Before you know it, spring races will be here. In Minnesota, it’s still cold outside, but if you’re running a spring race, you should be training now.
This year I’m running the Twin Cities Marathon in October and will be raising money for Team World Vision to bring clean water to communities in need. So, in order to give an incentive for donating, I’m offering free training plans for donations in any amount. My goal is to raise $50 a mile for a total of $1310.
My training plans are customized to your preferences and needs. You’ll fill out a survey that gives me background information, preferences, and running goals. Your answers will help me create a training plan that not only will help you reach your goals, but will also be built around the types of runs you enjoy.
Read more about my training plans and testimonials here:
In 1985, seventeen runners were hospitalized during the Comrades Marathon. It was hot, so you might guess most were hospitalized due to heat injury or dehydration. You'd be wrong. According to Science Based Running, "nine of them were overhydrated: their blood sodium levels were dangerously
low. In the 1987 race, three runners nearly died of the condition, and
some runners in the U.S. have indeed died of overhydration" (Science of Running).
Overhydration, called hyponatrimia, is a serious and dangerous condition that can lead problems including confusion, nausea, muscle spasms, comas or death.
While all this sounds scary, there's a simple solution to this potentially dangerous problem. Exercise scientists and nutritionists such as Tim Noakes and Matt Fitzgerald recommend drinking to thirst. You've probably heard, "if you wait until you're thirsty to drink, you're already dehydrated."
This may be true to some degree, but your body is actually pretty good at telling you when its thirsty. We are all an experiment of one, so some may need to drink a bit more. I tend to miss my body's thirst signals, but sometimes seeing a water stop reminds me I'm thirsty. Still, it's better to err on the side of drinking too little than drinking to much.
By all means, drink water and stay hydrated, but as you're doing those long and intermediate distance runs, remember to drink to thirst.
For more information on training and racing in heat, check out the following posts:
I'm Michelle from The Runner's Plate, and Nate has asked me to write a guest post for you guys. Nate mentioned that he thought it would be great if I shared what I eat prior to running a marathon. I just completed my 8th marathon--Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN. My race didn't go as planned (It was very warm for racing a marathon.), but I still managed a 3:12 finish time, which is my second fastest marathon.
Fifteen or so years ago, it seemed as though carb-loading was the thing to do--partaking in large amounts of carbohydrates several days out from a race. (Or maybe I just thought it was trendy because we always had pasta parties the night before our meets in high school.) More recently it seems like people continue to eat what they normally do on a day-to-day basis and don't try to do anything special with their diet prior to a big race.
As an endurance athlete I've tried both, and I wanted to share my experiences about each approach and the pros and cons of them.
My regular diet consists of whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats, ample fruits and vegetables, and a little bit of dairy. I don't eat a ton of meat, but I am not a vegetarian. I don't dabble in fad diets but instead aim to eat a wide variety of foods and make 95% healthy choices.
For my first seven marathons—and any half-marathon, 10K, 5K, or any other race I've run, I have continued to eat the type of foods listed above. I might consume a few extra carbs two days before a marathon, but other than that I haven’t eaten a sky-high plate of spaghetti noodles the night before the race. I have had spaghetti the night before, but I always made sure to balance it out with a meat sauce, salad, and some fruit.
The biggest pro of sticking with what you know works for your body is that you won't risk having any stomach discomfort or GI distress come race day. It is safe. There are too many other factors to worry about on race day and your nutrition isn't something you want to toy with on such an important day.
I think this is definitely a good approach for new runners and those who are embarking on the marathon distance for the first time. The one drawback might be that you may not be filling the glycogen stores to the max. The more carbohydrates available for your body to tap into, the more energy your body will have on race day. This is the reason people carb-load: they try to max out their glycogen stores so that during competition their body will have ample energy to fuel their long distance race.
For my most recent marathon (Grandma's Marathon), I tried a carb-deplete followed by a period of carb-loading. Six days out from the marathon, I depleted my glycogen stores by eating only fats and proteins for three days and then ate a high portion of carbohydrates for the next three days. The idea is to deplete the glycogen stores and then trick your body into thinking it needs to replenish the glycogen stores with a higher percentage than it normally carries.
During the carb-deplete, 90% of my calories came from protein and fats. Here are some things I ate:
eggs
avocados
bacon
pork sausage
tuna + mashed avocado
chicken breast
mahi-mahi
protein powder mixed with water (milk has carbs)
almond milk
almonds, cashews, peanuts
peanut butter
After three days of eating only protein and fats, I then consumed a large amount of carbs to restock those glycogen stores. I aimed to consumed 350 - 400 grams of carbohydrates each day, which still allowed me to eat some fats and proteins in my diet. Examples of what I ate:
bagel with jam
pasta with butter and salt and pepper
muffins
graham crackers
cereal
pretty much all the carbs I often feel like I usually can’t justify eating
When it came to my race day, the conditions weren't ideal for racing (too hot and too humid), so unfortunately my body wasn't able to respond in the right way to see if the carb-deplete/carb-load worked properly. I plan to try this diet again for my next marathon, so I will be interested to see if I feel different.
