend to think one sport will give us complete fitness.  One sport is great for getting into shape and possibly staying there.  If you want to move on to bigger things, you will need to cross train.  If you look at my calendar, it is full of cross training.  Of course, my main event for any given year is probably going to be a triathlon.

So there you have it.  More explanations on things that are simple, after you know them.

I don’t pick up sports magazines anymore for a variety of reasons.  Now that Michael has started running, he signed up for a subscription to Runners World.

I picked up a copy and was quite surprised by the amount of information in one magazine for athletes of all levels.  I am going to comment on a few of the things I noticed in the magazine.

• GNC – Good vitamin store.  Whey protein – Muscle and recovery supplement.
• Nuts – I love my nuts for long work outs.
• View points – We all see things from a different perspective.
• Success stories – Help for motivation.
• Q&A – See what other people are asking.
• Equipment ads – One way to find what is available.
• General tips – Like my running and happiness post.
• Performance tips – Help you improve your performance.
• Organics – I have been gravitating to organic food for a few years.
• Injury prevention – See what have other people tried for similar injuries.
• Injury prevention – See exercises to prevent injuries.
• Overall fitness – What is your overall fitness?
• Overall fitness exercises – It is more than just running.
• Shoes – It is nice to get information about different shoes.  Your feet will take a pounding.
• Garmin 110 advertisement – I love my Garmin 405 but it is complicated.
• Calendar of events with reviews – Some events are just awesome.

I am not plugging any one magazine.  Runners World was the magazine I picked up.  I am fairly certain that any exercise magazine will be full of information too.  Runners World has been around for a long time and there must be a reason why.

If you are new to running, it is nice to see what others are doing.  It can be hard to listen to one or two sources when things don’t seem natural.  A magazine is one more source to help you decide if you want to try something or not.

I tried the Clif Shot Mango Orange recovery drink the other day. It was the first water-based recovery drink that I did not have to choke down. It did not taste great but it is definitely drinkable. I found that mixing the drinks exactly as directed make them taste better.

Remember, it is better to mix the drinks a little strong. It is also faster to swallow 8 ounces than 12 ounces.

To be honest with you, I use most of the top electrolyte drinks and recovery drinks interchangeably with little noticeable difference between them. Some flavors are preferred over others but they all seem to work for me. Clif sets themselves apart through their community service. Mike gets stuff to review. He may or may not tell me what he paid for and what is a review item. I don’t usually follow what is a review item because I am the main test subject. Read more… »

Kinesiology tape sounds like a magic potion or snake oil.  How can sticking a piece of tape on your sore leg help?  I can’t answer that but it works for me.  I use it all of the time because I am always injuring myself from over use.

The websites from the two big guys in kinesiology tape are Rocktape and KT Tape”.  They are the two brands on my computer desk for trial purposes.  I have a sore ITB from cycling too hard before a moderate run and a mild pull to my groin from weight lifting.

After applying to both areas, I noticed immediate relief.  It does take a little more practice to get the correct application on the groin area even though it looks easier to apply.  I like to use the tape because it seems to help speed recovery and it reminds me that I am injured and I should rest the injured area. Read more… »