Archives
Many Thanks! A huge thank you to all the runners, walkers, wheelers and volunteers who helped make Ottawa Race Weekend 2009 one of the best ever! With thousands of dedicated participants and multitudes of enthusiastic and supportive spectators lining the streets of our fair city, one couldn’t help but feel lucky to be a part of it all. So here’s to another great Race Weekend. Look forward to seeing you next year! Speaking of which… Register now for 2010 and pay 2009 prices Your body has (hopefully) recovered from the exertion and physical challenge inherent in any race event. Maybe you’re taking a well-deserved rest. Then again, maybe you’re gearing up for your next competition – or even next year’s competition. After all, Ottawa Race Weekend is about the journey, not the destination. And the journey continues with new training goals, new training regimes, new challenges, new possibilities, a new year. What better time to register for Ottawa Race Weekend 2010 than right now, while the excitement is fresh? Plus, when you register before June 30th, you’ll pay 2009 prices. So first beat inflation, then focus on beating your personal best… Registration will be open from May 21 - June 30, 2009. Simply enter the Promo Code "RUN2010" when you register. To register now, click here. If you haven’t already, note that you can check Ottawa Race Weekend 2009 race results online. At the Ottawa Race Weekend web site, you can find a variety of data about how you performed, including your: You can also order Ottawa Race Weekend memorabilia, including photos and video of you crossing the finish line and official participation certificates. To search for your results and/or to order memorabilia to celebrate your ORW journey, click here. As a series of world-class race events that take place in Canada’s exceptionally beautiful National Capital Region, the Ottawa Race Weekend is already an attractive destination for competitive distance runners. However, in order to enhance and sustain the competitive spirit and top-notch performances that our events are known for, we also offer elite athletes specific incentives for participating. Specifically, athletes who achieve Elite Status (A Standard) receive complimentary entry, travel and accommodation assisstance*, and front line access. And athletes who achieve Seeded Status (B Standard) receive complimentary entry and front line access. To learn more about eligibility for elite athlete status and/or to apply for elite athlete standing at the 2010 Ottawa Marathon and 10k, click here. (*Travel assistance for Canadian Athletes is limited to a maximum of $1000 and accommodations may be shared with another athlete.) If you haven’t already done so, mark your calendars and sign up for Canada Army Run, Sunday, September 20, in Ottawa. This event, which includes a half-marathon and 5K run, sold out last year, making Canadian history by shattering a record for the largest number of entrants (7000) for an inaugural run. Eight great reasons why you should sign up now: We’re expecting to break attendance records again There are two ways to sign up: o http://www.eventsonline.ca/events/armyrun/ o http://www.events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=4145 See you September 20th! We love hearing about your Ottawa Race Weekend experiences. And we love inspiring stories about your lofty goals, perseverance and exceptional achievements. So we were thrilled to hear from Luis-Eduardo Grijalva, who at 3 years old, ran the 2009 Ottawa Kids Marathon in 12 minutes. That’s a pretty special accomplishment all by itself. But Luis also managed to raise $525.00 for the Canadian Athletes Now fund! And did we mention that Luis only arrived in Canada two years ago, at the age of 1, after immigrating from Venezuela? Luis’ mother Carmen writes: “I want to thank the organizers of the Ottawa Marathon, for the Kids Marathon and for the incentive you are giving to many kids, who in many cases nowadays have difficulty eating healthy and staying in shape. For his safety, my son was the last to run in the marathon, but you had someone from the Red Cross keeping an eye on him, many of you cheered for him, and made him the smallest, most proud and confident kid in the whole wide world... I'm extremely grateful for the decision that I once made to come to Canada, and proud that my son and I will soon become Canadians as well.” Well Luis and Carmen, you’ve inspired us with your hard work and your generous spirit. So now it’s our turn to thank you for your remarkable contribution to Ottawa Race Weekend and to the Canadian Athletes Now fund. Congratulations to you and to your whole family, who cheered you on your journey. Hope to see you next year! Wisdom in Motion: Hill Training Hill training improves your running technique and makes you mentally tougher for race day by adding resistance and strength to your training. Indeed, runners have used hills for decades as a way to increase endurance, strength and speed. Prior to starting a hill session, include a warm up of easy running and light stretching. To get started, find a hill about 400 metres in length, with an incline of 8-10 percent. Run up the hill and attempt to maintain a consistent effort rather than pace, and shortening your stride as the hill gets steeper. Keep your chest up and out, with your breathing relaxed and your arm movements in rhythm with your leg turn over rate. Keep your eyes focused on the top of the hill, just as they would be focused in front of you on a flat stretch. Hill sessions build lower leg strength and improve your running form. Think about maintaining effort rather than pace. You will learn the art of pacing from the hills. You build strength and character, which are both useful on race day. In fact, just think of hill training as speed work in disguise. Click here to read John’s other tips. