The weeks before your big event can be some of the most exciting and fretful. You are thrilled to be completing your program and accomplishing a goal you set your mind to, but anxiety-ridden about challenges that may arise. I remember the days before my first big race, guarding my body like it were The Constitution, afraid that stepping off a curb the wrong way would put my goal in peril. 

Over the years, I’ve gotten better and more practical about dealing with this anxiety. There’s no need, as I’ve learned, to become phobic about germs, irrational about your diet or sedentary the week prior to a race. I’ve done all these things and still have had bad races. In the end, your best bet is to be rational and remember that there are some things you are not going to be able to control — like your child getting sick or your co-worker dropping the stapler on your pinky toe. Work on controlling the things that are within your grasp and understand the following principles. In most cases you’ll succeed AND enjoy it. 

1.) Your workout plan: The week prior to a race, should be mellow, but include exercise to keep the body  loose. At this point, you’ve done all the hard work and your body knows what to do. To keep it tuned up, but not burnt out, you should plan to run during the week. Your goal here is to replenish and build up energy supplies in your muscles. One week prior to the race, I like to run about half the distance of the actual competition. I then run two other times during the week that are half that distance. These runs are at a leisurely pace and for pure enjoyment. For instance, if I’m running a half marathon, the week prior to the race, I’ll run 6.5 or 7 miles. During the week I’ll run two 3 mile runs and two cross training workouts. I will also incorporate some strength training in the earlier part of the week, but nothing new or unusual. So don’t pick this week to raise your weight stack on calf raises by 10 pounds. Unless you are a seasoned runner, take the two days prior to the race off. So your workout week might look like this: 

Sunday: 7 mile run

Monday: Bike for 30 minutes, strength training 40  minutes

Tuesday: Yoga

Wednesday: 3 mile run, strength training 40 minutes

Thursday: 3 mile run, Strength training 40 minutes

Friday: off

Saturday: Walk 

Sunday: Race day

2.) Atkin’s nightmare: Your muscles feed off an energy supply known as ATP. This substance is created from glycogen, essentially carbohydrates. For most people who are beginning or moderate runners, you want to eat about 55 percent of your calories from carbs. If you are a serious runner or advanced, you should look to get about 70 percent of your calories from carbs the week prior to a race. Start incorporating more carbs in your diet three days prior to your event. Pick good carbs, such as pasta and rice and pair them with good, low-fat proteins, such as chicken or  low-fat cheese. Don’t eat anything new or things you’ve never tried before and don’t substantially increase your caloric intake. Eat plenty of fruits and veggies, but be careful of eating too much fiber. The morning of the race, choose foods that you’ve eaten prior to running in the past that you know sit well. Some people have a hard time eating early in the a.m. Oatmeal usually sits well with me. So I eat that about 90 minutes before an event and then just before heading out, I will eat some graham crackers with peanut butter. Oh, and skip the coffee, which is a diuretic. 

3.) ZZZZZZZs: Get a good night’s sleep, especially the days before the race. Plan quiet evenings and start unwinding an hour before you go to bed. Don’t try and do your taxes or conquer the clutter in your cupboards just before bed time. Your body needs time to recharge in order to perform properly. 

4.) Top it off: You really want to make sure you are well hydrated the week before your race. You should be drinking at least 64 ounces of fluid a day. Prior to your race, drink 16-24 ounces about 90 minutes before you head out. This will ensure that the fluids are through your system before you hit the road. 

5.) Be a wallflower: This is not the week to try a new sport, such as fencing, or to venture into the new Chinese restaurant that opened down the street. I know it sounds unexciting, but it’s just for a week. You can do fencing and Chinese next week. 

6.) Don’t stress: Finally, if you end up sick, with a pulled hamstring and food poisoning, don’t sweat it. Things like this WILL happen to you if you do enough racing. First order of business is healing yourself. The second order can be choosing a new race. There are always other events and most likely there’s one near you the following weekend.

To all you MOTR moms, I’m wrapping up this year’s session of classes and looking to 2010 to bring you new and improved programs that meet your needs. To do that, I’d like to gather your thoughts on how to improve the program. If you took a class from me in 2009, please take this survey. It’s only 10 quick questions and will help me refine a program that I hope will affect change in dozens of women’s lives in 2010. Thanks for participating!!

