RunFast Articles |
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Learn the latest training and nutrition secrets from Dr. Antonio and Sonja Friend-Uhl. Click on an article in the list below to learn more. |
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 Mineral Balance for RunnersJanuary and February witness most of us in South Florida either running goal marathons or recovering from them. With this in mind I found a great research article I would like to share with you regarding the substantial benefits of managing and supplementing your mineral balance on a daily basis. Opening Your Mental ToolboxAs we embark on the start of the running racing season in South Florida I wanted to share one of my most influential training tools with you: Visualizaton & Imagery. I hope you will practice and perfect this technique for yourself and hopefully have one of your most fulfilling and successful seasons to date. Training Periodization Strategy for the Competitive RunnerIn the last issue I discussed the "Habituation Principle" which is what happens when your body becomes "habituated" to a steady repetition of training. When that occurs, it's time to change your training structure. In this issue I will outline the proper way for you to initiate this change via a training schedule based on periodization. Running & GI DiscomfortAll of the research supports the fact that taking in fuel sources with Glycogen and even a small portion of protein at certain points in endurance events will improve performance and recovery. The issue for many runners out there is that these substances can also cause mild to severe gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort. Visualize Your Personal BestThis is a great guide to creating positive running & racing ffirmations to use as a tool in Visualizing your personal best. Getting Started - A Beginner's Guide to RunningThis article is dedicated to all of the beginner and novice runners out there who are this very minute considering entering a distance race this fall or winter. Here are some basic guidelines below that you can follow to get you started. I recommend joining a running club for the support and FUN element but you could get started on your own as well. Running HungaryYou can't judge a book by its cover. And at first glance, the physique of Sonja Friend-Uhl is more akin to a Porsche Carrera whereas the typical female distance runner is built more like a Dodge Neon. An outstanding distance runner, Sonja Friend-Uhl (pronounced Frend-Yool) has been named to the U.S. team for the IAAF Half-Marathon World Championships in October 8 in Debrecen, Hungary. What's the secret? How does she maintain a rigorous training schedule, have a family, run a business, and stay focused on competing at the highest level? Women's Love Of RunningCheck any local road race or running club registration and you will notice that women may soon surpass men as the largest demographic in attendance. In fact in the 5k distance women make up 60% of the road race participation and are also make up the majority of the field in popular marathons such as Disney. How to Peak for Your Best Marathon EffortI hope this finds all of you happy and healthy in the early stages of your marathon or half-marathon training. In the past few articles I discussed in detail how to periodize your training efforts for the best results on race day. The four phases are each designed to bring you to your best PEAK for your goal race:
The Value of Stride EfficiencyMost of us who are coming off of Marathon or Half-Marathon training/racing and are rich in stamina and endurance. Our turnover, speed, or "stride efficiency" however, is sub-par at best due to the focus placed on slow-twitch muscles for our distance races. The truth is whether you want to be a better marathoner or a 5k race, you need to develop stride efficiency for both. The best runners in the world have a stride rate of 180 strides per minute or better. What is yours? Here are some proven protocols to develop your stride rate (speed) and biomechanics. Youth Running Plan GuidelinesRoad racing used to be something just for the adult runner. Now we are starting to see a great number of road races including events for kids such as the last mile of the marathon, "Kid K's", and the Mile Fun Runs. The timing could not be better with childhood obesity at epidemic proportions in our country. Adults need to be careful however in making sure their children are prepared for the event and participating in an event that is appropriate for their age and fitness level. I have provided some safe and effective guidelines for getting your child ready to participate in a running program. Beta-Alanine: Jack Up Your Ventilatory ThresholdIn the zany world of sports supplements, there