Next Workout:  Saturday, March 20, meet at 8:45 AM, workout at 9:00 AM
Back to our regular location:  the Parking lot of Columbia Island Marina!


If you need a ride to the workout location, please respond to this 
message no later than C.O.B. Friday, March 19.


***************************************************

Walk-to-Run Trainees:


Welcome to the eleventh week of our program.


1)  This week, we step up to two (2) minutes of walking, followed by 
three (3) minutes of running, which we will be doing the next three 
Saturdays, and on all your midweek workouts over the next three weeks.


And at this point, you pretty much can't fake it.   You need to be doing 
the workouts regularly, or your body will start questioning the 
directions of your conscious mind.   And if you don't strengthen your 
body by exercising with regularity, you also put yourself at a greater 
risk of injury.


What if you can't handle three minutes of continuous running yet?


Then do what you can, but do it consistently.   If you haven't been 
run/walking as much as you should during the week (due to blizzards or 
whatever), then start, or start again, this week.   It is never too late 
to exercise, and so long as you haven't been lying on the couch for the 
past 10 weeks straight, even the Saturday workouts at this point should 
be do-able.


Come out Saturday and try the 2:3 walk:run intervals.  Then, walk/run as 
much as you can up to one hour in duration at least twice next week, and 
see if the 2:3 the following Saturday is any easier.



2)  New 5K target race open for registration


I'm proud to announce a new potential 5L target race for you in early 
May.   To quote the message I sent out to the Run Washington list this 
past week:


"Our Potomac River Run Marathon in Carderock and new Alexandria Half 
Marathon (both on Sunday, May 2) are now joined by a baby sister, a new 
5K race, starting and finishing at Hoffman Center on Eisenhower Avenue.


This race is also part of the Alexandria Running Festival presented by
Dick's Sporting Goods, May 1-2, 2010.  Media partners of ARF include
News Channel 8 and the Alexandria Times.


The mostly flat course:  http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3514061
has one hill each way, the bridge over Telegraph Road.   And similar to
the GW Birthday 10K, this overpass produces a screaming downhill in the 
last 300 meters before the finish line.


But unlike that 10K (which was snowed out this year), you get
to run our 5K on a morning in early May (right after the start of the 
half marathon), in what could be near-ideal weather conditions for a 
fast race.


As with most other MCC races, we offer electronic (tag) timing; 
pre-race, on-course and post-race support; and a custom wicking t-shirt 
for all 5K participants.


We plan a pre-race expo, college of running and packet pickup for PRRM,
the Alexandria Half, and the new 5K on Saturday, May 1, at an Alexandria
hotel (an announcement about which should be forthcoming within the next
two weeks).


Formal USATF certification of the half marathon and 5K course is pending.


For more information, or to pre-register for the 5K, please cf:


http://www.mc-coop.org/arf5k/   "



I happen to know the race director for this 5K very, very well.  Right 
now, he's a real stress pup over this race and a lot of other things, 
but I know he's quite partial to new runners, and welcomes anyone who 
can run or walk a 5K (3.1 miles) in under an hour's time.


So if you have any questions about this race, please let me know, and 
I'll pass them along.  



3)   Other potential 5K target races


If you don't want to run the 5K on May 2, there are lots of other 5Ks to 
choose from within the March 27 - May 9 time frame:


cf:   http://www.runwashington.com/index.php?page=calendar.htm&pg=1


Your mission is to pick one and complete it, or you don't "graduate" 
from this training program.


By the end of March PLEASE TELL ME IN WRITING which 5K race you are 
doing to complete the training program.


Thank you!


4) Hydration


Reproduced below is a detailed article I wrote for marathon/half
marathon trainees. Generally, hydration is an issue for any exercise
in hot and/or humid conditions, or for exercise in _any_ environment
when the exercise lasts for more than 40 minutes.


You won't have those situations immediately, and obviously all
references to running marathons are in your distant future, if you are
to encounter them at all.