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb. Winston Churchill I write this exactly one week after my amazing journey through the streets of Ottawa. I had expected the Ottawa Marathon would have been the end of my trek from wintertime training to springtime rewards, but now I find it is not the case. Instead of closing the book, I am merely turning the page to another adventure. Will it take the form of a different city to explore, another trail to contemplate or perhaps a return engagement with the promise to take full advantage of the learning curve? At this point I am not sure. Yes, I do have a chocked-full summer racing calendar filled with old favorites and reunions with special friends. But after this venture outside of my comfort zone, I am ready to take on whatever new challenge presents itself. Just give me a month or so! Comfort level? My last two marathons, the Nipmuck Trail Marathon and the Adirondack Marathon boasted 214 and 212 finishers, respectively. Ottawa capped out at 4500 athletes. The only other large city marathon I have run was Boston where race day logistics tend to be more daunting than the race itself. Concerned, I packed trash bag rain jackets, throwaway sweats and reading material for the Big Wait. Was I ever fooled! I spotted only one bag lady who was obviously anticipating her own personal rain cloud. The rest of us set our alarm clocks to echo through our various hotel corridors and emerged, coffee cup in hand, for a several block walk to the starting gate. There we waited for only a few minutes in the porta pottie lines and proceeded to locate our color-ballooned corral. There was virtually no jockeying for position as runners were seeded by their own personal honor system, at whatever pace they felt ready to handle on that particular day, not whatever pace they might have felt good about a year beforehand. In point of fact, Ottawa is a big city marathon with a hometown feel. The Ottawa Marriott race headquarters was replete with elite Africans who smelled like liniment and looked as if they could probably use a big meal. One of the athletes asked me for directions and I imagine I could have struck up more conversations if I could have worked up my nerve and brushed up on my language skills. The only frantic hub was the Expo, which reminded me of after-Christmas sales in the mall. But that is all part of the attraction. Wisely, I left Jeff to the tourist route and shouldered my way towards serious shopping. I noticed at once that there were considerably more women than men enjoying the party. One of my best finds was a MiniSportBelt (wwwifitnessinc.com) enthusiastically demoed by salesrunners who stuffed everything conceivable into one small bounce-free packet. I spent several happy minutes with the other ladies debating the relative merits of the rainbow array of color choices, genuinely grateful I was not dragging along a bored husband. What truly amazed me, though, was how helpful all the vendors were. If they did not have a desired item, they were quick to suggest other retailers who might. The best deal, however, was the free bus tour of the course. Our escort was a bona fide tour guide who treated us to a glimpse of Canadian history. I always hesitate to take these tours because they tend to make the route seem impossibly long, but this time I was pleasantly distracted from the truth. We followed this up with a gourmet pasta dinner and leisurely stroll around the city topped off with a three-scoop gelato. Carbo-loading at its finest. Somewhere during the bus tour I realized that the “mile” markers were in kilometers! Luckily, I hooked up with Mark, a Running Room Pace Bunny, who assuaged my perpetual math anxiety, now multiplied into foreign dimensions. Like the Hertz Rent-A-Car, all I had to do was follow along and leave the thinking to him. As our group pussyfooted to the start mat, my husband, Jeff shouted the perennial bystander standby, “You’re almost there!” That understatement drew such a round of nervous, raucous laughter that French companions demanded a translation! Truthfully, I was a bit nervous about placing my marathon in the paws of a vegetarian Pace Bunny. After all, wasn’t Peter Rabbit primarily a sprinter? I had tried a pace leader once before at an all-women’s marathon, but soon gave up, finding the experience too chatty and distracting. But here, with guys and gals, the group dynamics were perfect. I hung on for about 30 kilometers but then found the tempo too relentless. The group dangled teasingly in sight, but no matter how hard I tried I could not catch the carrot. Ultimately, I finished eight minutes away from a Boston qualifier. The final few miles were tough because I knew I was out of the money, but what really helped was the fact that our first names were printed on our bibs so spectators could cheer for us personally. Somewhat dazed, it took me a while to realize how come all those people knew who I was! Despite my disappointment, I felt like a celebrity. Ultimately, I took six minutes off my time at last year’s Adirondack Marathon, which isn’t too shabby, and enjoyed a beautiful journey through a magnificent European-style city, complete with castles, canals and tulips. I learned that big city marathons do not have to be a logistical nightmare. Moreover, I have emerged with full respect for those who did qualify or otherwise achieve their goals, and I am eternally hopeful that with a bit more focus, my time will come. Eating for Peak Performance Getting Your Essential Nutrients (The Old-Fashioned Way) A daily vitamin pill won’t improve a poor diet – focus instead on getting your essential nutrients by eating a variety of foods. Look at the following table to see what foods you could add into your diet to ensure that you get the nutrients that you need. The 13 Essential Vitamins and Their Main Food Sources VITAMIN MAJOR SOURCES Fat Soluble Vitamins Vitamin A Carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, leafy greens, tomatoes, apricots, winter squash, red bell peppers, pink grapefruit, broccoli, mangoes, peaches, dairy products, eggs, milk, cheese, liver, fish oil Vitamin D Milk, fish oil, eggs, butter, fortified margarine, sunshine Vitamin E Vegetable oils, nuts & seeds, margarine, wheat germ, leafy