The Brotein Myth?

Athletes focusing on strength and body building exercise have been drilled with the need for an increased protein intake in their diet. The focus is on hitting “macros” and making sure that their bodies are receiving all of the nutrients that they need. As the common wisdom has it, more protein equals more muscle. However, that may not be entirely true.  Studies seem to suggest that untrained individuals initially need an increased protein intake to support protein synthesis, but soon the body becomes more efficient with its use of protein and protein requirements return to their original levels (Jeukendrup, 179).  

Protein intake recommendations for strength athletes are about 1.6-1.7 g – kg b.w. -1day-1.  This is compared to and endurance athlete with a recommended intake of about 1.2-1.8 g – kg b.w. -1day-1. If energy needs are met, neither group requires additional protein supplementation (Jeukendrup, 180). 

However, even if there appears to be need no need for additional protein supplementation, there is also little to no danger for an athlete with normal-functioning kidneys. Special considerations for hydration must be made due to increased urinary output as a result of increased nitrogen excretion. Another difficulty with a high-protein diet is maintaining a positive-energy balance, especially with carbohydrates and glycogen stores. There seems to be a greater detriment from inadequate carbohydrate intake than any benefit from increased protein intake (Jeukendrup, 191). 

Traditionally, these protein sources are animal-based, be it through meat or some form of milk-based protein. Animal proteins are considered to be “complete” proteins, in that they contain all of the essential amino acids needed for protein synthesis in the body. However, an increasing number of athletes (both strength and endurance) are rejecting animal-proteins in favor of a vegetarian or vegan diet. As highlighted in works such as Forks Over Knives and No Meat Athlete, there are many athletes who thrive on a plant-based diet and are more than able to meet their protein needs through plant-based nutrition. According to their research, humans do not need more than 10% of their total calories to come from protein, regardless of activity level. “If an average adult eats 2,000 calories, 10% is 200 calories from protein. If an average adult athlete eats 3,000 calories, 10 percent is 300 calories from protein (Lederman, 72).” This highlights that simply meeting energy needs through a plant-based, whole-foods approach also supplies adequate protein. In terms of “essential” amino acids, a varied plant-based diet supplies more than enough of those amino acids (Lederman, 70). These sources suggest that the “Garden of Eden” diet, that is, whole-food plant-based nutrition, should be more than adequate to meet all of our nutritional needs. 

Frazier M, Romine S. The No Meat Athlete Cookbook. New York, NY: The Experiment; 2017. 

Jeukendrup AE, Gleeson M. Sport Nutrition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2010. 

Pulde A, Lederman M. The Forks Over Knives Plan. New York, NY: Touchstone; 2014. 

Old School and New School Carb-loading Strategies

As Tim Noakes, MD, wrote in his iconic book The Lore of Running, “God built into us a 32-km racing limit, a limit imposed by inadequate sources of the marathoner’s prime racing fuel- carbohydrates. But we, in our human wisdom, decreed that the standard marathon be raced over 42-km” (596). This is where the mystique of “hitting the wall” comes from- many runners do not fuel properly leading up to and during the race, do not pace properly during the marathon, and, more often than not, a combination of both factors lead to that dreaded “bonk.” The reality is, though, that “hitting the wall” can be minimized with a proper fueling and pacing strategy.  

The most common approach to prepare for a marathon is the long-established tradition of carbohydrate loading. The basic premise is that the point of fatigue can be pushed back by “filling the tanks” and packing the muscles with as much glycogen as possible. But, most people do it wrong; it becomes little more than stuffing their faces with as much pasta as they can eat the night before. This can in fact be very detrimental, leading to compromised performances due to sluggishness, bloating, and assorted GI issues. Proper carbohydrate loading is a process that lasts about six days, but with several different approaches.  

Two primary approaches to carbohydrate-loading follow similar procedures according to the concept of supercompensation, but with important differences in the details. Both approaches begin about a week before the event with the following steps (Jeukendrup, 130): 

1. exercise to exhaustion to deplete muscle glycogen levels  
2. three days of a decreased-carbohydrate diet  
3. exercise to exhaustion, further depleting muscle glycogen stores  
4. three days of an increased-carbohydrate diet  

The period of low-carb diet “primes” the muscle to accept and store greater amounts of muscle glycogen than a standard diet alone. But, as aforementioned, there are important differences between these two approaches.  

The traditional method of carbohydrate loading requires a period of significantly reduced carbohydrate intake leading (25%) to a significantly increased carbohydrate intake (70%); during this time, the athletes engages in very little to no training as part of the taper process. Problems with this method include (Jeukendrup, 130): 

• hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)  
• GI issues on a high fat/ high protein diet  
• poor recovery 
• mood disturbances 
• tenseness during the period of no training leading up to the event 

A more modern approach is to skip the period of significantly reduced carbohydrate intake and maintain a moderate intake (50%), but then to also increase carbnohydrate intake, using a progressive taper in the week leading up to the race or event. This approach proves nearly as beneficial as the traditional method, but with few of the downsides of the low-carbohydrate period (Jeukendrup, 130):  

• hypoglycemia is avoided 
• GI issues from high fat/ high protein intake are avoided 
• recovery is enhanced 
• mood levels are maintained 
• taper includes training to help athlete relax  

These approaches focus on optimizing muscle glycogen levels; however, optimizing liver glycogen levels occurs in the hours before an event, such as morning of an event, and is also important to performance. With both periods of carbohydrate-intake, the focus should be on foods with a high Glycemic Index (GI), as they will be more quickly absorbed and processed than moderate- or low-GI foods. High-GI sources include potatoes, pancakes, pretzels, stir-fried vegetables, and Gatorade. Surprisingly, the traditional meal of spaghetti has a low-GI value and may not be the best choice for carbohydrate-loading.  