But running in the Washington DC area in the summer months will force
dehydration and thermo-regulation issues upon you. And even if you are
a well-trained runner doing shorter distances, you may stumble across a
less-prepared runner in trouble, who needs the help of another when
hydration problems strike.


[And as the AM temps get warmer and warmer over the next two months, a 
lot of the following will apply to you, even as beginning runners, 
running shorter distances.]


For your own running, employing a hydration strategy NOW is a smart
thing to do in your training. Carrying a bottle of a sports beverage,
and sipping from it periodically during your workout (during walk
breaks!) is probably the best strategy to learn.


So please read below, and if you have any questions, please let me know
this weekend.


***********************************************************


Dehydration (a lack of fluids in your system) can pose real problems for
completing any distance footrace. It causes reduced physical capacity 
and heat tolerance, deterioration in cognitive function, failure of
thermo-regulation, physical incapacity, and, ultimately, organ failure.
Even repeated mild dehydration can cause renal stones, urinary tract
infections, severe constipation, rectal afflictions and cutaneous
membrane drying.


A lack of water in the system thickens blood in arteries and veins,
reducing circulation, and along with that, reducing the oxygen and
nutrients delivered to muscles, and reducing the elimination of lactic
acid from those muscles. As little as 2 % dehydration can have
measurable effects on performance, with up to a 7% decrease in
endurance. Exercise is not possible with 10+% dehydration.


During a marathon, it is clearly possible to become dehydrated to these
levels. Recorded measurements from elite runners show that they can
lose up to two gallons of fluids, which would constitute at least 10
percent of the fluid base of a 180 lb. person. Far lesser amounts can
still fall between 2 and 10% of a much smaller person. You can estimate
your fluid loss during a run by weighing yourself before and after that
run, and dividing the pounds lost by 8.35 to convert that to gallons.
Not all of that weight loss is lost fluids – some of that loss is the
weight of stored glycogen in your muscle cells. But most of it is fluid
loss, and for most of us, any loss of more than 2 or 3 lbs. during the
course of a run is cause for concern.


We all know that heat dries out the human body. But the real culprit is
humidity. It is not the act of sweating that cools the human body,
rather it is the *evaporation* of sweat that cools. Yet, in highly
humid air, sweat cannot evaporate. The body sweats, and sweats, and
sweats, all to little or no effect. The result is an overheated *and*
dehydrated runner.


[The theory underlying performance fabrics in running attire is that by
wicking away sweat to a broad area of the fabric, it increases the
evaporative surface, heightens the rate of evaporation, and enlarges the
resulting cooling effect.]


Other factors, such as diet, medications and menstrual status can affect
overall hydration. The worst cases usually occur when the factors above
all combine.


You should learn the symptoms of dehydration, so you can help yourself
and others out on the trail. Thirst (or lack thereof), by itself, is a
very poor indication of hydration levels. By itself, thirst indicates a
dry mouth or throat. Rather, you should look for symptoms in
combination: increased thirst, decreased urine output; concentrated
urine and/or urine deeply yellow or amber in color, dry mouth and
swollen tongue, the inability to sweat, weakness, confusion, dizziness,
sluggishness, even fainting or heart palpitations (feeling that the
heart is jumping or pounding).


Mild Dehydration can be treated by drinking frequent small amounts of
room-temperature fluids, shade and rest. But for moderate to severe
dehydration (anything involving dizziness or mental confusion, or more
severe symptoms), seek medical attention for the afflicted runner. For
those cases, treatment may require IV fluids and/or hospitalization.
Moderate to severe dehydration may be combined with other conditions
requiring medical attention, e.g. Heat Stroke. When in doubt, get the
runner off the trail and onto the ground, and call for medical assistance.


One of the reasons that medical attention is required for more serious
symptoms, is that those can also be symptoms for conditions other than
dehydration: Hyponatremia, Heat stroke/heat exhaustion, Hypoglycemia
(“The Wall”) and Postural Hypotension (“Finish Line Syndrome”) .
Hypoglycemia is best discussed in other articles, as is heat
stroke/exhaustion (except to note that when thermo-regulation fails due
to dehydration, either is far more likely).