greens, almonds, olives, asparagus Vitamin K Leafy greens, cauliflower, brocolli, cabbage, milk, soybeans, egg yolk, potatoes Water Soluble Vitamins Vitamin C Citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, tomatoes, red & green peppers, broccoli, potatoes, kale, cauliflower, cantaloupe, Brussels sprouts Thiamin (B1) Whole grain breads and cereals, enriched breads and cereals, beans, pork, beef, lamb, poultry, fish, wheat germ, nuts, brewer's yeast Riboflavin (B2) Dairy products (milk and cheese), meat, fish, whole grain breads and cereals, enriched breads and cereals, leafy greens, beans, nuts (almonds), eggs Niacin (B3 ) Nuts, red meats, poultry, fish, whole grain breads and cereals, enriched breads and cereals, dairy products, peanut butter, brewer's yeast Pyridoxine (B6 ) Liver, salmon, walnuts, peanuts, wheat germ, bananas, grapes, carrots, peas, potatoes, beef, lamb, pork, poultry, whole grains Folic Acid Leafy greens (spinach, kale, parsley), wheat germ, liver, beans, peanuts, almonds, wheat, bran, rye, broccoli, asparagus, citrus fruit and juices Vitamin B12 Foods of animal origin (meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, egg yolks), fermented soy products, fortified soy products, Biotin Eggs, milk, liver, brewer's yeast, mushrooms, bananas, tomatoes, whole grain breads and cereal Pantothenic Acid Whole grain breads and cereals, beans/legumes, milk, eggs (yolk), liver, salmon, orange juice Stay tuned next month for Beth’s next tip: Eating Enough and Eating On Time About Beth Mansfield and Peak Performance Beth Mansfield is a Registered Dietitian, Sport Nutrition & Exercise Specialist with Peak Performance, a sport nutrition and corporate wellness consulting company in Ottawa. Beth educates Canadian athletes of all levels, including Olympians, national and provincial team athletes, as well as University, masters and recreational athletes on sport nutrition for health and performance. Beth is a popular corporate wellness speaker throughout Canada and also maintains a therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC) clinic for people with elevated cholesterol at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. She is currently working on her PhD at McGill University focusing on energy balance and body composition in health and disease. You can check out her show on CJOH/CTV the 1st Wednesday of every month with Leanne Cusack on the News at Noon. Email Beth – beth@peakperformance.ca You need food to fuel your body – to help you push further, to run faster, to perform at the highest possible level. But food should be more than just fuel. It should also be a pleasure to prepare and eat. Each month, we share a simple, nutritious recipe to help stoke your energy for the race, or help replenish energy spent during long training miles. Soup. Not the first dish that comes to mind when thinking of perfect meals for hot months. But the beauty of soup is that its generally quick to prepare and easy to store and re-heat. In short, great for people on the go. Add to this the fact that it’s easy to pack a soup with flavour, as well as nutrients and energy, and it starts looking good no matter what the weather outside is like. Exhibit A: Golden Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup. It can be served hot or cold and is exceptional when ladled over steamed brown rice or quinoa. The recipe is sourced from http://caloriecount.about.com. Ingredients (serves 6) 1/2 c. dried lentils, soaked 3/4 c. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (or 1 medium sized) 1 c. red onions, diced (or 1 medium sized) 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 c. carrots, thinly sliced 1 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable broth (low-sodium) 2 c. water 1/4 c. red wine 1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds 1/2 tablespoon cumin 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon 1/2 tablespoon chili powder 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes Salt, to taste Directions: Soak the lentils in roughly 1 cup of cold water or green tea for at least 30 minutes. In a medium-sized stock pot over medium-high heat, sautee the diced onions and garlic in 1/4 cup of the chicken broth until the onions become translucent (around 5 minutes). Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, and red wine. Cook for around 1 minute or until the wine becomes very fragrant. Add the lentils, water, and chicken broth. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring the mixture occasionally. Reduce the heat. Add the red pepper flakes and fennel seed and cover, allowing the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils and sweet potatoes begin to fall apart. Remove the lid and add the spices. If you would like to get a thicker consistency, kick the heat back up and reduce until it hits the desired thickness. You may want to adjust the amounts of salt and pepper, depending on your own tastes. Serve the soup either on its own or over a starch with a dollop of raita (thick yogurt mixed with vegetables) or sour cream. Garnish with whatever you like (Featured in the photo is yogurt, carrot, and a dash of paprika.) Nutritional Info per Serving: Energy 160cals Protein 15.6g Fat 1.7g Carbs 19.7g Fiber 7.2g Over the past few months, we’ve been tweaking our Ottawa Race Weekend Newsletter format and content to offer more inspiring stories, training tips and nutritional info. Now we’d like to hear from you about what’s working, and what you’d like to see covered in future editions of the newsletter. And we’re also interested in hearing your inspiring stories of athleticism and endurance. So don’t be shy! Send your impressions, ideas and stories to media@runottawa.ca. Ottawa Race Weekend Newsletter - June 2009
Ottawa Race Weekend Newsletter – June 2009
RACE NEWS
Check Out Your Race Weekend Results!
Info for Elite Runners
Army Run!
Way to Go, Luis!
MOTIVATION
On the Road: The Beginning of the Journey
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
Eat and Run
RUNNING WITH YOUR FEEDBACK!
