Three weeks from Sunday I am going to wake up early, have a banana and a bottle of water, then spend four-ish hours trying to accomplish the hardest physical thing I have ever done in my life. This past week the reality has really set in, as well as some nervousness. The simple fact is, other than sleeping, there really isn't anything I like doing for four hours at a time (try to keep the inquiries clean, but the answer is still no...four hours is too long for just about anything). My training runs will max out pretty soon at about three hours, and I'm just going to have to count on adrenaline, my buddy Andy, and a hopefully raucous crowd to keep me moving for the last hour. As of now, I'm feeling alright overall, my legs get a little sore, but at least I don't have to stop my runs to pee anymore.
As I recently mentioned, I joined a new gym. I like just about everything about this gym more than my old one, except they run the same music videos on a frequent loop. The only artist that I can tell has more than one video in the look is Katy Perry, although you wouldn't be able to tell from listening to the songs. I find it hard to believe that when Kings Of Leon, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foster The People, TI, Wiz Khalifa, Jay-Z, and even Beyonce are constantly putting out new music, that somehow Katy Perry happens to crap out FIVE #1 HITS ON 1 ALBUM! She somehow tied Michael Jackson for #1 his of a single album. Let's quickly break this down:
Michael Jackson's #1 hits of Bad: Dirty Diana, Man In The Mirror, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Bad, & The Way You Make Me Feel
Katy Perry's #1 hits of Teenage Dream: Teenage Dream, Firework, E.T., Last Friday Night, California Gurls
Not exactly a ringing endorsement for modern day music. If you want to dive into song depth/quality, four of KP's #1s are about either looking like or acting like a slut, and as far as I can tell ET is essentially a song about an orgasm...good times. And for the life of me I can't tell the difference in what she's trying to say between Last Friday Night and Waking Up In Vegas (I'll give you a hint though...I'm pretty sure they're both about getting loaded and hooking up). There's a silver lining in all this though, and that is that I don't have a teenage daughter.
Moving off my pop culture soap box, allow me to take a paragraph to embarrass myself. Two weeks ago marked the time where I gave up all alcohol intake until the marathon is over. That said, I decided to go out with a bang. The "final Sunday", I went to the Giants/Bills game with a bunch of friends (Bills loss-sucked...9am tailgate-awesome), then met some people at a bar to watch the late games, then closed out the evening having a couple with my buddy Trevor. After the game, I stopped home to change into clothes that didn't smell like hot dogs and beer. The only clean pair of jeans were a pair of semi nice button fly jeans I paid way too much for, and don't wear because button flys are dumb and don't provide easy urinal access. Unfortunately the only clean pair of boxer briefs I had were the athletic stretch kind, which I later discovered don't have what calls call "the access flap". All this, combined with a few beers/jamesons, led to me being slightly intoxicated and super confused/panicked when I went to pee at the Famished Frog (awesome spot for Sunday fundays in Morristown). I had to dance around until the stall was available because I saw no possible way for me to handle my functions at the urinal given my wardrobe choices, which led to more than one odd look. And if there's one thing I'd like to avoid in public bathrooms, it's odd looks.
That's all for today, be back soon, and have a great/safe Halloween weekend everyone,
Matt
twitter.com/mstendardi
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Notes from the Missouri outpost...
Quick Admin note - For some reason a bunch of posts got locked up in the drafts for the past couple weeks. Sorry for the delay, and regular posts shall now commence.
Note from Matt’s marathon-training buddy out in Missouri (friend Andy G.):
This week my odds of an unfortunate incident rose sharply.
First, I realized you should not climb Missouri’s equivalent of Mt. Everest in the 10th mile of a 13-mile training run. I finished the run. But two hours later, tequila-hangover-like symptoms set in including the shakes, cold sweats, and a heart beat racing to 90+ bpm solely from walking upstairs to answer the phone. The body thought it had been poisoned. I was thereafter laid up in bed for three hours, with a trash-can on standy-by near by. Only tylenols and not moving could help. Lesson learned: Look for the pain of completing a marathon (if we can do this) to set in hours, not minutes later. Have someone ready not at the finish line, but afterwards, to help.
Second, my town, Creve Coeur, MO, passed a town rule permitting bow-hunting on residential plots of one acre or more to cull the deer population. Creve Coeur has many such plots, and I happen to run by them, and on more than one occasion I have experienced that moment of mutual surprise when I go jogging past a deer and see it/him/her at the same moment he/she/it realizes it got surprised. If you hear about an unfortunate incident involving a jogger and a bow-hunter, it may be because the next time I have such an encounter, a bow-hunter is readying a ‘kill shot’ (is that what it’s called in that sport???) just as I go by. Parents of Creve Coeur, and similar towns, do not let your kids where those fake-antler head-dresses during halloween or christmas!