Jennifer

I remember the days when I used to hop out of bed at 6 a.m. and hit the streets running. Then I’d come home, shower and be off to work, with never a thought about stretching. Now, I’m up at 6 a.m., but it’s not to run and when I do run I never, ever skip the stretching part, especially since I realize the importance of flexibility as a means for injury prevention and treatment, and as a crucial component of increasing speed.  Increasing flexibility will help you lengthen your stride, keep your muscles supple and reduce post-exercise muscle pain by helping to remove lactic acid from your system. 

For some of you, time is of the essence and spending even 10 minutes before and after a workout to stretch is a test, especially since most moms are on a tight schedule and they just want to burn calories, which stretching won’t do to the same degree as running or biking. Stretching will help, though. The greater range of motion you have in your muscles, the more potential in movement you have. The more you move, the more you burn. Don’t forget that you can’t move at all, if you pull a muscle or injure yourself, both of which stretching will help prevent.

A lot of women experience lower back pain after having a child. Some of this is due to the constant lifting and lowering of a certain squiggly person, but some of it is due to tight hamstring, quad and back muscles due to inactivity. Spending a few minutes a day — even if it’s 10 minutes before you go to bed — will help prevent and alleviate back pain. You’ll also feel better, due to the increased blood flow to your muscles, and reduce post-exercise soreness, which means you are more likely to get to your next fitness session sooner.

Now that I’ve convinced you that stretching is a good thing, here are my tips.

1.)Warm up: Always walk or jog slowly to warm up your muscles before stretching. Cold muscles are more prone to tears. I count my walk from the car to either the gym or trail as my warm up to save time. 

2.) Pre-run stretches: Before jumping on the treadmill or road, you want to stretch the major muscle groups involved in running: The quads, hamstrings, calf and hip flexors. I also like to stretch my shoulders since they have a tendency to hold tension during a run. Hold each stretch for 15-20 seconds and use the time as a means for checking in with your body to find out where you are tight or sore. The information will help you decide what kind of run you will have. 

3.) Post-run stretches: After a run, you need to stretch again. This time hold your stretches for 30-40 seconds. You can run through the same series you did pre-run or add a few more to stretch your lower back (this depends on whether you have space to sit on the ground). 

4) Night time stretching: You might also want to consider stretching again at night for 5-10 minutes. Here you can work on your lower back and your core flexibility, difficult stretches to do on a trail or in a park. I swear you’ll sleep better and feel better the next day. 

5) No pain: Yes, stretching should feel uncomfortable, but it should not be painful. Stretch to the point of tension, not pain AND BREATHE!!

Now that you’ve got some tips, let’s look at some stretches. I’ve linked below to some great sites and videos of running stretches. It’s much easier to see the stretches in action than it is to read a description. Forgive the fact that some of the videos are painfully bad to watch, but they do have great content. 

• Great pre-run stretches

This guy is pretty annoying, but he walks you through the basics and goes over the importance of stretching. He also has some tips for people with nagging shin splints.

• Great stretches for problem areas, such as IT band pain, glute pain and tight core. 
• Wonderful video on relieving lower back pain

 

Nothing can slow down your progress like an injury or sore muscles. An injury can be demeaning and psychologically devastating, particularly if you’ve finally reached a point after birth where you are starting to make strides in your endurance and strength. I have experienced this repeatedly throughout my running career from stress factors in my tibia (known as shin splints) to lower back pain to knee pain. The key to dealing with an injury is two-fold: Prevention and help.

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

A.) Warm up and cool down: Always, always warm your body up with a low-intensity version of the exercise you plan to do. For instance, if you plan to run for 30 minutes, walk or jog lightly for about 5 minutes before starting your workout. Once you finish your workout, jog/walk until your hear rate returns to normal – about five minutes. Warming up prepares your muscles for exercise by bringing up your body temperature which heats the muscle up making it more pliable and resistant to an injury. It also prepares your heart and circulation system by sending a signal to begin redirecting blood to your exercising extremities. Cooling down allows your heart to slowly redirect blood away from your extremities and reduces the liklihood of post-exercise muscle spasms.

