Welcome to week 9 of our training season. What a great turnout last weekend and a beautiful day for a run. All training groups push up with mileage again this week with those training for the half running 9 miles and those running the full doing 14-17 miles. RunHers is supporting the Deer Creek Classic this Saturday. It’s a great 5K, 10K and 1-mile fun run that support the Deer Creek Schools. The 5 and 10K races will be our “official” runs this week so those training for the marathon will want to tack on another 8-10 miles this weekend. Team in Training will still be meeting at 7 on Saturday morning at Keller Williams at 5600 N Classen Boulevard. They are having a nutrition clinic after their run that we are welcome to join!
March Monthly runHers Meeting
Funky Monkey is the Presenting Sponsor for this year’s Princess Run and features the coolest clothing for both children and women, including the unusual and hard-to-find lines! The store is providing dinner. So, let’s have a great turnout to show our appreciation for their support! We will have new spring gear to show off and our own Jenny Graef will be on hand at the meeting to lead us through her leg workout and stretching routine. Wear comfortable clothes. Jenny will also answer all your running, nutrition, marathon and training questions! If you have a question, send me a short email and I’ll forward it on to Jenny. Also, we’re going to be talking about pace groups, so we can introduce members to other people who run similar paces.
Monday, March 8th at 7 pm
Funky Monkey
14101 N. May Avenue in Oklahoma City
A letter from runHers Member, Christina Eckert
This is the time in training when you start perfecting your race day routine. One of the most important aspects on race day will be how you re-fuel during the race. Having the right long-run nutrition plan can make the difference between finishing strong and not finishing at all. Carbohydrates are a good source of glucose, the form of sugar that our brain, nerves and muscles need to function. A small amount of glucose circulates in our blood, but most is stored in our muscles and liver as glycogen. According to Runner’s World, when you deplete your glycogen stores, your muscles and brain run out of fuel and you feel physically fatigued and mentally drained. You “hit the wall”! Consuming the right amount and right kind of carbs can keep that from happening. Our runHers expert Jenny Graef says, “Gu/gels or some sort of carbohydrate replacement should be taken at regular times throughout the race.” Registered Dietician Amy Jamieson-Petonic adds, “The goal is to consume 30-60 grams (100-250 calories) of easily digestible carbs every hour on runs lasting longer than an hour.” Most experts suggest you fuel before you start to get tired, which means taking in carbs between 30-60 minutes into your workout or race, depending on your intensity. That’s the equivalent of 1 to 2-1/2 sports gels or 16 -40 ounces of sports drink per hour.
Some runners have stomach trouble with gels though. Fellow runHers member Ashley Loftiss takes chocolate Gu with pretzels. Kate Hughes really likes the Sports Beans. Jenny Graef has been known to eat Starbursts during long runs. Some others turn to alternatives you may already have in your kitchen like orange slices, LifeSavers, Fig Newtons, Gummi Bears, jelly beans or even small packets of honey. Remember, try these out on long runs. What works for your running buddy may not work for you! Consider taking your carbs with water too. RunHers expert Graef says “You can drink Gatorade/powerade with gels, but it might be too much sugar at once if you take the whole gel. Your body can only process so much sugar at once. However, you definitely want to be taking Gatorade/powerade throughout the race to replace electrolytes, but you might want to skip it when you take the gel just to be safe.” Just remember to look for foods that are made mostly of simple sugars. You want that sugar in your blood as soon as possible to help fuel your efforts and make the most of your training runs and race day!
Just for fun, I’m including a recipe that was in this months Runner’s World (might be a great post-run treat!)
3-1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup honey
1/3 cup hottest possible tap water
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 ounces dried figs, stems removed, finely chopped
8 ounces unblanched almonds, toasted and coarsely ground
72 paper petit-four cases, or mini-muffin liners
In small saucepan, combine chocolate, honey and tap water. Heat mixture over moderate heat until chocolate melts. Stir to combine. Remove from heat. Stir in zest, salt, cinnamon, figs and almonds. Arrange paper cases side by side on baking sheet. Spoon mixture into paper cases filling about ¾ full (about 2 teaspoons each). Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to firm up before serving. Makes 72 pieces. Calories: 47 Carbs: 5 g Protein: 1 g Fat: 2.5 g
One final note from Thoreau this week, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to lead a life which he has imagined, he will meet a success unexpected in common hours.” Expect success!
Have fun this training season and remember runHers is for life!
Christina Eckert
