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What to eat before running that is light?

guest — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:19:55 GMT

I like to eat a Specail K protein meal bar two hours before a run or race. It's light, tasty (like a rice crispie treat), and has never caused me any woes on a run. I add a half a scoop of Gatorade to my water bottle, and at mile 8 consume one Gel - mandarin orange is my favorite.

Hope that helps!

Re: 16th Annual 5K Turkey Trot Run Reviews

guest — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:57:15 GMT

Beautiful park to run in. Very fast course. No t-shirts or goodie bags for those register the day of the race. Real frozen turkeys to winners! Zero pre-race refreshments - bananas, granola bars, and water post race. Not likely to run this no-frills race again!

Re: Starting C25K 1/1/11! Who wants to join me?

guest — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:13:12 GMT

Hi Pugnut:

In writing this I realized how hard it is to describe my stretches! I do a lot of yoga, so I'll use some of those terms. Pretty much any yoga pose that "opens the hips" is a good choice. Before running I do a quad stretch (standing, heel to butt), an achilles tendon stretch (stand on stair on toes, heels slanted down at 45 degree angle), and standing high kicks with each leg from a lunge position. After running, I do the quad stretch again, then a sitting forward bend, then a yoga cobbler's pose ( sitting, heels together, knees to floor). Then a yoga "rock the baby" with each knee. Then a yoga full pigeon pose. Then a yoga half lord of the fishes pose ( seated spinal twist). I finish in a half lotus position with eagle pose arms. I do each pose or stretch for 10 slow, deep, yoga breathes, Here's a good link for stretches:http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_1/126.shtml. The pre-run stretching takes maybe 3 minutes. The post run stretch takes maybe 7 minutes. If I'm really tight before running, I'll ride a stationary bike for 10-15 minutes to loosen up my knees. Getting old just stinks.

Renee

Re: Starting C25K 1/1/11! Who wants to join me?

guest — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:23:21 GMT

Dear Pugnut:

Congrats on quitting smoking! That's the best ever for yourself and your family!

I strongly recommend running every other day, and doing something on non-running days like yoga, swimming or strength/weight training. Otherwise, it can become a real grind as the distances get longer, and it can be hard on your joints if you have a few pounds to lose. I'm on week 4 of bridge to 10K, and each running workout is now over an hour. I stretch before, because I have sore knees and stiff hips, and after. On non-running days, I work with a trainer or swim. If you watch the "Biggest Loser", a lot of what my trainer has me do is similar to the show, including boxing. My trainer is a serious triathlete, so I get great advice from him. I take one day off a week to recover. I don't have a running buddy. It's hard to find someone at one's own fitness level with similar goals, but I do tell my trainer how my workouts go. What does help me is to listen to an audiobook when I run. A good mystery can help the minutes go by faster, and if it's a cliffhanger you are motivated to do that next run.

Keep moving and you will do great!

Renee

Re: Starting C25K 1/1/11! Who wants to join me?

guest — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:23:02 GMT

Hi Lisa,

You sure can do it! If you stick to the program in 12 weeks you should be able to run 5 K. That being said, remember that stuff happens in life, and despite your best efforts, something can get in the way - an injury, an illness, a family emergency. If something interrupts your training, just pick it right up again. As for the race, the most important goal is to have fun!!! Run the best race you can, but remember that a lot of other people will be walking at least part of the race. They started too fast, or didn't get enough sleep, or whatever. If you have to walk a little, then your goal for the next race is to run all of it. As my son's soccer coach used to say, it's not fun without "U" in the middle! I'm envious - I'd love to be in that 5K with you!

Be fit, train hard, have fun.

Renee

Re: Starting C25K 1/1/11! Who wants to join me?

guest — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:49:34 GMT

Fruitfan,

There is NOTHING wrong with you! You rock just trying to become a runner, and you will become one! There is nothing wrong with repeating a week. You might try running more slowly this time. The race is along way off, so just run at a speed that is comfortable for you. When I did C25K I thought I would quit after the 2nd week, because my knees hurt so much. I didn't, and am now on day 2 of week three of bridge to 10 K - and my knees are killing me again. It must have something to do with increasing the mileage too much too soon. So, repeat week one, or three, or 6 as just keep plugging away at it. You are an A Number 1 terrific person!

