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/

Fitness Tip: Foam Roll & Inchworm

Toya's Tips!

FOAM ROLLING THE SHIN AREA

(To avoid getting shin splints and relieve tightness in the front of your leg)

• Kneel and place the roller under both shins while supporting your upper body with your hands.

• Roll down to your ankles and back to the knees. Be careful not to roll over the knee  joint.

• Remember to roll down the ankle to get the entire shin.

• The shins are often a neglected area—athletes often focus on the back of the leg.

INCHWORM (Release for Glutes, hamstrings and Calves)

• Stand with your legs straight, feet hip-width apart (A).

• Bend at the waist and place your hands on the floor (B).

• Keeping your legs straight, walk your hands forward while keeping your abs and lower back braced. Then take tiny steps to walk your feet back to your hands

• Do ten repetitions

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

Fitness Tip: Dynamic Stretching

Toya's Tips!
DYNAMIC STRETCHING

DYNAMIC WARM-UP DRILLS

Are you sitting at a computer all day? Are you driving to and from work and workouts? That is a lot of sitting in the day. As a result we need to get the body back to neutral posture before exercising (Opening the hips)!

A dynamic warm-up is a series of walking lunges followed by a series of leg swings prior to any exercise. A lunge, although inherently a strength exercise, is a terrific stimulus to activate all the muscle of the leg prior to working out.

A lunge and leg swing  routine is a great way to engage the quads, hamstrings, adductors, glutes, hip flexors, and calves facilitating proper mechanics and preventing injury. The routine also warms the muscles and raises your heart rate so you are mentally ready to run!

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

Fitness Tip: Dress Warm

Toya's Tips!
DRESS WARM!

TIGHTS
During the colder months all athletes should wear tights during the workout when sessions are in the early morning and evenings. Any type of tight offers a mild amount of compression, which helps increase blood flow, keeping muscles warm and supple. Tights will insulate the muscles, prevent pulls and strains and most importantly, the body is not working hard to keep you warm but allowing all energy towards your working running muscles.

WARM-UP SUITS (Jacket and Pants)
Warm-up suits should be worn regardless of weather. Wear the warm up suits to the workout and remove them after your warm up drills and jog. After each and every workout session athletes should immediately remove wet clothing and put their warm-up suits on. You will notice most Kenyan and Ethiopian elite distance runners show up to practice in warm-ups, run in tights during the workout and immediately put their warm-ups on after the session. Again, this will insulate the muscles, prevent pulls and strains and keep you warm after the workout.

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