But, Noakes (152) does raise the question of how to best balance optimizing muscle glycogen and liver glycogen and ingesting exogenous carbohydrate to prevent hypocglycemia. He concludes that all three practices play an important role in optimizing endurance performance.  

Jeukendrup A, Gleeson M. Sport Nutrition 2 Ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2010. 

Noakes T. Lore of Running 4. Ed.Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2003. 

The Runner

ON a flat road runs the well-train’d runner;

He is lean and sinewy, with muscular legs;

He is thinly clothed—he leans forward as he runs,

With lightly closed fists, and arms partially rais’d.

– Walt Whitman

It’s all about the (running) economy, stupid

For a long time, the holy grail of sports performance has been the VO2 max, or the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can consume and process during a specific period of time. Obviously, this is a very important metric that can measured and tested repeatedly and consistently throughout an athlete’s career. A higher V02 max = better health and performance. However, there has been a trend to devalue the absolute benefit of VO2 max for distance runners¹ in favor of a different metric: running economy.

Simply put, running economy equals running efficiency. VO2 max is a universal metric; elite cyclists, swimmers, Crossfit athletes, they all have high VO2 max. However, have them go run and their VO2 max will only get them so far because they simply aren’t economical (efficient) at running. Sprinters and middle-distance runners, have very high VO2 max values. However, at paces slower than their race pace, they simply aren’t very efficient in both their mechanics and consumption of oxygen, as opposed to long-distance runners, who are very economical at slower paces² . Studies have shown³ that differences between runners with similar VO2 max values are largely determined by running economy¹¹, and can actually better predict success than an absolute VO2 max value.²²

If running economy is so important, how can you improve it? The answer is quite simple: Run more. Run often. Run faster. Run slower. Run uphill. Run downhill. Stretch, but not too much. Strength train, but not too much.³³ These all mean different things for different people, but the takeaway is that, to an extent, running faster may actually be a lot simpler and less scientific than people make it out to be. That being said, a good training plan that incorporates and balances these elements along with recovery and nutrition is incredibly invaluable to any athlete. These studies were performed primarily on athletes who had already maximized their VO2max potential; VO2max cannot be ignored as an important factor of athlete development and reaching that point.

Fare forward,

Coach JJ

¹Magness, “The Fallacy of Vo2max and %VO2max”

²Daniels+Daniels, “Running economy of elite male and elite female runners”

³Morgan, Martin, Krahenbuhl, “Factors affecting running economy”

¹¹Conley, Krahenbuhl, “Running economy and distance running performance of highly trained athletes”

²²Saunders, Pyne, Telford, Hawley, “Factors affecting running economy in trained distance runners”

³³Barnes, Kilding, “Strategies to improve running economy”

 

Getting the (IT) Band back together

The past five weeks have presented a new challenge for me: ITBS. The last time I was in so much pain that I couldn’t run I had a stress fracture in my foot, but that was almost 10 years ago. ITBS, however, is not as cut and dried as a stress fracture. A stress fracture just requires time to heal, and then you’re pretty much good to go. ITBS, on the other hand, requires much more than that to treat it. Rest is only part of the solution; if nothing else is addressed, there’s a very good chance it will just flare up again.

ITBS stems from a combination of hip tightness and weakness, resulting in the IT band pulling at the knee and causing pain and inflammation. Common remedies include icing the knee to reduce swelling and massaging/stretching the IT bad itself in order to relieve the tension. However, I found these to only address the symptoms rather than the cause, leaving me foolishly optimistic and frustrated before and after every attempted run. Upon further research and experimentation, however, I did find a solution that seems to be working for me!

Like I mentioned earlier, ITBS ultimately comes from hip weakness and tightness. To solve ITBS, you need stronger and looser hips. For the sake of simplicity, I’ve narrowed my routine down to one strengthening exercise and one stretch to perform every day.

Runners are very good at moving in one direction: forward. Put a long-distance runner in a pick-up basketball game and they’ll be sore the next day. This comes from hips that are very weak in terms of lateral movement and stability. A very quick and easy exercise to incorporate into your training is the sideways shuffle: bend down into a squat and step sideways (shuffle) 4 or 5 steps to your right and then repeat to your left. Go back and forth 4 or 5 times for each side, activating your hips and butt to move in a way that they typically don’t.

