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Ottawa Race Weekend Newsletter – July 2009 RACE NEWS Summer Reading Well, this is the dead of summer. Not that you’d know it, given the relatively cool, wet July we’ve had thus far. The kind of weather that can grind you down and sap your will to get outside and train. Fortunately, we distance athletes are a tough, determined bunch, and a little (or even a lot) of drizzle won’t slow us down. No way. We stick to our training regimens and fight for new PBs come rain or shine. We endure. At least, in theory… Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking, but we believe we’ve been subjected to enough sodden, dreary weather for one summer. Things can’t get much worse – in fact, they’re past due to get better. And by this logic, August and September are bound to be magnificently hot and dry. So take heart! In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this slimmer, “summer” version of The Pulse newsletter. Go Ahead and Register Registration is open for all Ottawa Race Weekend 2010 events. Sure, you just competed in Ottawa Race Weekend 2009, but hey, it’s important to plan for the future! And if you’re as excited as we are for next year’s races, you’ll want to secure your place on the start line as soon as possible. Plus, you’ll pay reduced registration fees when you register before February 15th 2010. To register now, click here. Have you claimed your free subscription to ? Ken has. “Received a complimentary copy of iRun at expo for Ottawa Race Weekend. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Interesting. Helpful. Look forward to future editions.” - Ken, Ottawa ON - As a participant in 2009 Ottawa Race Weekend, you’re qualified to claim a free one-year subscription to iRun magazine. You'll get every issue of the high-quality, inspirational and educational editorial content featuring profiles of Canadian runners and races, product news and reviews, and regular contributions from ultramarathoner Ray Zahab and iRun editor and running columnist Mark Sutcliffe. Plus, you'll be eligible for regular contests and promotions. It's a quick process and it's free. If you haven’t already claimed your subscription, click http://www.irun.ca/subscribe-option-1.php before August 30. Running for Athletes It has now been a few weeks since the Ottawa Race weekend and what a kick off! Kick off to what you may ask? Well, this year a group of us has decided to run. None of us are really runners, but we are believers. And we believe we can run … from Montreal to New York that is! The Montreal to New York run is a challenge that our team of 10 people, Running for Athletes, has undertaken, each of us running 10K, 6 times in 72 hours. The catch is that a member of the team must be running at all times. The team has hired a coaching company, Esprit de Corps, in Montreal who will train us and accompany us on the run on October 8th, 2009. In true Canadian culture and spirit we wanted to give back and what better cause than supporting our athletes, many who struggle financially while trying to seek the dream. Therefore we have dedicated our challenge and efforts to raise money for the National Charity of Ottawa Race Weekend the Canadian Athletes Now Fund, a registered charity that support athletes in their training, coaching, transportation, living expenses, equipment, etc. in addition to raise awareness of their situation; the stories of those who return home with mountain of debt, those with lines of credit to purchase a bobsled, those sleeping six to a room, are endless. It is simple and it is sincere. This relay is our challenge to conquer, our chance for gold and our dream to raise $100,000 for our Canadian athletes. We want to live our Canadian athletes’ experience. We want the experience of working while trying to train and working with professional coaches. And, most of all, we want to inspire. Inspire people to get fit. Inspire people to give. Inspire people to be the best they can be. The Ottawa Race weekend provided the perfect kick start! People from all corners of the world gathered together in Canada’s capital to run, be it a 2k run, a 5k, a half marathon or for a fellow we met his 26th marathon! Ottawa certainly provided us the inspiration we needed to begin our challenge. We invite you to join us! Help us, help the athletes, by getting involved, telling our story, sponsoring, donating, attending many of our events in Toronto and Montreal, the first of which is held on August 13 in Toronto. Visit www.runningforathletes.ca today and be a part of it! Be proud. Stand Up. Run with Canada’s Army! When you crossed the finish line at the Ottawa Race Weekend in May, you achieved a personal goal—and were cheered on by thousands. This is the beauty of participating in distance events. We do it both as individuals and as part of something bigger—as part of the community of athletes and as part of the community at large. This September we invite you to build on the excitement of the Ottawa Race Weekend at the second annual Army Run. Last year, this sold-out event shattered records for the largest number of entrants for an inaugural run. 7000 civilians and military troops ran, walked, or wheeled – side by side – along spectator-filled streets and raised tens of thousands of dollars for Soldier On and the Military Families Fund. We’re expecting this year’s event to be even bigger and better! Fees go up August 15, so register now and join proud members of Canada’s Armed Forces and thousands of other runners, walkers and wheelers of all levels in this very special half-marathon and 5k event! You can register in two ways: o http://www.eventsonline.ca/events/armyrun/ o http://www.events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=4145 In the Club The Run Ottawa Club is the Ottawa Region’s newest running organization. It’s a club designed to serve all ages and levels of runner – from first-timers to dedicated marathoners – and to promote health, fitness and community spirit. There are many reasons to join the Run Ottawa Club, including discounts on local races (e.g., Ottawa Race Weekend), trips to popular out of town races, a monthly e-newsletter, and the chance to up your performance while having a great time with other local running enthusiasts. And did we mention you get a free running shirt when you join? Click here for more details. 1st- Ever Canadian Survey of Women Runners Nutrition researchers in the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition at McGill University are conducting research on the eating habits, physical activity levels, body composition and health of Canadian women runners who participate in organized running races of at least 10 km in distance (including running as part of duathlons and triathlons). This nutrition-focused research will help further our understanding of food choices and eating habits that are essential for women involved in regular vigorous physical activity to maintain healthy weights and attenuate age-related weight gain. Quick Facts about the iRunWomen Survey