B.) Stretch: You should always warm your muscles up and then stretch them out. Stretches should cover all the major muscles you will work in an exercise and should be performed slowly and held for 15-30 seconds. A lot of runners experience back, hip or knee pain due to poor flexibility. Make sure you find stretches for your lower back, hip flexors, hamstrings and quadriceps. You should also stretch your calf muscle, shoulders and chest. Stretching increases the flexibility of your muscles, making them more resistant to injury. Every exercise routine should be followed by stretching. Here’s a great site with some stretches that work for runners. 

C.) Pump it up: So many injuries — from lower back pain to knee pain — are usually a result of inadequate strength or muscle imbalances. Muscles help steady and secure joints and act as shock absorbers. For instance, in running, knee pain is often associated with insufficient strength in your hamstrings or quadriceps. Many runners make the mistake of ignoring strength training. They feel they get enough from just running. The truth is that running is high on aerobic/anaerobic endurance, but very low on strength training. You need to perform exercises to strengthen your quadriceps, hamstrings, calf, glute, core and hip flexor muscles. You’ll be much more resilient if your overall muskoskeletal system in stronger because you’ll be less likely to put excessive weight and reliance on your joints to move you through a motion.

D.) Have a drink: Keep muscles lubricated and pliable by ensuring you drink enough water. You need about 64-84 ounces of fluid a day.

E.) Poor some glucose on me: Make sure you consume enough carbohydrates in proportion to your exercise needs. Beginning exercises should get about 55 percent of their calories from carbs, while moderate exercisers should be closer to 65 percent and elite exercisers should be around 70 percent. Muscles use glycogen to create ATP, the fuel that muscles use. If you run out of glycogen, your body will convert protein in your muscles to ATP. This weakens your muscles and makes you prone to injury.

F.) Easy does it: Don’t hit the trail at your fastest speed on your first stride. I see a lot of moms who think they can resume their pre-baby regime immediately. So they hit the hills or start sprinting their first mile (I was one of these people). All of these things can lead to common injuries, such as: shin splints, and glute, knee and back pain. Your body needs time to warm up, redirect blood flow and get used to the motion. Warm muscles are more flexible and pliable, which makes them more accident-prone. I like to break my workout into quarters. The first quarter is my slow, easy warm up, the second I take my speed up to my baseline, the third is where I can choose to get more intense, the fourth is where I come down. You can either break your workout by time or by roadside marker. Always underestimate yourself when you are starting something new. If you want to run again, start with a flat course, not a hilly one. Work up to the hills after several weeks and when you do take to them, pick a short, slow incline. 

G.) Call the doctor: If you have a pain that troubles you, go see the doctor. Even if you think it’s minor, it never hurts to have them examine the injury. Never, ever continue running or working out through pain. Exercise is a test to your body, but not an exercise in sadism. You can aggravate an injury or create another problem elsewhere on your body by over-compensating for the original pain.

H.) Cross train: If you do get injured, it doesn’t mean that you have to stop working out altogether. If your doctor clears you, consider doing another sport or activity that uses a different set of muscles, such as swimming, biking, the elliptical machine or rowing. Just make sure you are working at the same level as you do while running. The test: It should be difficult to hold a prolonged conversation. Because you may be using different muscles to perform a new activity, you may have to decrease your time.

Everyone will most likely experience some form of muscle soreness while exercising, especially when you push yourself to a new level or you try a new exercise. Muscle soreness comes in two forms: A.) Muscle fatigue. This occurs when your body runs out of the ability to convert energy stores. This is a temporary weakness that disappears after the activity is ceased. B.) Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. This occurs 24 to 48 hours after you cease exercise and is most likely due to tiny tears in your muscle fibers. If this occurs, you probably need a few days off to recover or you need to perform another activity that does not aggravate these muscles.

The rules surrounding what to eat and what not to eat when you are training for a run or just getting back into shape are confusing. Most people begin an exercise regime in an effort to lose weight, which means they are attempting to decrease caloric intake at a time when the body is adapting to higher demands on its energy system. What you specifically need to consume depends on several factors: 

1. The intensity of your training
2. The purpose of your training (whether it be to lose or gain weight or to run a marathon or just walk around the block)
3. Your current physical condition: Weight, height, and any health conditions you may have. 

