Food tips for distance.

One of the hardest things about running is "fuel" , how to fuel , when to fuel and , etc. So im going to share what has worked best for myself. Im sure it may not work for others and may work great for some people. 2 days before a long run i will carb and protein load. I mainly carb load with Oat meal Granola and bananas- pretty simple but highly effective. The protein will be mostly peanuts and whey protein as the peanuts are high in fat as well which helps. During long runs i do dont ever try to take in complex carbs , just takes your body far to long to digest them and is extra stress on the belly. The best shake mix i have found is GNC mass gainer with emergan-C + some plain salt and sugar. Kinda weird and bit hard to handle but the calorie load is great and it has everything your body needs as your sweating out. The problem with hydration is you can never refuel enough to get back what you are burning, just cant be done. The best one can do is kind of hold off the effects slowly by drinking 8-16 ounces about every 6-7 miles 32 ounces be the max for heavier people or in really hot conditions. Any more than that is a waste and will hurt you more than helping as the body can only process so much. I think fueling more in the first 10 miles will help a lot more than trying to fuel later on as by that time its pretty much to late and any effects of what you take in wont hit till you are already done . If you fuel harder in the first 10 miles it will be a bit harder to digest but you will feel far stronger later on and be able to go much longer as well. This is a great article on fuel by hammer and they know far more than i do lol though i am def learning as much as i can each day even though i do have some 'decent" exp running 50s and 100s m I can honestly say most people http://www.badwater.com/training/bornhydration.html As fas as food to get down during a race Gummie bears and skittles have the highest carb ratio of any food, pretty much pure starch so those are good ones. If a race is less than 10 miles i would not take any fuel or just once at most any more than that would just hurt more than help unless its just super hot or really steep. Hope that helps some and as i said this is what works for me , so im sure for other it varies a lot. Good luck everyone!!!!!

My first competitive race. Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie 50 Miler

Sat june 11 will be a date i will always remember because it was my very first competitive race. I love the "fat azz runs i do but they are low key and meant to be enjoyed far more than to go out and run as hard as one can, with a few exceptions. I always knew i was a pretty good runner and had some speed in me as well but i had stayed away from races as i loved running just to run. I was lucky though as i had friends who saw i could do well in a race with my abilities and got me to enter. I was very nervous but everyone at the race was super nice and made me feel right at home. The race director was also a really nice dude who you could just tell wanted to make sure everyone had a good time and still did there best. The aid stations were also awesome as well esp the 2nd one LOL those guys rock , if your lucky enough to ever run the boogie you will know what i mean . The runners were also amazing as well. The 3rd place winner brad i was able to talk to a tiny bit and he was really nice and very chill as well as a some of the marathoners i talked to a bit. I did learn some things from the run 1# no gear next time unless its a 100 miler. I had on a bicycle shirt at first to carry some stuff with me and it def hurt me more than helped for the first 6 miles till i took it off and just used my hands to carry stuff with which was much easier . 2# Listen to what Jonathon Savage has to say- the end . Every piece of advice this man has put on wiki has helped me a TON. If your a runner and lucky enough to have met this man , listen to every single word he says like a runners bible - seriously. 3# I can defeat the rain !! "with the help of injinji socks " I use to hate running in the rain but the boogie a thunderstorm hit and i got drenched , I looked deep inside geared down thanks to a buddie and hit it hard and it payed off. 4 and by far the most important thing , I am a very lucky person to have the friends i have. I could not ask for better. 4th place over all 5o miler- First competitive race. Not bad for a guy that use to weigh 310lbs and nearly died in a car wreck.

Recovery tips

Exercise recovery - This is about basic recovery tips that can be applied to almost any sport in terms of getting the best recovery out of your work out. All your muscles are weak and injured due to The training so what you need to do 1st is get foods in you that jump starts that process. Broccoli and spinach are 2 of the best foods for that with all the vitamins in them they are by far the two top foods for starting a quick recovery. The next one on the list is one that many people have not heard about but is awesome recovery helper, grapefruit seed extract. This one has powerful antioxidant properties and will def help you in your road to recovery. Hopefully you know about the next one on the list - protein. After any hard workout or race you HAVE to get in good amounts of protein in order for those muscles to heal and grow. The best source being whey right after a workout and casein at night due to it being a slow digesting one. If your going to get it from foods i would use egg whites or Chicken noodle soup. Now here is another one many people may not have heard of,arnica cream. Arnica is wonderful are resting stressed tendons skin and muscles relax and feel soooooo much better after use. Some people have had a mild reaction to it and arnica cream can worsen eczema. So if you have any skin conditions or might be allergic to it ask your doctor first before using it.

