Breaking the Wall

What's the temperature like there for your morning runs?

Hi Sasha! Thanks again for cheering me on the last 2 miles of Painter's- I needed it! I know you're a busy guy- quick question- In order for me to qualify for Boston, I would have to run 3:45:59 at St. George this fall. That is basically the same pace I ran Painter's. How would you suggest going about training so I can extend my 1/2 marathon pace to a full marathon? Any tips?

Kory:

It is a bit below 20 usually. This morning we were expecting near zero and were pleasantly surprised with 18.

Christi:

I think you have it in the bag pretty much. You just need to run no less than 6 days a week and no less than 6 miles on each run between now and St. George. No skipping, no excuses, and you've got it.

Sasha, you have mentioned I should change my diet. Would you give me an example of your daily diet. I just ate a big piece of cheesecake, I am guessing this would not be an approved item. Seriously, I do need to make some changes, curious as to what others are doing.

Hi--I just came across your blog and thought I'd comment. Carbohydrates are definitely necessary for runners, but cheesecake may be taking too far. :-) My running coach tells me that baked goods are harmful to a runner's improvement. He eats six small meals a day, each including a protein, carbohydrate, and a vegetable. After we run, we drink a recovery drink so our muscles don't deteriorate after a run. Hope that helps.

Mike - I posted my menu a while ago at

http://fastrunningblog.com/forum/index.php/topic,104.15.html

This is what I discovered over the years of trial and error to achieve the best balance between my body needs and my budget. Different people respond differently to different foods.

Start with the basic good conscience diet - if your current knowledge and experience tell you the food is good for you, eat it, otherwise stay away. Some general principles as you try to discover the optimal diet for yourself:

How well can you run within 15 minutes of eating it, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours? I would say anything that takes more than 3 hours to stop affecting your ability to run is bad. Anything that you can eat and run well after 15 minutes is a serious candidate for becoming a staple food.

How much processing did it take to produce the food? Something that grows on a tree, in the ground, or on a bush, and tastes good when eaten raw is usually very good. Elaborate preparation often makes the food empty of nutrients and even taste unless you add some artificial taste enhancers such as fat and sugar.

Can you eat it to satiation and feel good in the next 48 hours, including your runs? If not, it probably has some unnatural taste enhancers that make it taste better than it deserves.

Even if a food appears harmless, ask yourself if there is a food your body really needs you would not be able to eat instead because of the limited digestive capacities.

Does it taste good to you? If it does not, but some book says you should eat it, do not eat it unless that is the only food you have. If it does not taste good, your stomach does not want to digest it and if it cannot, all the nutrients will go to waste.