Since I couldn’t possibly address everyone’s issues without writing a book, here are some basic rules broken into two categories”just working out for health benefits” and “Training for an event”. 

JUST WORKING OUT FOR HEALTH

 

1. Fads are bad: No carbs, low carbs, all protein, all veggie diets are typically built to help you shed pounds fast, but are rarely realistic for our everyday lives. Most people who go on these diets end up putting the weight back on. Not to mention you can deplete your body of essential nutrients by cutting certain foods out. You need to eat a balanced diet of low-fat foods and you need carbs, they are your bodies energy source. The best way to go: try to build meals that incorporate all the colors of the rainbow, cut out excessive fat and limit pre-packaged foods (such as chips, cookies and candy bars). Don’t eat it if you don’t know how many calories are in it. If you want to know how it all works, check out myfoodpyramid.com.
2. Water, water everywhere: Water is just fine if you are working out at a low to moderate intensity for less than one hour. Those sports drinks contain a lot of extra sugar and calories that you don’t need, especially if you are trying to drop weight. Consume 17-20 ounces of water two hours before you workout. If you want to know how much water to consume after a workout, weigh  yourself before and then after. You should drink 16 ounces for each pound of water lost during exercise. You should also consume 7-10 ounces for every 10-20  minutes of exercise. Do not rely on thirst to tell you when you drink. 
3. The Internet Dietician: Every body is different and that means we all have various caloric needs. Women need a basis of 1200 calories per day to maintain body functions. The estimated caloric needs for women age 31-50 is 1,800 a day for a sedentary adult and 2,200 a day for an active adult. That said, there’s no one size fits all. Your caloric needs depend on your age, activity level and weight. You also need to consume more protein or carbs depending on your fitness activity. The best way to determine what you need is to head to the Internet and plug in your stats. The best site I’ve found is MyCalorieCounter.com. You can find out what your dietary needs and caloric needs are, set goals and keep a daily meal diary. This last item is perhaps the best means for keeping your diet in check. The site actually has most foods listed so you can calculate exactly how much sodium, fat and sugar you’ve consumed in a day.If you want to lose weight, you need to cut your calories by 500 a day. You can do this through exercise (which the site will calculate your calorie expenditure based on your activity) or diet. The best method is a combo of both and to approach it slowly. One pound of body fat is equal to about 3,900 calories. So it takes a little more than a week to burn 1 pound of fat. This is a safe, easy approach that allows your body to adapt. 
4. Eat before and after exercise: Before you head out to workout, have a snack about 90 minutes beforehand. Keep what you eat low in fiber, so it sits easy in your stomach, and high in carbs. Things like a handful of crackers with hummus, a quarter of a bagel with cream cheese or a low-fat granola bar are good things. Research shows that after a moderate workout, eating .68 grams of carbs per pound of body weight within 30 minutes of exercise helps muscles recover. 

 

TRAINING FOR AN EVENT

For the most part, the above rules apply to you too: Eat a balanced diet, track it online, no fad diets. But there are a few things that you need to change as your body adapts to an increased demand. 

1. Go juice: If you are exercising for more than 60 minutes, you need more than water to replenish sodium and potassium lost through sweat. The same fluid recommendations mentioned above apply to you: 17-20 ounces 2 hours prior to exercise; 7-10 ounces every 20 minutes during exercise and 16-24 ounces for every pound of body weight lost post exercise. Look for sports drinks that contain at least 5 percent of carbohydrates, but no more than 10 percent. Do not drink fruit juices of soda, which can cause diarrhea and intestinal cramping. My favorite fluid is Gatorade, which contains about 6 percent of carb concentration and 110 grams of sodium per 8 ounces. 
2. Load up: Research shows that athletes exercising more than 90 minutes start to deplete their muscles’ energy stores. To boost energy level, make sure you consume about 2.7 grams of carbs per pound of body weight per day. The most important energy source is glycogen, found in carbs. Before exercise your snack should be low fat, low fiber and contain protein and carbs. For instance, half a bagel with peanut butter, crackers with cream cheese or a banana . After a workout, choose foods that are high on the glycemic index, because they empty into the blood stream quickly and begin the process of rebuilding muscle energy stores. It takes about 24 hours for your muscles to recover after a heavy workout and eating high carb foods can help. The best foods: pastas, bananas, orange juice, peanut butter, dried fruit, pancakes, or bagels. 