I would only suggest this carb-deplete/carb-load diet for an experienced runner and someone who has run a handful of marathons already. I didn't experience any negative effects from this diet, but I have heard of some people feeling bloated from the extra carbohydrates. It is very important to drink plenty of water during the carb-load stage as your body can only absorb carbohydrates with enough water.
All in all, you should ultimately do what works for you and your body. You know your body the best and are the one who can determine if something does or does not work.
Best of luck to all of you racing this summer. If you need guidance on a running plan, I do offer individualized running programs for people of all abilities. Check out my blog for more information: www.therunnersplate.com.
Heather Kampf, of Team USA Minnesota, is ready. Kampf will be competing in U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track and Field in Eugene, Oregon. This year, she’s feeling good about her chance at making the team in the 1500m run.
On a Saturday morning, I joined Heather and her husband Ben on a run around Minneapolis. Kampf gained online notoriety following her fall and recovery in the 600m run at the 2008 Big Ten Indoor Track Championships (this video gives me goosebumps every time).
“Do you get tired of talking about that race?” I asked.
“I’m OK with it,” she said. “If I’m going to be known as a gritty fighter who never gives up--that’s fine with me.”
“[That race] is something anyone can relate to,” said Ben. “A businessman, he could say, ‘She didn’t give up.’ They could be inspired by that.”
Kampf will bring her 600m speed to the US Olympic trials on July 7. “Runner’s World” lists Shannon Rowburry and Jenny Simpson as the two favorites, and gives a nod to Shelby Houlihan, Morgan Uceny, and Brenda Martinez fighting for the third spot on the team.
As we ran toward Lake Nokomis, Heather talked about her chances of making the Olympic team. “I think I’ve had season that’s been just enough under the radar,” she said, “that people aren’t thinking about me. It’s fun to go into this race without the pre-race publicity and pressure.”
Kampf is currently ranked twelfth among 1500m qualifiers, although she finished fourth at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March of this year. Kampf doesn’t focus too much on the competition. “You can only control yourself,” says Kampf. “You can choose how you affect the race, rather than letting the race happen to you.”
At the 2012 Olympic trials, Kampf finished 7th in the 800m run. “In the past,” said Kampf, “I’d tell people I had an outside chance of making the team. Now, just based on my workouts, fitness, where my head's at, and what I believe in my heart...I would be sincerely disappointed if I didn't make the team.”
Kampf is no stranger to winning. She has won high school state championships in both the 800m and 400m. In college, she was a finalist in the 800m in every NCAA indoor and outdoor championship, and finished first, second, or third six times. She is also a four time winner of the U.S. road mile title (read about it on Runner’s World).
Track wasn’t always Kampf’s favorite sport. “In a former life I was a gymnast. I loved watching gymnastics at the Olympics and I dreamed of what it would be like to compete there,” she said. “I started running track my freshman year of high school, and though I had the kind of initial success to expect a future in the sport… I don't think I really considered shooting for the Olympic level of running until I was in college.”
Kampf enjoys the camaraderie of Team USA Minnesota. “Our coach, Dennis Barker, takes the time to write a program that is tailor-made for each of us,” says Kampf, “but it's great to be able to show up to the track and have warm-up and cool-down buddies.”
Coach Barker has high expectations for Kampf:
“Heather is unique in that she has the fastest 400m speed of any woman we have had on the team. So we have worked to keep that speed while improving her endurance to give her more tools to use in the 1500 meters. She took a big step this winter by running her first 3,000 meter race ever in 8:58. Early in the outdoor season she ran 4:04 for 1500 meters, then last week she ran one of her fastest 800 meter races 2:00.55. So we feel she is well-prepared for the Olympic Trials, where there will be a prelim, semi-final and final within a four day period.”
When she’s not training with the team, Kampf keeps busy with her two dogs, speaking, and running with her husband, Ben. The first round of the women’s 1500m run takes place on July 7, and the finals take place on July 10.
Less than three weeks before the US Olympic Trials, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Abbabiya Simbassa, an Olympic hopeful in the 5,000m run. On June 12, Simbassa ran a personal best time of 13:29 at the Portland Track Festival.