Renee

Re: Starting C25K 1/1/11! Who wants to join me?

guest — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:04:35 GMT

Hi Barb,

10 mph would be a 6 minute mile, something achievable only for the best athletes! I've not encountered anything that extreme on the many gym treadmills I have run on, but I can say that they really vary in their accuracy. A treadmill that is reading a pace of 5.1 mph might actually be 6 mph, or 4.7 - they are not well calibrated. If I am feeling the pace is too fast, I sometimes switch to another machine, set it at the same pace, and find it is a lot easier, so something is fishy. I recommend running at a pace that is comfortable for you, and walking at a pace that is a little challenging for you. When the weather is better you could go to a school track and see how long it takes you to run a quarter mile. I run a lot faster outside than the "dreadmill" says, which might have something to do with the belt moving under my feet versus my feet running over the ground. Just give yourself a pat on the back for each day you do it, and you will be running 3.1 miles before you know it!

Renee

Re: A Whole OTHER Ball of Wax

guest — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 03:26:54 GMT

Hi Sandra,

Oh, don't be scared! The other bodies are friendly people - and they cheer for you! You struck a chord, though, with "food for comfort" - exactly what I did tonight, lonely because my hubby is away for a week in San Francisco, and worried sick about my teenager (who sleeps at night that has teenage children?). At my race there were all kinds of people, fat, thin, old, young, and even a fat guy who ran in a Batman costume, complete with cape. There was a fitness class and their trainer - the trainer ran a fast race, then ran the race again in reverse to collect all her struggling students. It's supposed to be fun! Think of it as a running party. Yes, they sometimes watch you, but mostly just to make sure you are OK and on course. It's a good kind of watching, and is not judgmental. My much faster (and worrisome) teenager ran the race very fast, and had to stop to walk a couple times. He told me other fast runners immediately stopped to ask him if he was OK. How great is that, to put yourself in the midst of strangers who care about you? And, they feed you afterwards - bagels, bananas, apples, oranges. In the end, though, you don't have to run in a race to prove anything. If you can run three miles, then that's what matters.

Renee

Re: Just realized we can change the titles of our posts :)

guest — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:54:55 GMT

Hey Sandra,

Having just faced some of those same fears myself, here's my two cents. First, I was so afraid of doing/wearing the wrong thing that I did a "dry run" (haha) with my son at a 5K race on Thanksgiving - he ran, and I just watched and observed how and when to park, what to wear, where to line up for the start, how the start and finish worked, where to go to the bathroom, etc. It helped for my race 1/1! The advice I was given is "nothing new on race day" - be sure you try running in the clothes you plan to wear for the race, and eat your normal diet the day before and the day of. Arrive at least 30 minutes early to park and sign in (if necessary) and use the bathroom. Line up near the middle of the pack, and ask the people around you how fast they run. If they say 30-35 minutes, great - they are probably slower than that. The people in front of me ran for 100 yards, then stopped to walk! At each mile marker, lots of people stopped to walk. As for clothes, the rule of thumb is dress like it's 15 degrees warmer than it is, with a hat or earwarmer you can remove, and gloves or mits you can take off. Wear a light jacket or top that you can unzip for ventilation. Don't wear a heavy sweatshirt - you can't easily remove it, and you don't want to carry it. It's considered "newbie" to wear the race give-away t-shirt in the race! Do wear sunscreen! Also, I made an effort to thank each volunteer I passed for being there and making it a great day. Remember to smile and have fun - smile for the camera when you pass the photographers!

Renee

Re: Starting C25K 1/1/11! Who wants to join me?

guest — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:41:09 GMT

Hey ErinCanRun,

In the 5K I ran on 1/1/11, the LAST person to finish was an 87yr old who walked the whole way! The advice I was given about picking races is to find one that advertises itself as "walker-friendly" or as a "run & walk", and to pick races with lots of registrants. That mean it's less likely that I would be the last one. Out of 600 registered, I was 386th with a 35:00 finishing time, and about in the middle of my age group. I ran the whole way, but very slowly ... And I did pass a lot of people who started out too fast and had to walk a lot. Just shows the turtle & the hare principle. Hope that helps!

Renee