(Note: if this seems unlikely, consider the following—Recently, a domestic violence incident was reported on the local news. In a quarelling love-triangle, one man shot the other with an arrow over a dispute about a woman. In a separate incident, an arrow crashed through a woman’s kitchen window, in a suburb, while she was having breakfast. It was a case of target-practice gone bad by a local sportsman. These occured within the county lines of a city of three million people.)
Until next time...
This week my odds of an unfortunate incident rose sharply.
First, I realized you should not climb Missouri’s equivalent of Mt. Everest in the 10th mile of a 13-mile training run. I finished the run. But two hours later, tequila-hangover-like symptoms set in including the shakes, cold sweats, and a heart beat racing to 90+ bpm solely from walking upstairs to answer the phone. The body thought it had been poisoned. I was thereafter laid up in bed for three hours, with a trash-can on standy-by near by. Only tylenols and not moving could help. Lesson learned: Look for the pain of completing a marathon (if we can do this) to set in hours, not minutes later. Have someone ready not at the finish line, but afterwards, to help.
Second, my town, Creve Coeur, MO, passed a town rule permitting bow-hunting on residential plots of one acre or more to cull the deer population. Creve Coeur has many such plots, and I happen to run by them, and on more than one occasion I have experienced that moment of mutual surprise when I go jogging past a deer and see it/him/her at the same moment he/she/it realizes it got surprised. If you hear about an unfortunate incident involving a jogger and a bow-hunter, it may be because the next time I have such an encounter, a bow-hunter is readying a ‘kill shot’ (is that what it’s called in that sport???) just as I go by. Parents of Creve Coeur, and similar towns, do not let your kids where those fake-antler head-dresses during halloween or christmas!
(Note: if this seems unlikely, consider the following—Recently, a domestic violence incident was reported on the local news. In a quarelling love-triangle, one man shot the other with an arrow over a dispute about a woman. In a separate incident, an arrow crashed through a woman’s kitchen window, in a suburb, while she was having breakfast. It was a case of target-practice gone bad by a local sportsman. These occured within the county lines of a city of three million people.)
Until next time...
Friday, October 7, 2011
Bumps In The Road, Pseudo-Celebrity Sightings, Buckling Down
Seven Sundays from this upcoming one (or 51 days), I'll be waking up very early, drinking water and nervously stretching as my buddy Andy and I get ready to run 26.2 miles around the city of Philadelphia. Over the past few months I've been building my endurance by running, lifting, running, then running some more. Unfortunately as the chronological finish line is approaching, my training has kind of hit a plateau. I was hoping by this point to be comfortably running 16 or so miles, but unfortunately every step after the 14 mark gets exponentially more uncomfortable. I know that on the day of the marathon that adrenaline will carry me for quite a bit, but I don't it'll handle the last 12 miles. To add on to that little quandary, I've sustained my second legitimate training injury, developing hip bursitis. It's more uncomfortable than debilitating, however it's going to require lots of ice, more rest than I'd prefer, and a trip to the doctor in the next couple weeks. In the mean time, I just gotta stretch out, it out and push through...and somehow try to go for a long run in Seattle tomorrow after flying cross country and attending my buddy Matt's bachelor party tonight. We'll see how that goes...
While at the car wash in Toms River, NJ, Wednesday I had a minor "not-as-much-as-they'd-like-to-think celebrity" sighting. As I pulled my car in behind a pimped out two door BMW, I thought the driver looked familiar. He was a big jacked dude, sleeved in tattoos, a borderline offensive amount of gel in his hair, shaking up a protein shake, and had "DO WORK" custom stitched into the back of his Nikes...all that said, I couldn't place who it was. As he paid, the cashier said, "you look really familiar", the guy got an ear-to-ear grin, and said, "Do you watch Jersey Shore? I'm Roger". For those who don't watch the show, that is the fake-boobied, chain smoking bikini model, J-Woww's boyfriend. I didn't talk to him at all, just had a little bit of an internal laugh (thankfully it was internal, 'cause that dude could kill me) at the apparent celebrity anyone attached to that show has attained. Then I became a little sad when I realized that whenever I get introduced to new people and they ask the annoying, "Do you ever see people from the Jersey Shore???" I apparently have to say "yes"...though I may stick with "ughh" and walk away.
