Race Weekend

I am finishing up my taper for the Akron Marathon this weekend.  One more run, and then the race.  It's so exciting.  Also, some clients will be running the Great Race here in Pittsburgh on Sunday.  Everyone is ready to go.  All the training is complete, and now we get to enjoy the experience and see how fast we can run.  

Food as Friend

This NYT article discusses a "new trend" in dieting. I agree mostly with its premise. If people know what to eat, as opposed to what not to eat, they will make better choices, have a better diet, feel better, and be able to maintain a normal weight. Eating well is not about removing all the pleasures from our food, but its about weighing the value of the foods you eat. If we can add more healthy, whole foods to our diet, we will have less desire/capacity for the foods that are not as good for us.

Don't get me wrong. Those who know me, understand that I have a real soft spot for sweets. Anytime I am at an event where there are cookies around, they always catch my eye and I am tempted. I have learned about the quality and pleasure of food though. If its one of those ooey, gooey, melty, soft, to-die-for chocolate chip cookies I will definitely partake (I try to resist eating so many that I get sick). I have learned to say no to the 1 million to a box, cardboard looking and tasting chocolate chip cookies that frequent such functions. Its not worth it to me to try and satisfy my sweet craving with something that won't come close to satisfying it.

Also, it is easier to eat good foods if I prepare it before hand. At work, I eat quite well, and that is mainly because I bring all my food and know what I am going to eat at what time of the day. This eliminates the "what do I feel like right now?" portion of selecting food.

Overtraining

This overtraining article in NYT provided some much needed insight on the problem that occurs when athletes train too hard for too long. With overtraining, athletes feel sluggish, irritable, and notice performance decreases. The article discusses that it cannot happen with people who are running 20 miles a week, and that it only occurs when training with high mileage (or training) over long periods of time. This may be true, but I would argue then, that you can feel the effects of overtraining in a short period of time, no matter what your fitness. If you are feeling tired and sluggish and maintain a high volume, you may want to evaluate your training.

Something that is neglected in the article is the importance of recovery. When training with high mileage, you need more sleep, to eat more, and be able to recover better. If you decrease your recovery time, it has the same effect as increasing your training. Sometimes rest and sleep is more important than some of the training runs.