Thank you Jay and Nancy!  I find the less processed, more whole grain foods are easier for me, and yes, many (but not all) gluten foods do set me off.  I have to avoid bananas, beans and pastas (even whole grain).  For fruits, I eat mostly apples, oranges and apricots (dried or fresh when I can get them, I believe they are also high in potassium).  The Kashi products have been a real lifesaver for me.  I generally do OK with my diet, but trying to eat properly before a really long run or a marathon is tough, especially if the race isn't close to home.  I haven't really tried sweet potatoes....I'll see if they work for me.  Thanks again for the advice and support.

Thanks for posting these sites about nutrition for active individuals.  This was a refresher for me but much-welcomed.  In our society of  "carbs are poison,"  I think it's important to differentiate between complex and simple carbohydrates and high vs low glycemic index.  For the athletically inclined, complex carbs with a bit of protein thrown in and eating at regular intervals throughout the day are CRUCIAL to give us the fuel we need to jump-start and sustain an elevated metabolism and energy level.  Our bodies deserve this.  Feed the machine!  It isn't an option, it's a requirement! 

It looks/sounds like you have a lot of experience with running/training.  Can you advise me on how to increase my speed?  I have plenty of endurance but my speed is not up to my expectations and I can't seem to improve.  My training regimine generally looks like this:  running 6 miles (4 times a week) and on the off days (typically 2 days a week, in between my running days), cross training with cylcing, calisthenics, and eliptical. 

With my running, I will often try to shake it up with interval training/hills.  I generally run outside and only on a treadmill if the weather is too cold (typically November through February---4 months out of the year).  Am I not giving my body enough rest?  I feel that my nutrition and supplementation with vitamins and minerals, combined with plenty of hydration, are sufficient for my level of activity.  I sleep very well so that should not factor into the equation either.  My pace is typically a 10 minute mile.  UGH!!!!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Signed:  Stuck at the same pace (Lara)

Lara,

Welcome to active.com!  Increasing speed is tough and it is often the last aspect of running that falls into place.  One thing that might help is the SmartCoach program that is linked on the Runner's World website.  You don't actually need to have an upcoming race, just plug in the requested data and check out the calendar that it provides.  What you are looking for is the general frequency of long runs, speed sessions (tempo runs and intervals), maintenance runs, and cross-training as well as a recommended pace for your training.  Also see how it builds in a recovery week every moth or so to allow your body the time to rebuild and benefit from all of your hard work.  I use SmartCoach for my marathon training and I don't stick to it exactly, but I think it's a great tool to use as a starting point for my calendar planning.  Please let us know if you have any more questions or comments.

Good luck and happy running!

Jay

Shemali,

One small thing that I found improved my time, and was also a pretty easy fix, was to pay careful attention to my posture.  I wasn't even aware of it, and normally I have very good posture, but a friend pointed out that I "slouched" my shoulders, particularly when running hard or when fatigued.  Paying careful attention to my core and posture made a difference in endurance as well as speed.  Even when I feel like I'm running well, I look at those finish photos at the end of a race, and I can still see my shoulders hunching forward just a bit.  It's a small thing, but it correcting it does help.  This is just a little thing that doesn't take any extra work but I never would have noticed it if someone hadn't pointed it out to me.

Definitely follow the advice of all the previous responses (and again thanks everyone for all of the nutrition info).  Use all the virtual coaching tools you can, reqad the Runners World articles, etc.   There are tons of little tidbits that really help you think about your running and training.