1. Snack on the run: You’ll find that you hit a wall or bonk at some point when you begin to add distance or time onto your workout. For each person this will differ, depending on your energy stores and your metabolism. Follow the protocol above for eating before and after workouts to maintain your energy stores. You might also need to consume food on your run. I find it best to pick easy to digest, low-fiber foods that pack into my water belt or the pocket on my water bottle. I like animal crackers with peanut butter, mini energy bars and graham crackers. I suffer from a highly sensitive stomach and can not tolerate GU, but I know plenty of people who choose the pudding-like consistency energy supplement. The key is to try out several fuel sources prior to your race day. The best place for selection and variety is Sports Basement. 
2. Know your caloric needs: Go to MyCalorieCounter.com and input your age, fitness level and weight. You can then calculate — based on your activity and speed at which you are working — your caloric expenditure for that activity. For instance, if you are running an average 10 minute mile for 90 minutes and you weigh about 130 pounds, you will burn 900 calories. 

It was cold, foggy and early, but that didn’t stop three Mothers On the Run participants from blazing new trails at the San Francisco Marathon on Sunday, July 26. Sharon Goethal, Kathleen Allen Laipply and Paula Klemens performed well and beat their time expectations. Below are the results for the three.

First half marathon                                                                                                             

PAULA KLEMENS                                 KATHLEEN ALLEN LAIPPLY                      

Pace: 10:05                                                    Pace: 9:48                                                     

Time: 2:12:09                                                Time: 2:08:23                                               

Marathon

SHARON GOETHALS

Pace: 12:09

Time: 5:18:20

Inspired? Click here for a list of upcoming running events. Need help training? Consider a Mothers On The Run training program or see the tab on the right to join one of the free area running clubs.

 

If you want to increase your endurance, strengthen and tone your mid section and meet other mom runners, think about signing up for this new mid-week conditioning class.

This is an hourlong running-based program that combines speed work, endurance drills and core exercises to help you strengthen your body for any sport (including tag with your child).

The conditioning class meets Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m. at the Burlingame High School track. The six-week program runs Sept. 2-Oct. 7. 

COST

Conditioning class …… $60 (Half price if you sign up for the half marathon, 5K/10K program.)

10 percent discount for returning runners or if you join with a friend. The running class has a 10 person minimum sign up. To sign up, e-mail mothersontherun@gmail.com.

Ignoring strength training puts you at risk for injury and limits your progress. Strengthening your legs and core are key ways to ensure that your muscles are capable of performing longer and at greater speeds. (It also helps tighten things up and what girl doesn’t want that?)

Often times runners ignore strengthening their hamstrings and quad muscles. This is a mistake in that you may be forcing your knees and lower back to do more work than they should. Incorporating strength training is really easy and can be done fairly quickly at the end of a run and it’s totally kid-friendly. I often let Adeline roam around while I do a quick leg and core workout after a run. The best place for this is Crystal Springs, where it’s relatively “caged” in. Here are some ideas for strengthening moves. Click on the link below for a video tutorial on how to perform the exercises. 

LEGS

Walking lunges: Start off with 24. When this become easy, start adding 10 jump lunges after a set of 24. 

Squats: Start off with 24. When this becomes easy, add 20 jump squats after a set of 24. 

Heel raises: Start off with 24. When this becomes easy, move to doing 24 on each leg. 

One legged bridges: Start off with 15 on each leg. When this becomes easy buy a stability disk and place it under the heel you are pushing off on. 

CORE

Crunches: Start off with 50. When this becomes easy try adding 10 full sit ups on the end.   

Leg raises: Start off with doing 20 by alternating legs that you drop. When this becomes easy , drop both legs together to the ground.

Windshield wipers: Start off with 20. When this becomes easy, you can tuck a ball underneath your legs.