Now that I'm in the home stretch of this marathon training, I've really got to buckle down. I'm settled into my new apartment, new gym, somewhat getting used to my new diet, and hopefully (after another weekend of travel) getting into a more regimented schedule. I have some friends in town next weekend (the 6 week mark), and after that no more alcohol (maybe a glass of wine if I'm at a nice dinner, but doubtful), no more bad food, more sleep, and a strict 6 day a week training schedule. And for people who enjoy these ramblings, significantly more posts, considering I won't be going out all too often.
That's all for now, stay tuned for some stories for what is sure to be a pretty wild weekend,
Matt
twitter.com/mstendardi
While at the car wash in Toms River, NJ, Wednesday I had a minor "not-as-much-as-they'd-like-to-think celebrity" sighting. As I pulled my car in behind a pimped out two door BMW, I thought the driver looked familiar. He was a big jacked dude, sleeved in tattoos, a borderline offensive amount of gel in his hair, shaking up a protein shake, and had "DO WORK" custom stitched into the back of his Nikes...all that said, I couldn't place who it was. As he paid, the cashier said, "you look really familiar", the guy got an ear-to-ear grin, and said, "Do you watch Jersey Shore? I'm Roger". For those who don't watch the show, that is the fake-boobied, chain smoking bikini model, J-Woww's boyfriend. I didn't talk to him at all, just had a little bit of an internal laugh (thankfully it was internal, 'cause that dude could kill me) at the apparent celebrity anyone attached to that show has attained. Then I became a little sad when I realized that whenever I get introduced to new people and they ask the annoying, "Do you ever see people from the Jersey Shore???" I apparently have to say "yes"...though I may stick with "ughh" and walk away.
Now that I'm in the home stretch of this marathon training, I've really got to buckle down. I'm settled into my new apartment, new gym, somewhat getting used to my new diet, and hopefully (after another weekend of travel) getting into a more regimented schedule. I have some friends in town next weekend (the 6 week mark), and after that no more alcohol (maybe a glass of wine if I'm at a nice dinner, but doubtful), no more bad food, more sleep, and a strict 6 day a week training schedule. And for people who enjoy these ramblings, significantly more posts, considering I won't be going out all too often.
That's all for now, stay tuned for some stories for what is sure to be a pretty wild weekend,
Matt
twitter.com/mstendardi
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Guest Blog: Top 5 Tips for Fueling for Long Runs
Hi Matt’s friends, family and groupies! I was super psyched when Matt asked me to do a guest blog on healthy eating because, well to be honest, I really love hearing myself talk on this subject. And, equally importantly, I love helping people make changes to their eating habits to see big gains in their health goals.
I’ll follow suit from Andy, Matt’s other guest blogger, and give yall a brief introduction. I grew up a 1/3rd of a mile down the road from Matt, so we’ve known each other since the days of riding bikes and capture the flag. Most of my early memories about Matt have to do with his undying loyalty to the Buffalo Bills - please google “Buffalo Bills Zubaz Pants” to see what I mean. Thanks to following Matt on Twitter for the last few months, I know now not much has changed. (And by that I mean his loyalty… not his fashion choices. At least I hope…)
By the way, if you’re coming from my blog or Twitter, check out Matt’s back story here. If you feel like giving your karma a little boost, there’s a link to donate to his fundraising here too.
Anyways! I’m here to weigh in on some tips for healthy eating & better fueling for runners, whether you’re doing your first couch-to-5k or tackling the monster 26.2 miles like Matt & Andy are. I coach people on dietary changes for fitness goals in my job as a wellness coach, and I’ve completed six endurances events including a marathon, 3 halfs and 2 triathlons so I’ve had a few years to experience the good, the bad and the really ugly of fueling for your runs.
Here’s my top 5 tips:
Fuel Up: The better the fuel, the better the performance. This is stating the obvious, but I’m going to point it out anyways because it personally took me a little while to make the connection between what I ate and how I ran. If you’re in pretty good shape, you probably won’t notice the impact of your diet on your workouts as acutely as you will once you start getting into higher mileage. The food you eat the day of your run (or the night before, if you’re an AM runner) will start to impact your ability to get through longer runs. If you’re struggling through your long runs, start paying closer attention to your intake and see what foods help or hurt. Every body has different needs– for instance, I noticed I had to avoid pop, coffee and really salty foods the day before a run and I had to add in a carb-heavy snack before bed. Sadly, I also discovered margaritas ended up on the banned list. Huh, what a surprise. Figure out the fuel your body needs (or doesn't need), and your long runs will suddenly become a whole lot more enjoyable.