Procedural Hypotension (“PH”) is simply the phenomenon that when a
runner stops running after a long, exerted effort, blood may pool in the
legs and lower extremities, causing dizziness or fainting. While
running, the action of leg muscles returns blood to the heart, but if
that leg action suddenly stops, the heart is still sending blood down to
the extremities at a high rate for several minutes thereafter. PH is
the reason most races now force runners to keep moving after the finish
line – a period of walking can help return blood from the legs back to
the heart, as the heart rate slowly decelerates back to a resting normal.


Of all of conditions with symptoms similar to dehydration, Hyponatremia
is most directly related to Hydration. Sometimes called EAH
(Exercise-associated Hyponatremia) or the more exotic “water
intoxication,” Hyponatremia is the direct opposite of Dehydration.
Hyponatremia is the over-ingestion of water, which dangerously or
fatally dilutes the electrolytes which the human body needs to function.
Without electrolytes, human and animal cells cannot regulate their
fluid content, and will eventually burst due to the pressure of excess
internal fluids, and die.


The required electrolytes include sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), chloride
(Cl-), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), bicarbonate (HCO3-), phosphate
(PO42-), and sulfate (SO42-). Of these, the most important are sodium
(which the body uses directly to regulate the fluid content of cells)
and potassium (which the body uses to retain sodium).


Hyponatremia most often results under exercise of long duration (such as
a marathon), when the athlete sweats out electrolytes along with fluids,
but replaces sweat only with plain water (and no food). It may also be
worsened by some medications. Short of life-threatening complications,
a deficit of electrolytes (like dehydration) can impact athletic
performance, limiting speed and endurance, and producing gastric
distress. [It may or not induce cramping - the research on that
connection is hopelessly conflicting.] In short, it can make the
marathon a very uncomfortable experience.


The symptoms of Hyponatremia include fatigue, lightheadedness, weakness,
cramping, weight gain, nausea, bloating and/or swelling, dizziness,
headache, (sometimes cramping), confusion, fainting, disorientation,
seizures (severe cases) and coma (severe cases). Notice how many of
those symptoms – especially the more serious ones – mimic those of
dehydration, the direct opposite of Hyponatremia. For that reason
alone, if you suspect Hyponatremia, or see any of the serous symptoms,
obtain medical assistance for the afflicted runner. The usual clinical
treatment for Hyponatremia is fluid restriction and diuretic therapy.
If, instead, you treated the runner with these symptoms for dehydration
– by given him or her additional fluids – the result could be disastrous.


At the end of marathons, you will often find medical personnel
addressing the runners, asking them questions to gauge their mental
capacity. Runners who are confused, dizzy, or unresponsive are taken in
for further diagnosis – dehydration, hyponatremia, heat stroke, or some
other condition. But even these trained medical persons cannot pinpoint
the problem without further testing.


Neither should you. If a runner beside you appears dizzy, or faint, or
confused, or utterly lethargic, please get medical assistance for that
runner.


Because it is hard to spot and diagnose, and can be fatal with little
overt warning, Hyponatremia scares many race directors. But compared to
dehydration, it is a rare occurrence.


The reason is that serious Hyponatremia required the perfect storm of
causes, a combination of factors unlikely to occur to anyone paying
attention to diet and hydration before and during an athletic event.
The American diet is so over-loaded with sodium, that most Americans
have way too much of it in their systems. [It is ironic that
electrolyte beverages such as Gatorade are still labeled “low sodium” by
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.]


Conversely, a very “healthy” diet, one that reduces sodium, may
paradoxically place a runner at a greater disk for hyponatremic distress.


Hyponatremia is the raison d’ete of most sports beverages, starting with
Gatorade, and its competitors. It is important to remember, however,
that even those products do not fully replace the amount of electrolytes
lost from sweat during intense exercise in warm and/or humid weather.
But if you just drink a sports beverage in lieu of plain water while
running, and consume at least some nutrition along the way, your chances
of suffering from Hyponatremia are still quite low. You are far more
likely to suffer from Dehydration.


