What to eat:

There are the three main nutrients that one should pay careful attention to in the pre-workout meal - carbohydrates (including fiber), protein and fat. The most important pre-workout nutrient to fuel your muscles is carbohydrate. While having a small amount of protein and fat thrown in for satiety is ok- eating sufficient carbohydrate is key to replenish the quick energy that our body uses during exercise - glycogen. Carbohydrates are also easily digested and will not cause stomach disturbances when eaten shortly before training. Carbohydrates also help to absorb electrolytes and minerals important for muscle contraction and nerve stimulation. The table below provides some ideas for high carbohydrate foods. The line below includes additional nutritional benefits.

50-60% of your day's calories should come from Carbohydrate Maximize your workout with these foods!

· Banana - Carbohydrate, potassium and vitamin C Potassium - assists in muscle contraction and in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in body cells - assists in pulling energy from protein fat.
· Yogurt (lowfat or skim) - Calcium, protein, active cultures Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, L. reuteri and Bifidobacterium bifidum - maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract.
* Other carb foods include breads, pastas, rices, cereals, grains, starchy veggies, fruits, beans and lentils, juice and milk.

How Carbohydrate works for the athlete::

As stated previously, carbohydrates function to restock glycogen - the technical term for the bodies' stored sugar source - in the muscle and liver. When there is too much energy/glycogen around, it gets stored as fat (which we unfortunately can store unlimited quantities of). During exercise glycogen gets . . .full article

To some runners the idea of weight training is out of the question - the false idea that weight training results in big bulky muscles.  There are many different methods to weight training and for runners this becomes very important to consider.   Let's look at aspects of two contrasting weight training programs, one bad and one good for runners.

#1: Lifting for gains in girth (big bulky muscles)
· 3-6 sets of 2-8 repetitions for each exercise
· 3-4 exercises for each body part
· All body parts are worked out 1-2 times per week and with equal importance

This program is meant for those interested in body-building.  Nearly every set, aside from a warm-up set not mentioned, is to complete or near complete failure.   What endurance runner would do this program?  None and perhaps none have.  But the training effects of this program do occur in less intense programs and these are often carried out by ambitious but mis-informed distance runners.   The negative results, for runners, from this type of program are as follows:

1) The gain in girth is extra weight to carry around which only makes it harder to run faster for long periods of time.
2) The dramatic gain in strength results in loss of flexibility which results in reduced circulation, thus making it harder to run faster and farther, as well as maintain a natural running gait.
3) The gain in strength is attained through purely anaerobic energy systems (since it will take 4-20 seconds per set).  This forces certain muscle fibers (Fast twitch IIa) to work purely anaerobically (despite their capability to work in both energy systems), thus resulting in reduced recruitment of aerobic muscle fibers than what is otherwise possible. This process is most counterproductive in consideration of the lower body exercises.

#2: Lifting for runners
· 2 sets of 12-15 repetitions for most exercises
· 1-2 exercises per body parts
· All upper-body parts are worked out 2-3 times per week (lower-body 0-1 times/week - discussed next month)

· The parts important for running are focused on more. In order of importance these are:

1) Core
2) Lower Back
3) Mid-back
4) Shoulders
5) Chest
6) Arms

The point of this type of program is to gain strength in a way that can:

1) better absorb the impact forces of running (core, lower back, shoulders)
2) maintain body posture through hours of exercise (core, lower back, mid-back, chest, arms)
3) support and add power for the hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors (core, lower back)

The suggestions mentioned above are for the average runner.  Modifications should be made to account for personal strengths and weaknesses, genetics, and health history.