Don’t Run on Empty: The most common question people ask me about eating and exercise is what to eat before a run. Pre-run fueling can be tricky. Eat too much and you’ll have a side stitch, too little and you’ll bonk before the run is over. The best approach is a mostly-carb snack about 90 minutes your run. Avoid anything with a lot of fiber, fat or protein which will slow the release of glucose, your primary energy source, into the bloodstream. For a short run, a banana or a 100-calorie granola bar is perfect. (I like Clif Z-bar for their lack of questionable ingredients and low added sugar content.) For longer runs, a little more protein can be included. Try a slice of toast or banana with PB or even a ½ turkey sandwich. You’ll have to experiment with what works for you, but I’ve generally found people who struggle to get through longer runs aren’t doing enough pre-run fueling.
Refueling: The obvious other side of that question is what to eat after a run. Within 30 minutes, eat a combination of protein and carbohydrates. The carbs will replace your depleted glucose stores and the protein is essential for rebuilding muscles. One of my favorite is Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk- frankly, I just love an excuse to have chocolate milk. Other postworkout choices could be peanut butter & banana, a whey protein shake with a ½ banana, oatmeal with a tablespoon of peanut butter or tuna on whole wheat. Depending on when you’re running, you may be having a meal after your workout – that’s perfectly fine, just make sure to include your protein.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: If you’re not a water drinker, it’s time to get o-v-e-r that and start big gulping some h20. As Matt mentioned in his last post, the hydration paradox is a little bit tricky but getting enough fluid is absolutely critical for endurance races. I have seen someone pass out at every long run I have done and I have had the unfortunate experience of visiting the EMS tent myself before. Trust me, there’s no boy scout badge being given out for passing the hydration stations with a “no thanks” on a long run. This includes training runs: once you start running over an hour, it’s time to think about wearing a water belt. Actually, staying hydrated is something you need to do all the day long, not just during the long run. An easy rule of thumb? If your pee looks like apple juice, go drink more water. There, I said it. (And by the way, if you drink alcohol or caffeine you need to up your water intake even more as both of those are diuretics that will end up dehydrating you even more.)
Topping Off: Calorie Compensation: Many people start training for a long run with the hopes that maybe, along with that glorious moment of crossing a finish line and checking something big off the Bucket List, they also might get a nice side effect of a little weight loss. Weight loss and endurance race training can go hand in hand, but it's not easy as you might think. You’re upping your calorie intake, and specifically your carb intake, to make sure you’ve got the proper fuel to get through your long runs. But if weight loss is one of your goals, keep in mind that on the days you don’t do a long run, you don’t have that extra cushion of calorie compensation. I actually weighed the most I’ve ever weighed the year I did a marathon and a triathlon back to back, because I know in my mind I was thinking “I’m working out all the time – woohoo, free pass!” Sadly, it doesn’t quite work like that. If you’re training for an event, make proper nutrition and fuel your primary goal – don’t short yourself what you need. Then, if you want to see a little weight loss as a side effect, just make sure to balance out your non-long run days with more moderate intake.
When you really dive into training for an endurance event, you start to realize that training actually encompasses much more than just the time you spend with your feet hitting the pavement. What you do before and after your long runs starts to become as important as what you do during the long run. I’ve heard it been said that training for a marathon starts in the kitchen, and I couldn’t agree more. But the good news is, small changes can go a long way in improving how you feel during, and after, your long runs.
So, Matt, drink your water and eat your carbs! I’ll be here raising my margarita glass to you. Good luck, buddy!
I’ll follow suit from Andy, Matt’s other guest blogger, and give yall a brief introduction. I grew up a 1/3rd of a mile down the road from Matt, so we’ve known each other since the days of riding bikes and capture the flag. Most of my early memories about Matt have to do with his undying loyalty to the Buffalo Bills - please google “Buffalo Bills Zubaz Pants” to see what I mean. Thanks to following Matt on Twitter for the last few months, I know now not much has changed. (And by that I mean his loyalty… not his fashion choices. At least I hope…)
By the way, if you’re coming from my blog or Twitter, check out Matt’s back story here. If you feel like giving your karma a little boost, there’s a link to donate to his fundraising here too.
Anyways! I’m here to weigh in on some tips for healthy eating & better fueling for runners, whether you’re doing your first couch-to-5k or tackling the monster 26.2 miles like Matt & Andy are. I coach people on dietary changes for fitness goals in my job as a wellness coach, and I’ve completed six endurances events including a marathon, 3 halfs and 2 triathlons so I’ve had a few years to experience the good, the bad and the really ugly of fueling for your runs.
