So what did the kind sports med doc say I do to recover and how might you recover from whatever pain ails you this season?  Here’s what the pros told me to do:

1.  Icefor 20 mins at a time; 20 mins on, 20 mins off, for a few hours a day.
2. Stretch–repeatedly.  Apparently I’m getting old and now need to actually stretch whereas I used to just head out the door for a run.  I now stretch my quads, hamstrings, ITBand, and calves 3 times a day.
3. Pop an anti-inflammatory pill regularly (while under the doctor’s care of course).  I decided to one-up my doc and have also added in an Omega-3 supplement. 
4. Rest- aargh.  I hate this necessary evil.  I will remain at 0 miles a week until he tells me otherwise.  At least my dog benefits from the fact that I now have plenty of time to take walks and throw a stick.  Glad I can make somebody happy in my misery. 
5. Do the above list for 24 hours and you should be good to go… no, they didn’t actually say this but I was wishing they had.  I have to sit tight for the rest of this week.  I’ll let you know how it goes in a few days (if I’m still sane at that time). 

Happy trails friends (to those of you who can run anyway!)

Stadiums have come a long way from the days when only beer, hot dogs, popcorn and peanuts were sold.  At the new and improved Paul Bornw stadium where this jersey-wearing loyal fan witnessed her team’s demise, the offerings ranged from the usual ball park fare to gourmet cuisine.  I had the option of devouring hometown pizza, international fare, finger-licking platters of all sorts of BBQ, fried anything-your-heart-desires, hoagies piled high with sautéed vegetables and beef, and, to my delight, a station where fans could make their own salad (and the line was fairly long!).  The stadium provided a feast that could meet my needs and the needs of even the biggest NFL linemen – which can easily surpass 5000calories a day.

So what, you might ask, did I finally decide upon?  Well, to the dismay of many a gourmand out there, I settled on a tasty bucket of popcorn.  In my defense, popcorn is a whole grain and, when the day ends, I’m really a traditionalist when it comes to ball park fare.  Maybe on my next ball park visit I’ll be a little more courageous as far as food goes – I might even try a hotdog or two – but next time, I’m going incognito and wearing khaki.

That’s right, the high altitude in Denver can be detrimental to a runner who’s used to running at sea level.   So how can you keep up with your weekly mileage while in Denver yet not pass out from lack of oxygen (it almost happened to me and it was not pretty!)?  Here’s an excellent article to turn to, pulled from the Runner’s World archives.  Enjoy.

Take The High Road

For many of our readers, race day brings excitement and also worry- what should I eat?  when should I eat?  what should I wear?  and what in the world was I thinking when I signed up for this 4 months ago?   Well, while you should NEVER try anything new on race day, I can tell you what I’m doing and some of the best practices in the field of sports nutrition.

Question 1: What should I eat?

Answer 1: Well, that depends!  You’ll want to focus on your carbohydrate load in the three days leading up to the race while simultaneously decreasing your training load.   So no 15 milers 5 days before race day!  What I’ve been doing is carefully focusing on my carb intake by seemingly eating all of the time.  And by eating all of the time, I mean frequent snack breaks for items such as fruit and yogurt, pretzels, and an energy bar or chew.   Overall, you want to make sure that your food intake is quality fuel – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and complex carbs.  Aim for lean protein from low fat dairy, legumes, and lean meats.

Question 2: When should I eat?

Answer 2: In the days leading up to the race, try to snack throughout the day.  On race day, you should follow the same fueling practices you developed while training.  Personally, I’ll be aiming for an intake of at least 30 and probably closer to 45 grams of carbohydrate per hour that I race.  I plan on getting the carbs from gels, sports drinks, and chews because this is what I trained with and this is what my sensitive stomach can (hopefully!) handle.

Question 3:  What should I wear?

Answer 3: Wear what you’ve been training in.   There’s nothing like hitting mile 20 of a marathon and realizing that that new shirt you bought at the expo is causing chaffing and bleeding in areas you didn’t even realize existed.  I’ve been there and it’s neither pretty nor pleasant.  If you’re still struggling for what to wear, I’m a big fan of Brooks running gear so I’ll be sporting on marathon morrning.  No matter what you choose, make sure you take a spin around the block in the outfit and I’d really encourage you to choose some wicking fabric (and deodarant).

Question 4:  What was I thinking when I signed up for this?!?

Answer 4: Whatever it was, I’m pretty sure  you weren’t thinking about the concerns that are currently running through your head such as; “How am I going to cover 26.2 miles with a raging case of tendinitis?”  and “Will the blister covering the entire bottom of my foot start hurting at mile 10 or will it wait until later?”   You probably made the decision as you were going on a pleasant 6 mile run and you thought “I can handle 6 miles, why not 26.2?”  Or maybe you’re like that guy I came across while running the Chicago marathon a few years ago; a large man wearing nothing but a Speedo & chaffing terribly, with the words “thou shall not bet while drinking” inscribed on his back.

No matter what your reasoning for running a marathon, or a half, or an ultra, or a 5k this season, we wish you well, remind you to fuel and hydrate, and would love to hear about what works (or doesn’t!) for you.  Happy trails friends!