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

“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 pre-

and 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 50g of CHO per hour leading

up to workout/race (ex. I take in ~75g 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 30-60g 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 60g (~Chrissie Wellington, 85-90g/hour)

– Take in closer to max for longer Tris– If you’re a good fat metabolizer, can get

away with taking in less

Iron+B12 supplementation

• Need iron and B12 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) 2-3x/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. D3 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 (20-30mm/Hg)– Doesn’t matter if Pharmacy-grade or

“running grade” material– Personal preference if you like to wear them

during activity

Conclusion

[email protected]

www.camilleherron.com

Questions?