Here’s my top 5 tips:
Fuel Up: The better the fuel, the better the performance. This is stating the obvious, but I’m going to point it out anyways because it personally took me a little while to make the connection between what I ate and how I ran. If you’re in pretty good shape, you probably won’t notice the impact of your diet on your workouts as acutely as you will once you start getting into higher mileage. The food you eat the day of your run (or the night before, if you’re an AM runner) will start to impact your ability to get through longer runs. If you’re struggling through your long runs, start paying closer attention to your intake and see what foods help or hurt. Every body has different needs– for instance, I noticed I had to avoid pop, coffee and really salty foods the day before a run and I had to add in a carb-heavy snack before bed. Sadly, I also discovered margaritas ended up on the banned list. Huh, what a surprise. Figure out the fuel your body needs (or doesn't need), and your long runs will suddenly become a whole lot more enjoyable.
Don’t Run on Empty: The most common question people ask me about eating and exercise is what to eat before a run. Pre-run fueling can be tricky. Eat too much and you’ll have a side stitch, too little and you’ll bonk before the run is over. The best approach is a mostly-carb snack about 90 minutes your run. Avoid anything with a lot of fiber, fat or protein which will slow the release of glucose, your primary energy source, into the bloodstream. For a short run, a banana or a 100-calorie granola bar is perfect. (I like Clif Z-bar for their lack of questionable ingredients and low added sugar content.) For longer runs, a little more protein can be included. Try a slice of toast or banana with PB or even a ½ turkey sandwich. You’ll have to experiment with what works for you, but I’ve generally found people who struggle to get through longer runs aren’t doing enough pre-run fueling.
Refueling: The obvious other side of that question is what to eat after a run. Within 30 minutes, eat a combination of protein and carbohydrates. The carbs will replace your depleted glucose stores and the protein is essential for rebuilding muscles. One of my favorite is Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk- frankly, I just love an excuse to have chocolate milk. Other postworkout choices could be peanut butter & banana, a whey protein shake with a ½ banana, oatmeal with a tablespoon of peanut butter or tuna on whole wheat. Depending on when you’re running, you may be having a meal after your workout – that’s perfectly fine, just make sure to include your protein.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: If you’re not a water drinker, it’s time to get o-v-e-r that and start big gulping some h20. As Matt mentioned in his last post, the hydration paradox is a little bit tricky but getting enough fluid is absolutely critical for endurance races. I have seen someone pass out at every long run I have done and I have had the unfortunate experience of visiting the EMS tent myself before. Trust me, there’s no boy scout badge being given out for passing the hydration stations with a “no thanks” on a long run. This includes training runs: once you start running over an hour, it’s time to think about wearing a water belt. Actually, staying hydrated is something you need to do all the day long, not just during the long run. An easy rule of thumb? If your pee looks like apple juice, go drink more water. There, I said it. (And by the way, if you drink alcohol or caffeine you need to up your water intake even more as both of those are diuretics that will end up dehydrating you even more.)
Topping Off: Calorie Compensation: Many people start training for a long run with the hopes that maybe, along with that glorious moment of crossing a finish line and checking something big off the Bucket List, they also might get a nice side effect of a little weight loss. Weight loss and endurance race training can go hand in hand, but it's not easy as you might think. You’re upping your calorie intake, and specifically your carb intake, to make sure you’ve got the proper fuel to get through your long runs. But if weight loss is one of your goals, keep in mind that on the days you don’t do a long run, you don’t have that extra cushion of calorie compensation. I actually weighed the most I’ve ever weighed the year I did a marathon and a triathlon back to back, because I know in my mind I was thinking “I’m working out all the time – woohoo, free pass!” Sadly, it doesn’t quite work like that. If you’re training for an event, make proper nutrition and fuel your primary goal – don’t short yourself what you need. Then, if you want to see a little weight loss as a side effect, just make sure to balance out your non-long run days with more moderate intake.
When you really dive into training for an endurance event, you start to realize that training actually encompasses much more than just the time you spend with your feet hitting the pavement. What you do before and after your long runs starts to become as important as what you do during the long run. I’ve heard it been said that training for a marathon starts in the kitchen, and I couldn’t agree more. But the good news is, small changes can go a long way in improving how you feel during, and after, your long runs.
So, Matt, drink your water and eat your carbs! I’ll be here raising my margarita glass to you. Good luck, buddy!
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