Wow August is upon us and soon our first meet will be here. To start off, make sure you have gone on to register my athlete and get registered, get your physical, and pay the fee, you wont be able to compete on the 13 at Tooele without all of these taken care of. Last week with the first week of heat training I want to give props to those that came and worked hard. Keep up and train hard. This week will be a combination of hill training and sharpening.
Monday- August 1- Hill workout either cemetery or at Milton Cemetery
Tuesday-August 2- 45 minute fartlek 4 casual, 1 fast
Wednesday- August 3-Sprints 100 meters for every 200 meters, 20 times. 10 minute cool down
Thursday-August 4- 45 minutes easy run
Friday- August 5- 7,7,7 workout. First 7 minutes 65% (stay as pack), second seven minutes 80%, last seven minutes 85%+ race pace. 5 minute rest and repeat
Saturday-August 6- 1.5 to 2 hour nice and easy run, recovery for the week.
I also want to congratulate Carson Wilkins as he took second place in the half marathon on Saturday.
I (Coach Weir) will be up there everyday this week, I will see you there at 2:30 at the track.
Here is that article I was talking about this past week, make sure to check it out
Nutrition and More
The time to experiment with your diet is not before an important race, but when the wrong reaction won't affect your training too severely. Carbohydrate, protein, and fat are all necessary in the balanced diet. but for those runners who are following the marathon conditioning program, you will find that you need a higher caloric intake. It is difficult to get the extra calories from bulky foods; they are harder to digest. It si recommended to use honey, especially prior to big races, to provide the calories / energy you need without causing intestinal distress. You should evaluate what you are eating and what you need. It pays to study all you can of the latest information about vitamins and minerals. However, some people assimilate more minerals than others; each person is unique in his or her requirements. Natural foods are the best source of nutrition because they contain not only the natural balance of vitamins and minerals, but also the enzymes needed to use them. Always remember that, as long as you are training, your vitamin and mineral requirements are higher than normal, and deficiencies could cause a lot of break-down in your body. You must be sure to replace the amounts that you lose if you want to continue to train and compete effectively. You can get many of the minerals you need from electrolyte drinks, but be sure to check the label before you buy them. Some quick lessons of vitamins and minerals are as follows;
Calcium: Your body contains about 3 lbs of calcium - more than any other mineral. Most of it is in your teeth and bones, but the remaining ten percent is vital. Calcium allows your muscles to contract. You can unknot muscle cramps by taking extra calcium. Without the proper amount in your system, your body takes the necessary amount from your bones to make up the deficit. It (calcium) also helps eliminate lead from the system.
Magnesium: If you are experiencing sleepless or restless nights, perhaps you are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium is the natural tranquilizer and relaxes jumpy muscles and nerves and counteracts irritability. It also aids in the digestion of protein, fats and carbohydrates.
Potassium: When you sweat, you lose salt and potassium. It is not necessary to replace the salt, but it is very important to replace the potassium. Severe potassium deficiency symptoms are nausea, muscle weakness, cramps, irritability, and finally total collapse. Potassium helps against the effects of heat. Those who do not perspire much do not need so much potassium. Those who do and take salt need double doses. Food sources that contains potassium are bananas, oranges, tomatoes, cabbage, celery, carrots, grapefruit, apples, beans, and fish.
Iron: This is a vital oxygen carrying agent in the hemoglobin. it is also reported that iron can help against depression. Vitamin C will help in the body's absorbtion of iron. Daily dose of approximately 18 mgs. is recommended.
Chromium: It helps the body use insulin to help regulate blood sugar, which in turn helps prevent diabetes. It also culminates to help maintain muscles contractions and eliminate cramps.
Zinc: Almost nothing happens in the human body without zinc. It assists in the making of new cells and speeds up healing of burns and all kinds of wounds. It also assists recovery from lactic acid build up.
Vitamin A: Assists against stress, shortcuts dangerous pollutants such as benzene and dieldrin. It also keeps skin smooth, vision sharp, immune system strong and anti stress mechanisms efficient Vitamin B1: Helps the carbohydrate metabolism to turn carbs into glucose, which fuels the brain and the muscles. It is best taken in a B-Complex form, but 5 mgs. daily helps most athletes. Any athlete that carbo-loads before a race should take sufficient amounts, which will turn all the pasta into energy. Vitamin B2: This vitamin helps the digestion of fats. Any whole grain will do, but wild rice is best. Vitamin B3: At least 40 biomechanical reactions in the body rely on Niacin. Its most important function involves the red blood cells carrying oxygen to all body parts. Niacin keeps the blood cells charged and they keep the body charged with oxygen.
Vitamin B6: Important for the memory as it serves as the sythesis of serotonin, a chemical that regulates memory.
Vitamin B12: It assists the nervous system in relaying messages between the body and the brain. Liver is the best source, but any animal product will do.
Vitamin B15: It increases oxygen utilization by tissues, increases content of glycogen and creatine phosphate in muscles. It also intensifies the process of aerobic oxydation during muscular activity, helps in recovery of low PH of the blood and doubles the recovery of ADP to ATP
Vitamin C: It is an all purpose antidote. So powerful that it detoxifies heroin, nicotine, alcohol and cancer causing pollutants. It also beats the heat. Increasing Vitamin C intake a week before an event in hot weather will increase your competitive edge. It also assists the bodys ability to absorb iron which in turn helps oxygen carrying capacity. A thousand milligrams with a meal will boost iron absorbtion tenfold.
Vitamin D: It's main purpose is to allow the body to absorb calcium. Only vitamin naturally produced in the body.
Vitamin E: It improves glycogen storage, which is translated as more fuel for the endurance athletes. It also improves the tone and strength of the heart muscle and protects cells from oxydation.