To access the survey now, click here. MOTIVATION Wisdom in Motion: Speed Training Speed training is high-intensity high-quality running that pushes your heart rate to 85% - 95% percent of your recommended maximum. Note that the emphasis with speed training is on the quality, not the quantity of your running, so intervals should be between 7 and 12 minutes each at most. Start out with a two-minute interval and build slowly from there. Between intervals, rest for 1 – 2 minutes, or until your heart rate slows back down to about 120 beats per minute. Also, be sure to warm up and cool down with 5 – 10 minutes of easy running and stretching before and after each speed session. Run your speed session once a week. More than once a week can fatigue your legs and compromise your long run. Disciplined training in these sessions prevents injury. Speed improves your coordination, determination and ability to run faster. This will help you push beyond your current comfort level, so you can hold a harder pace for longer when it counts. Click here to read John’s other tips. HEALTH AND NUTRITION Eating for Peak Performance: Eating Enough and Eating On Time Are you eating enough, not too much, and eating on time? Surveys suggest that most athletes do NOT consume sufficient energy to support needs. They have a tendency to supply needed energy AFTER it is needed mainly because they are poor planners with many work, home and sport commitments or they are restricting their intake to achieve too fast a rate of weight loss leading to disordered eating patterns. Training on too few calories can lead to chronic fatigue, poor immune function, loss of muscle mass and decreased performance. Practice makes perfect
Your digestive system (as well as your muscles) needs some training to be able to keep you well fueled during your training sessions (and competition). If you want to be able to eat and drink comfortably during your marathon (or longer) event, you need to be practicing that in training. Exercising hard while eating and drinking are not things that your body would normally prefer to do at the same time – but just like running fast, eating is a learned skill that requires the same amount of practice and attention to detail. If you plan on consuming 200-300 calories an hour and 1 litre of fluid (for example) during your race you need to practice consuming both of these in your training. Don't skimp on fluid or calories during training! So why do so many of us train on too few calories (and fluids)? All it takes is getting dropped by the pack when the pace picks up or when the hill is bigger than you thought and it's easy to start thinking that “if I just lost a couple of pounds I would be able to keep the pace and stay with the pack". The problem with trying to diet while training is that the lack of calories and specific nutrients (especially carbohydrates) wreaks havoc on your muscles and immune system and makes you prone to injury (you will read more on that in another TIP). Taking in far fewer calories than what your body requires may result in the body attacking its own tissues, resulting in a weakened muscular and immune system. Training, building muscle and following a sound diet are the best way to lose weight because it comes off slowly. How much do you need to eat?
Track your intake for three days – don’t change anything. If you are able to answer yes to the following questions then you are likely eating enough: If you answered NO to any of these questions then there are changes you can make to your eating patterns, food choices and timing of food intake to improve your health, your ability to train well and achieve peak performance in your sport. Stay tuned next month for Beth’s next tip: Beware of Body Fat Phobia! 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 Eat and Run: Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich with Cranberries and Pine Nuts 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. Lunch often lacks imagination. That’s why this month’s recipe is such a gem – it takes a simple, predictable form, the sandwich, and dresses it up in chique evening wear and teaches it to speak with an exotic accent. Like a culinary Pygmalion. This sandwich makes for an easy, yet interesting lunch. The vivid flavour alone is reason to try this recipe. But it’s also packed with Carbs and Protein – perfect for fuelling a late afternoon workout. Prep the chicken salad the night before and refrigerate overnight, so all you have to do the next morning is slap it on some nice multigrain bread with your greens before you leave for work. The recipe is sourced from http://recipes.runnersworld.com. Ingredients (makes 4 sandwiches) 3 cups skinless chicken breast, grilled and shredded 3 tablespoons dried cranberries 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts 1 cup apple with peel, chopped 2 cups spring greens or fresh spinach 8 slices multigrain, whole-wheat, or sourdough bread, or 4 whole-wheat pita pockets Directions Add chicken, cranberries, pine nuts, and chopped apple to a large mixing bowl and toss together. In another bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, honey mustard, and curry until blended and smooth. Spoon dressing over the chicken mixture and toss to blend. Place cup of greens on the bottom slice of each sandwich; top with 1 cup of chicken salad per sandwich. Place the second slice of bread on top. If using pita, cut each pita pocket in half and fill each half with cup of lettuce and cup of the chicken mixture. Nutritional Info per Serving: Energy 599 CAL Protein 49.1 G Carbs 45.8 G Fiber 10.1 G Fat 24.2 G Sugars 16.3 G Cholesterol 84.7 MG Sodium 656.7 MG RUNNING WITH YOUR FEEDBACK! 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 – July 2009