are the 'real deal' supplements like creatine and the essential amino acids, and then a list of pretenders like bull testes, ferulic acid, and god-knows-what else. I'd like to introduce you to perhaps the 'latest' in a short line of 'real deal' supplements. What is it? Sugar plus water? Ha! Nice try. It's, drumroll please … Beating the Post Marathon BluesSo, you trained for months and months.endured blisters and chafing. You missed fun Saturday night's out with friends because you had to get up at the crack of dawn to run 18 miles before it got too hot. You were willing because the reward was one of man's greatest physical challenges and therefore accomplishments: completing a Marathon; 26.2 miles of physical endurance and mental/emotional stamina. Beta-Alanine Manuscript in the Journal of Amino AcidsThis study examined the effects of 28 days of b-alanine supplementation on the physical working capacity at fatigue threshold (PWCFT), ventilatory threshold (VT), maximal oxygen consumption (_VVO2-MAX), and time-to-exhaustion (TTE) in women. Endurance DrinksFor the endurance athlete, the keys to performance are low body weight (low body fat), an efficient stride, stroke or pedal, and the ability to last longer than the Energizer bunny after 10 shots of espresso… Resveratrol - Miracle Compound from Red Wine?The so-called French paradox refers to the fact that people in France have relatively low frequency of heart disease despite the fact that they stuff themselves full of butter and smoke like yesterday's chimney. Believe it or not, the phenomenon of resveratrol was first noted by Irish physician Samuel Black in 1819… Love Affair with CaffeineWe love caffeine 'cause it gives your brain a kick start! Let's face it. You could be moving slower than a fat chick on Xanax, but with a little help from your trimethylxanthine friend (i.e. caffeine), you'll have more energy than Paris Hilton's videographer. Here's the proof! Fish, Fish, And More FishIs there a single 'best' food that you can eat? The answer my friend can be found in the annals of research by none other than Dr. Seuss! Yes, it is fish. And the fattier the fish, the better! Fish with lots of omega-3 fats. We think you should eat fatty fish at least two times a week.… Does Protein Dehydrate You?Whenever I give a seminar on sports nutrition, the inevitable questions include: how much protein should I eat, how time slows down as you approach the speed of light, and whether consuming more protein makes you prone to dehydration.… Nutrient TimingWe know that you gotta eat plenty of protein, healthy fats, and unprocessed carbs if you want to gain muscle. But did you know that when you eat is critical to promoting muscle gains? Yes, the dimension of time is part of the new science known as nutrient timing. Gain muscle. Lose fat. And do it at the right time.… Why Low-Fat Diets Will Hurt Your RunningLet's face it, it's cool to be Phat (pretty hot and tempting), not fat. But in your quest to be Phat (and of course a helluva fast runner), some of you are grossly misinformed into thinking you need to eliminate or severely limit how much fat you eat.… Glycerol for Endurance PerformanceGlycerol, also known as glycerin, is a sweet, syrupy, colorless liquid that is used as a sweetener by the food industry. If you pull out your dust-covered biochemistry books, you'll notice that much of the discussion of glycerol deals the fact that it's an integral component of the triglyceride (fat) molecule. In fact, glycerol forms the backbone of the triglyceride molecule. So does that make glycerol a fat?… Cola Soda as Good as Sports Drinks?You may have seen this amongst runners, football players, or other serious athletes, but some individuals actually drink defizzed cola as an ergogenic aid. It makes sense that you'd want the carbonation out of it since that'll make you belch (and consequently make your teammates very unhappy). But work at an Australian university looked at performance in competitive cyclists during 2 hours of cycling (70% peak oxygen uptake) followed by a time trial on the bike to see how fast they could cycle. Branched-Chain Amino AcidsWhy are the BCAA (i.e. the branched-chain amino acids are valine, leucine, and isoleucine) so important? For proof, pay attention for just a nanosecond.… Top 10 Mistakes of Young Female RunnersDon't believe everything your friends tell you. There's a reason you have cross-country/track coaches as well as strength and conditioning coaches. Why? Because they know more about training than you! If your roommate, best friend, and fellow runner tells you that eating jelly beans is a health food, don't go out and buy a bagful and eat 'em all as you watch re-runs of Real World.… |
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