The Little Things By Camille Herron M S

“The Little Things” By Camille Herron, M. S. , B. S. Exercise and Sport Science 2: 37 marathoner and 2 -time Olympic Trials qualifier

Day-to-Day Hydration • 2 water bottles you carry around each day – One bottle with water and another filled with a carbohydrate solution • Coke is fine, in moderation • OJ/Juice, Coffee, Tea • Beer/alcohol is fine, in moderation • Need more sodium in diet/drinks leading up to a potentially hot race/workout (~esp. summer)

Hydration (cont. ) • Leading up to a race/workout: – Drink a mix of 14 -20 fluid ounces, in the 2 -3 hours before – Sip on another 8 fluid ounces in the 2 hours leading up – A lot of this depends on what your gut is comfortable with • During the race/workout: – Lose 2% of body weight =performance starts to suffer – There’s a formula for determining sweat rate to determine fluid intake; however, gastric emptying rate may lag behind – Research shows most can do fine with ~16 fluid ounces/hour – You liberate water when you break down glycogen (~Carbo-hydrate)

Hydration (cont. ) • Post-run: If you weigh yourself preand post- run, drink 20 fluid ounces for each pound you lost • 30 min. post-run: Simple sugars + protein (~for really hard workouts, 4: 1 ratio) – Ex. OJ with liquid iron, Coke, Beer (in moderation), Chocolate milk or Chocolate soy milk, Fruit smoothie with ice cream and protein powder or eggs, ~Endurox or Powerbar Ironman Restore, regular Gatorade

Breakfast • Pre-run food/beverages – Light/easily digested • • Energy bar, fruit, toast (PB and jam), cereal Water/Gatorade/Coffee Get blood sugar up to counter cortisol Need 50 g of CHO per hour leading up to workout/race (ex. I take in ~75 g of CHO 90 min. before a race – Powerbar Harvest bar, banana, coffee with milk and sugar, Gatorade) • Post-run food/beverages – Mix of protein and carbohydrates – Consume within 15 -30 min. of run • Oatmeal, cereal, PB&J, bagels, toast, eggs, bacon • Smoothie or juice with protein mix • Chocolate milk or chocolate soy milk

Snacks • Have at work, in your car, carry on bike rides, etc. – readily available • Energy bars/bites, fig newtons, fruit, nuts, candy, chocolate, trail mix, Little Debbies • For both mid-morning and afternoon • Don’t go more than 2 -3 hours without eating/drinking something • Have your two bottles

Lunch/Dinner • Soups/salads/sandwiches all the time won’t cut it for meeting energy/iron needs! • Eat real food (hot food)! • Be careful with greasy/fried foods (if you have workout in afternoon) • Don’t skimp on meat • Where does the food fit on the Food Pyramid? • Meat/starch/2 -3 veggies, fruit • Late-night snack or OJ with iron

Fueling before a race • Want to consume low-fiber, simple sugars – – Soda/Coke Candy Juice instead of fruit White rice/bread/pasta (instead of whole grain) – Fast food– good balance of fat/simple sugars/salt • Store up more glycogen because won’t feel as “full”

Fueling during the race • Depends on distance/how long you’re out there • Rule of thumb is you need 30 -60 g of carbohydrates per hour – – Mix of fluids/CHO solutions/gels/other Personal preference Takes practice If you’re taking a glucose+fructose blend, you can take in more than 60 g (~Chrissie Wellington, 85 -90 g/hour) – Take in closer to max for longer Tris – If you’re a good fat metabolizer, can get away with taking in less

Iron+B 12 supplementation • Need iron and B 12 to make Red Blood Cells (RBCs) that carry oxygen • Know your ferritin (~your stored iron) – See Primary care physician or get checked through Healthcheckusa. com – Want to be above 50, preferably 60 -70 – Get tested pre and post season – Take liquid ferrous sulfate elixir mixed with OJ, before you go to bed (Qualitest brand ) – Eat meat (~red meat) 2 -3 x/day – Calcium/dairy inhibits iron absorption– don’t drink milk with meat or with iron supplements

Vitamin D • Need More Vit. D in the winter because of less sunlight and exposure • Important for immune system and musculoskeletal health • If you work out very early, late, or indoors– esp. vulnerable to Vit. D deficiency • Do some of your weekly training at mid-day with some exposed skin • ~2000 IUs/day of Vit. D 3 is a safe supplement amount • If you get tested and find out you’re lower, doctor can prescribe a larger dose – Ex. Deena Kastor– overprotecting skin with sunscreen layers = Vit. D deficiency and stress fracture

Sleep • You need at least 7 -8 hours! • Your body produces Growth Hormone, to repair and rebuild your body – Reason why elites take naps = MORE GROWTH HORMONE! • If you’re not getting enough sleep, you don’t get as much Growth Hormone, your body will breakdown, you won’t gain benefits of training

Shoes • Wear what is most comfortable to you • Every shoe has it’s own idiosyncrasies (~changes the distribution of stress) • Rotate various shoes • Break in your race shoes in training– get legs and feet used to them (strides, workouts) • Get new shoes when you start to feel “niggles” in your body

Injuries • Know the difference between pain and soreness • Most little things you can train through, if you back off/run easy • Make a change– shoes, easy training, more sleep/food, maybe a little barefoot running • Body likes to move and be consistent! – Sometimes the answer is to run more, more frequently, and slower • Low-level mechanical stress enhances tissue recovery (~easy running, walking, swimming, cycling, massage, THE STICK, ultrasound, ART, bone stimulator or whole body vibration training) • Icing/ice baths only help pain and not tissue recovery…. UNLESS, there’s a mechanical component involved, ~ice cupping

Injuries/health (cont. ) • NSAIDs hinder tissue healing/recovery • Research supports compression socks/garments for enhanced recovery, when worn AFTER exercise – doesn’t enhance performance or further help recovery when worn DURING activity – Want Firm Compression (20 -30 mm/Hg) – Doesn’t matter if Pharmacy-grade or “running grade” material – Personal preference if you like to wear them during activity

Conclusion runcamille@yahoo. com www. camilleherron. com Questions?