Proper hydration for the marathon then, is a BALANCE – neither too many
fluids, nor too few. If you lose fluids, you must either replace them
fully, or start the race with enough surplus to spare.


It is highly unlikely that you can drink and absorb as many fluids
during a marathon as you will lose from sweat, particularly on a hot or
humid day. If your sweat losses are a gallon or more of fluids, it is
unlikely that you can consume that many fluids on the race course. If
the average aid station fluid cup contains only 4 ounces of fluids, you
would need to drink at least 16 of them to match one gallon of fluids lost.


However, your marathon may not have enough aid stations to give you 16
or more cups of fluids. Or you may be uncomfortable drinking a full cup
at every aid station. In that case (or in the case of training runs,
which have far fewer aid stations), you need to bring your fluids with
you. Whether from a hand-held bottle, one or more small or large bottles
strapped to a belt, or a full hydration backpack, the coaches of
Marathon Charity Partners [THE MCC SUMMER TRAINING PROGRAM, NOT WALK TO
RUN] will require you to carry fluids (i.e. a sports beverage) with you
on every Saturday training run. No fluids, no run.


But even if you could drink as much as you lose while running, it is
unlikely that you could digest it. The average maximum digestion of
fluids from the stomach is about 1 liter per hour. Yet, actual
digestion is proportionately related to the amount of fluids (vs.
solids) in the stomach. When the stomach is full of fluids (sloshing
around in a way which is uncomfortable to most athletes), digestion is
the greatest. But half full, and digestion is only half as much. A few
ounces of fluid, and there is barely any digestion at all.


And during extended exercise, digestion of food and fluids plummets.
Under the duress of marathon running, the body diverts bloodflow from
the digestive tract to working muscles, and to the skin, for
thermo-regulation. Your actual digestion of fluids, particularly at the
latter stages of the race, when your stomach is often queasy, is far
less than the optimum one liter per hour.


How then, to counter the great loss of fluids while exercising for hours
in hot or humid conditions? In addition to taking in fluids during the
run, you must also go into the race well hydrated. You must enter the
race (or any long training run, for that matter), on the high end of
well-hydrated, almost over-hydrated.


This requires a “hydra-loading” similar to the traditional
“carbo-loading” prior to a marathon. During the days before the event,
you should ingest extra fluids in small doses throughout the day. A few
ounces extra every hour will add up to 32 ounces over an entire day.
Three days of this will equal a gallon and a half of extra fluids.
Because the human body will urinate away about 2/3 of extra fluids
consumed, you will be visiting the bathroom a lot. But you will retain
that 1/3 extra, your margin for error during the race.


As you are pre-hydrating, remember to watch your electrolytes. Sports
beverages are better than plain water, and salty foods are a great way
not only to get needed sodium into your system, but to also trigger the
extra fluid intake you need. Watch your carbo-loading, so that extra
carbs in your stomach don’t eliminate your ability to hydrate.
Clear-colored urine is a sign prior to the race, that you are on your
way to proper hydration. And get to the starting line early, so you
will have time for the inevitable bathroom break (and any line
associated with it) well prior to the start of the race.


Above all, practice good hydration habits prior to, and during your
training runs leading up to race day. Like most other facets of the
marathon, hydration is not something you can ignore during training, and
then change on race day. Before every training run, watch your
hydration the day and evening prior to the run, and then practice
carrying the right fluids with you on the run and consuming them at
frequent intervals.


Proper hydration for the marathon is a balance. Learn the proper
balance for your own physiology during your training runs, and then not
only will it be second nature during the marathon, but you will feel a
heck of a lot better than most on race day.


Copyright 2007 by John H. Steitz. Please contract the author for
references and data researched for this article

************************************************************


If you have any questions, please call me at 703-371-5171.  I will see 
you Saturday at Columbia Island Marina.


Thank you!


Coach John



John H. Steitz
RRCA Certified Running Coach
USATF Level 1 Certified Track and Field Coach
Marathon Charity Cooperation
703-371-5171
http://www.mc-coop.org/walktorun/