He'll be joining fellow Team USA Minnesota member Heather Kampf at the Olympic trials in less than three weeks, and will be competing in the 5,000m preliminaries on July 4th. As we sipped our coffee, I asked him about his goals for the race. He told me, "It's all about making the team. Making the finals is key."
Dennis Barker, Head Coach of Team USA Minnesota, has watched Simbassa make some big improvements this season. Via e-mail, Barker wrote:
“Biya is unique in that he has been running at a competitive level the least amount of time of any guy we have had on the team. Last fall and over the winter we stuck to improving his base and stayed away from work that was too intense. He ran some longer races tired and without any sharpening work, but by sticking to the plan he became able to do more intense work and recover better when we got to the racing season. That has allowed him to improve his 5,000 meter time from 14:02 to 13:29 so far this year."
Simbassa plans to draw on the experience of Heather Kampf, a trials veteran. "Heather's a hard worker and a positive person to be around," he said. "The kind of workouts she does--motivate me... the kind of work she puts in, having her around--it makes me want to do more. Every time she races, you can tell she wants it."
Teammate Parker Stinson, currently training in Oregon, is injured and will not be competing in the trials. At the Payton Jordan Invitational in May 2015, Stinson ran a trials qualifying time of 27:54 in the 10,000m. "Parker, he's a good runner," said Simbassa. "I haven't done any workouts with him--he's in Eugene now. It'll be good having him around again."
Simbassa promised me a follow up conversation on a run--I'm usually a better listener when I can't breathe. "How fast are your recovery runs?" I asked.
"Oh, about 6:15 per mile," he said.
I wasn't sure I’d heard right. "Six fifty, as in six, five, zero?"
"No, six fifteen."
"Would you be willing to slow down for an old guy? Maybe run some 6:50s with me?"
"For a recovery day?" he said. "Sure. I like running with anybody."
I'm looking forward to trying to keep up with Simbassa.
For years, I was under the impression that a runner's high was a sense of well-being brought about by endorphins. It makes sense--your body releases endorphins as a response to pain, and the endorphins act as a natural opiate, bringing about a sense of euphoria.
Well, move over endorphins--you don't get all the credit anymore. The real chemical hero of the runner's high? Endocannabinoids. If this term sounds suspiciously like cannabis, that's because endocannabinoids are basically chemicals similar to marijuana, only they're produced naturally by the body.
If you're more interested in the topic, the blog post, "Honing in on the Source of the Runner's High" from the New York Times gives a pretty good explanation of the science behind endocannabinoids and endorphins, and how the runner's high could be produced. Another interesting article from NPR called, "How Runner's Get High" also does a nice job of explaining that elusive feeling of euphoria sometimes experienced while running.
Some runners don't wait for a natural high. Recently, I've seen more and more articles about running under the influence of marijuana. While this may sound counter intuitive, knowing how a runner's high is produced, it might make more sense. Weed could be acting as a shortcut to get a runner's high, and may enable some athletes to reduce their pain perception and run longer and harder.
Below are a couple interesting articles about running under the influence of marijuana. Please don't take this as a recommendation--running after getting high is definitely not something I'm thinking of doing.
Again, don't take these articles as a recommendation from me. I'll continue to pursue my runner's high through my body's natural endocannabinoids--not from smoking dope. But to each their own.
Last August, I wrote a post about the various theories of how to use long runs in training. The post was mostly about marathon training and the long run distances in several training programs.
While the August post mainly focused on the how, this post is about the why.
Before we look at the benefits of a long run, what exactly constitutes a long run? Most coaches describe it as a run lasting an hour or more. The distance you're training for and what constitutes your daily training will help you determine how far your long run should be.
If you're daily running is already close to an hour, a run lasting an hour isn't going to give you the same benefit as someone who runs 20-30 minutes several times a week. The article, "The Long View" gives good advice on long run distances. Two main takeaways from the article are that a long run should be between 1.5 and 2 times the length of your daily run, and that when deciding the length of your long run, use whatever is shorter--distance or time.
Long runs are not just for marathoners and half marathoners. If you're looking to run faster at almost any distance, a long run can help. In "The Many Benefits of Long Runs," Pete Pfitzinger describes seven benefits. Some of those benefits include an increasing your ability to burn fat, creating more capillaries for more efficient oxygen delivery and waste removal, and greater glycogen storage in your muscles. If you're interested in more details and benefits, I'd recommend checking out the full article.
Pfitzinger also mentions the spiritual benefit of running long. I agree. Even if you're not a religious person, running long is an excellent time to think and reflect.
I strongly encourage adding a long run to your weekly routine if you haven't already done so. Build up your distance slowly, and be patient as you begin to experience the benefits of the long run.
