Tina Breen Win’s USATF San Diego's Volunteer of the Year

Tina Breen Win’s USATF San Diego's Volunteer of the Year

I've been training with the SDTC Rockin’ ‘n’ Runnin’ program this year.  Upon joining I was asked by Coach Paul to be the Safety Pacers aka "Yee Haw" Coordinator. Why not? Sounds like fun!

I'm also the volunteer Membership Chair for USATF San Diego and sit on their Board. I was recently awarded Volunteer of the Year for USATF San Diego at the USATF Annual Meeting in Orlando Florida and at the USATF SD Association Banquet. Being retired I'm always glad to lend a hand. I've been involved with SDTC for only a year now and have enjoyed my experience, being appreciated for helping out always feels good. As Coach Paul says, "Let’s make a difference!" 

As for racing this year I participated in the Cardiff Kook 10k February 5 with the RnR program and as part of USATF SD Long Distance Running series. I was 3rd in my age group 61-65 with a 52:35, the up-hill back certainly smacked me in the face. Then I ran at the City Heights 5k Cross Country course February 25th, 28:00 in change and 1st in the 50+ AG.

And then of course the San Diego Half Marathon 5k. Probably one of the most fun 5k's you can do.  It's like riding a roller coaster and when you finish you are just pumped because it was so fun. I placed 1st in the 60-64 AG with a 23:11 and 3rd Female Masters OA. My hubby was teasing me and said that’s because nobody showed up. He certainly keeps my ego at bay.

Other than that I'm getting ready to run with my SDTC Women’s Masters Team at the Carlsbad 5000. I have a blast at that one too and our Women's Masters 60+ Team is full of some really fast ladies who put me to the test. But no worries to get beat by them it’s all good. My respect for them means more to me and I just have fun just trying to hang  

What’s the rest of my season look like? Well I'm never one to reveal what’s up next. I enjoy the process of training and the racing is just a test if I've been putting in the training. I look forward to continue wearing my San Diego Track Club colors this year and doing my best to always Represent.

Yours, Tina Breen 

Fitness Tip: Long Run Nutrition

Toya's Tips!

NUTRITION ON THE LONG RUN

The following are guidelines on taking nutrition on your long runs.  As you will see below I prefer the method of using gels pre-mixed in water. This is prepared prior to leaving the house so all you have to do sip at specified times during the run. This is what most elite athletes do. You will need to wear a belt that holds at least 2-3 small bottles. Most of you are used to using what's on the course. Ideally it would be nice if you could get used to not stopping at all and use your own nutrition products and water. 

Runs less than 10 miles may not require nutritional run products (gels) other than water and an electrolyte drink (Vitalyte), especially when you have eaten breakfast.  Drink only a small amount, 4-6 oz. is adequate for most runners. This will help you avoid any “sloshing” in your stomach.

Runs of 10-14 miles You must eat breakfast 60-90 minutes before the run. Runs of 10-14 miles will require some nutritional run products (gels mixed with water) in addition to water. If you notice you are running out of steam the last few miles on a 10-14 mile run, bring some nutrition (gels mixed with water) with you to fuel the next run of this distance.

Purchase a water bottle made for holding run nutrition to carry with you. Empty the packets of gels into each bottle prior to leaving the house, and then just take a small mouthful at any one time. By using the bottle, you can take a smaller amount of the gels easily and you don't have to fool with trying to open the package on a run. Additionally, you are hydrating and refueling at the same time

Runs over 14 miles will definitely require some run nutrition in addition to water, so plan to bring something with you. Remember, you must eat breakfast 60-90 minutes before the run.

 TAKING RUN NUTRITION PRODUCTS

Start taking your nutritional product at about the 6 mile mark into a long run or at about the 1 hour mark into your run. Once you start taking your nutrition product, you need to continue taking it throughout your run at specified intervals until you finish the run.

You can choose to go by time and take it every 20 to 30 minutes, or go by mileage, approximately every 2 to 4 miles. Remember that your goal or purpose in taking the supplement is to keep your blood sugar levels relatively stable, and not to provide a "meal". Therefore, you only need to take a small amount of supplement at any one time. Try taking only 1/3 or 1/2 of a gel packet. Remember; mix your gels with water prior to leaving the house.

Taking a small amount at first will allow you to test your digestive system and your nutritional demands. You can always take more of a product if you feel you are running out of fuel, but if you take too much you may suffer the rest of the run. Once you know your GI tract is ok with a particular product you can experiment with taking more of it during the run.

On even the longest training run of 20 to 24 miles, or in your marathon, most runners can get by on 3 to 5 packets of a nutritional product.

Always wash your run nutrition down with WATER, not sports drink (Gatorade). Mixing a nutritional run product and sports drink can be too much sugar in your gut and may contribute to GI distress. Some runners avoid drinking any sports drink altogether on a long run when they are using run nutrition and they will just drink water to avoid GI upset.

For any questions or more information please contact Coach Toya Reavis at 858-220-0151 or treavis@ymail.com My Website: http://treavisfitness.com/