Does this sound like you? Every week you plan to workout, but every week it just slips away. There just never seems to be enough time to do anything between packing lunches, cleaning up spilled milk, driving from one kid’s class to another, and work. By the time you get to the end of your week, your spent and well, another week passed by and few hours were logged at the gym. 

For all the wonderful changes  a child brings to your life (and there are many) there are some things that are just, well, painfully different, such as your body. Getting back in shape is both a test of your multi-tasking abilities and your will. In both my personal and professional life I see so many women who just can’t seem to find the time to workout and they have no idea where to begin. These two obstacles alone are enough to push the task off to another day. It doesn’t have to be that difficult. You just need to think differently.

1. Break it up: A lot of moms think that they might as well not exercise at all if they can’t do it all at once. If the only way you can get cardio and strength training in is to piece it together, then do it. For instance, you might run/walk in the morning, do lunges, squats and core for 15 minutes at lunch, and do some push ups and stretching while watching TV at night.
2. Get your partner involved: Your spouse is most likely as eager to hit the gym as you, so work out a deal. Two days a week you go to the gym after work and two days he goes. Yes, that means you have to do dinner later or someone has to get up earlier and man the a.m. hours, but it’s important “me” time for both of you that will also teach your children through example that fitness is important. 
3. Schedule it: Think of exercise as you would brushing your teeth or taking your vitamins. It’s just something you do everyday for your health. Put a note in your Crackberry, on your refrigerator or on your mirror so that you remember to do it. 
4. Be realistic: I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you need to do it everyday. That’s not possible. Start with a goal, create a plan that works with your schedule, post the plan EVERYWHERE and then go with it. If all you can really do in a week is 20 minutes three times a week, then start there. 
5. Start small: Don’t create a plan that is so elaborate and time intensive that you can’t complete it. Failure is the biggest reason people don’t continue with a program. 
6. Incorporate your child: Most people think that to workout they have to leave the child behind. I say, no, include the kid. There are so many things you can do with a child from age 6-weeks-old to the teen years. You just have to be patient, realize that your efforts may be interrupted and make it fun for them. I saw a woman running with her 3-year-old the other day. The kid was on a bike and she was running next to him. I thought that was brilliant. She says that she runs three miles while he bikes and everybody is happy. I’ve sketched out some workouts below that can be done in your backyard or even your living room. Most gyms also have daycare for kids starting at age six months. 
7. Multi-task: Plan your weekend family events around exercise. For instance, instead of hanging out in a crowded museum, head out for a hike or run. Deer Hollow Farms in Rancho San Antonio is an awesome place with something for the whole family: a small farm (full of animals) and miles of hiking trails. You can also try Vasona Park in Los Gatos, where you’ll find a great park with a steam engine and carousel and miles of hiking and running paths. Or, in summer months, head to a community pool with lap lanes. Your spouse can watch the kids while you swim laps and then you can switch. 

 

As the saying goes: dangle a carrot in front of a rabbit and you can get him to hop anywhere. In my case, it’s a donut that I’ll do anything for. So, let’s apply that theory to making exercise a priority. You are more likely to lace up those shoes if you have an end to your means (alright, so running isn’t exactly the same as a donut, but it’ll earn you one.).

Listed below are some upcoming races that you might consider training for. Some of these are kid-friendly and all, I know, are well organized so you won’t waste your time in a stupid bus line (hopefully) to take you front point A to B. 

If you need training help, consider signing up for a Mothers On the Run clinic. Sessions start Aug. 23. Or, if you want to see a list of races this summer, click here or navigate the tool bar on the right to the race calendar tab. 

• Sept. 27: Dolphin South End Runners Oyster Point race is a 5 mile out and back starting at Oyster Point. Well-run races that are non-competitive and fun.
• Sept. 27: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K run/walk or 1 mile fun run. Great San Francisco race that’s 19 years old and benefits breast cancer research.
• Oct. 20: Bridge to Bridge 10K race from Bay Bridge to Golden Gate. Beautiful, flat course (just one little hill) and great after party. Last time I did there was beer afterward. 
• Oct. 25: Silicon Valley Marathon features 5K, 13.1 mile and 26.2 mile distances.