Low fuel training

Caution I only recommend this to semi to experienced athletes , that are in very good health and they know there limits as a athlete. Low fuel training is a great way to condition your body to be better at withstanding low fuel during long runs or work outs. This way if your having a Race or trying to win a sporting event you will be better at times when your body is feeling tired or weak due to low fuel . Here is a example of a training day i did once with Low Fuel - I did a 20 mile run- a 60 mile ride on the exercise bike and 1 hour of weight lifting. The idea is to train as hard as you can on a little fuel as possible so during events where you are able to eat you ill need less and you wont have to digest as much during those events which helps a lot. On the run the only thing i ate was a a tea spoon of sugar , once i was done with that i ate 1 banana and 2 slices of turkey meat around- 140 cals and got on the bike - during the ride the only thing i drank was 1/2 of a sierra mist about 70 cals and ate 3 pieces of hard candy about 80 cals after i was done with that i had 1 boost 240 cals and started to lift so during the entire 3 sets of running / biking and lifting my total cal was 530 calories . Once your use to this type of training during races or events your body will feel likes its on "over drive" getting extra amounts of fuel and you should be able to perform even if you happen to get low on fuel as well. If your use to eating all the time or fueling constantly during training and end up low on fuel during a race or a event then you will not be use to how hard it can be to "keep going: while carb depleted . Another variation on this training is what Body builders do during the cutting phase a before a show, They will cut carbs like crazy and only use really good complex carbs like oatmeal for fuel while the rest of the diet they have is mainly lean protein . You will feel like shit and be very very tired and training will be hard as hell but you can get very ripped and lean doing this but it takes a LOT of dedication to doing it as your energy levels will be so low that if your not use to it one can become quite "grumpy" and moody as well. If you decide to try this i would recommend increasing your healthy fats a bit a well and using Low- 25-50 mgs caf every few hours for energy though be cautious as the the caffeine can dehydrate you as well. Hope this helps out some for people into running or looking to get more lean for summer.

Heat training.

One of the hardest yet most rewarding form of training is heat training. I think it is reserved for more experienced runners though as it can be very dangerous , so you really have to know your body and limits well. The + side is once you get use to it normal runs during the summer seem much more easy and heat does not bother you anywhere near as bad. Here are some of the products i use when doing heat runs . http://www.soccerevolution.com/store/products/UND_43007_A.php http://www.armynnavy.com/catalog/catalog/images/m65%20%20jacket.jpg http://www.ill23.com/conscious/sites/default/files/images/Quiksilver-Eco-Circle-Pants.jpg http://img2.prosperent.com/images/250x250/feeds2.yourstorewizards.com/1180/images/200x200/cg-cofh1505h-ore-1.jpg Ill generally put on the thermals then the sweater and the lastly the coat. with that many layers even at only 70 + it feels quite hot. The hottest i have ever ran with it on i think it was around 90-92 deg. The Furthest i have ever been able to do was 26.2 but it was a VERY SLOW 26.2 lol I generally keep it to 4-12 miles with it on though there is one 16 mile loop i will do at times with it on and my record for that was around 2.hr.40 mins When you are doing this type of traing the most important things to bring with you are beef jerky , Gu packs and emergan-c as your sweating so hard that if you get to the point where you feel awful those can help restore you enough to get to a store or rest and you can start walking. I think this training can really help people who know they are doing long all day runs in hot areas or want to toughen themselves as it will def make you want to quit while your doing it and ? yourself as a runner. I think those are best type of training runs as when your done you feel much stronger and capable.

The best AB work out

Ok . I know a lot of people want to get "lean" or ripped. . Getting down to 12-6% BF for guys or 15-% or lower for ladies. The main part of doing this is food, If you can use the diet i posted before that is the main step in getting lean. Now the cardio/ exercises that work. When it comes to cardio Short fast runs of 2-4 miles are better in getting lean than longer ones in terms burning carbs and building denser fast twitch muscles . One reason elite sprinters have thicker muscles and elite marathoners thinner muscles is due to the fiber types. I would say that 3-4 Fast 2-4 mile runs would be good for the cardio along with 40--60 mins of walking 5-7 days a week as the walking burns more fat while the running burns carbs . Now the best exercises -1 Cable crunches or standing cable crunches though you dont have to have a cable to do them you can get better range of doing this than sit ups and day of the week. The next best is leg lifts you can do these laying down or in rack if you go to the gym . ok now the 2 you would not think of lol - Running with a weighted back pack- why?? well your abs are what make your body stabile when you run or lift so when you had some extra weight they have to work out more. You wont even notice much at first but the next day you generally feel it lol The next one is push ups. yep push ups. Sure your chest is getting a work out but your abs once again have to make your body stabile and end up getting a good workout was well. I think these 4 exercises are by far the best at helping your abs grow.

Ask questions

One thing ever runner or person getting into fitness should always do is never stop asking questions. When i started running did not know anything and my running "form" was awful. A friend of mine who was a former sprinter during college showed me how running on my forefoot would help a lot and what shoes would be better for me. I have been lucky enough to meet and run with some amazing people. The same applies to the gym as well, because no one starts out with ripped abs and huge biceps . It takes years of training and learning from people what works and what does not. Never be afraid to ask someone more experienced than you for advice as i have found most people that are "elites" or that have trained for years are more than willing to help people starting out. One thing to be careful of though are people that claim to know "Everything" or have a "magic pill" routine that is the BEST. Im sure they mean well but anyone that knows a lot a bout exercise or running can tell you what works for one person can be the exact opposite for another. The best trainers will give you advice and tell you to see how it works for you. Starting out you should also avoid most any ad in mags about getting in shape as their main goal is to keep selling you a product not to get you into shape. Some of the stuff can help but its not something that will give you "instant" results. Most of the "before and after" pics you see are professional body builders during off season they gain mass then before shows they get lean. They also get paid for these ads so these are not normal people just getting into shape. Two great sources of information for people are www.coolrunning.com and www.bodybuilding.com - Both of these sites have a lot of info and a lot less ADS and junk than most sites. Honestly i hardly ever look at runners world anymore as it is more of mag trying to sell you junk or shoes than to really help a runner. Look around online in a the forums on these sites and you can see what "real" people have said about products and training that way you can judge for yourself vs a "paid review" from a book