Follow this up with the “iron-cross” stretch: lie down on the floor on your back, arms stretched out to either side. Bring your left leg across your body and try to touch your left foot to your right hand, feeling the stretch along your hamstring and glutes. Hold for 5-10 seconds and switch, bringing your right leg across your body and touching your left hand. Repeat as many times as comfortable. I like to turn this into more of a dynamic stretch, rolling back and forth and switching each side as soon as I touch.

One other element that might help as you work through this is the use of an anti-inflammatory to keep the knee swelling down. I’ve started taking 200mg of Naproxen Sodium every other day to keep the swelling down as I work on strengthening and stretching my hips.

These three things have helped me go from 0 miles per week to start feeling like I might have a chance at running well at the Boston Marathon this spring. Time will tell, but I am (foolishly?) optimistic.

Fare forward,

Coach JJ

A Tale of Two Laps

100k is a long way, and I learned that the hard way with a DNF at the Devil Dog 100k in Triangle, VA. There’s a variety of things I could blame. I could blame the 2:36 marathon I ran 3 weeks prior. I could blame the 4 hours of sleep I got the night before. I could blame the race organizers not having my bags at the aid stations for me when I got there. I could blame the aches and pains I took into the race with me. Ultimately, though, it was my own pride that brought about my downfall. I didn’t follow any advice that was given to me. I didn’t prepare properly, both physically and mentally, to go the distance. I though running slow was easy, but it turned out to be much harder than I ever expected. This was a humbling experience, and even now, almost 2 months later, I have just begun to run “healthy” miles again with little to no pain. But, I’m hooked. This was the most fun I’ve ever had at any race. Nothing excites me more than playing in the woods all day, and I’m sure that I’ll be revisiting this race again in December.

Fare forward,

Coach JJ

Drinking the Summer Away

As July blazes into full heat, a lot of people are realizing an unfortunate truth: water just doesn’t cut it when it comes to hydration before, during, and after runs. Naturally, the next question becomes “What do I drink?!” and the answer is not “beer.” (Well, not always- maybe this will do). Instead, there are several different approaches you can take to hydration (and nutrition!) during these summer months to make sure that you are fueled and ready to go each time you head out for a run:

Bare bones (hydration, no nutrition): The current trend in sports nutrition has been to separate your hydration and nutrition sources in order to reduce the stress on your stomach and allow you to fine-tune how much of each source you take in. Alone, this option is best for activities lasting under 60 minutes; any longer, and you may want to consider adding a nutrition source.

• Nuun: separates hydration from nutrition; electrolyte replacement; gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, low-carb, vegan; caffeinated and non-caffeinated options; convenient effervescent tablets, 10 tablets per tube
  • Nutrition info (Lemon-Lime Active):
    • serving size- 1 tablet with 16 oz. water, 10 calories per serving
      • Sugar: 1g
      • Vitamin C: 38mg/63% daily value (dv)
      • Magnesium: 25mg/6% dv
      • Sodium carbonate/bicarbonate: 360mg/15% dv
      • Potassium bicarbonate: 100mg/3% dv

A Little Bit of Everything (hydration, some nutrition): This option is still much in line with the Bare Bones approach, in that this is meant to primarily be a source of hydration and not nutrition, with the added bonus of a few calories for your body to use as fuel. This option is good for activities lasting up to 90 minute or so with needing to supplement with additional nutrition.

• Skratch: provides some calories along with hydration and electrolyte replacement; all-natural ingredients;  non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, kosher; resealable bag and single-serving packets
  • Nutrition info (Lemons + Limes):
    • serving size- 24g with 16 oz. water, 80 calories per serving
      • Sugar: 20g
      • Vitamin C: 35% daily value (dv)
      • Magnesium: 10% dv
      • Sodium: 360mg/15% dv
      • Potassium: 40mg/1% dv
      • Calcium: 6% dv

The Complete Package (hydration and nutrition): This is the complete opposite of the Bare Bones approach, in that your hydration and nutrition sources are combined into one. This is simpler than the Bare Bones approach, where you have to pay attention to multiple sources of hydration and nutrition, rather than just one source. This option is best for activities lasting more than 90 minutes, as this is when your body is going to need the extra calories to keep going.

• Tailwind: combines hydration, electrolyte replacement, and nutrition; simple sugars are easy to digest; gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, vegan; no dyes or preservatives; caffeinated and non-caffeinated options; resealable bag and single-serving packets
  • Nutrition info (Lemon):
    • serving size- 27g with 12 oz. water, 100 calories per serving
      • Sugar: 25g
      • Magnesium citrate: 14mg/4% dv
      • Sodium: 303mg/13% dv
        • Sodium citrate: 115mg/5% dv
        • Sea Salt: 188mg/8% dv
      • Potassium chloride: 88mg/3% dv
      • Calcium Carbonate: 26mg/3% dv

Of course, as with many things, there is no one-size-fits-all approach for hydration. What works for one person may be a complete disaster for the next. The best thing to do is to try each approach and see how your body responds; from there you can fine-tune and adjust for each training session and race as needed.

Back on Track… Literally

The other week I had the privilege of running the 5000 at the York College Twilight Meet. It had been three years since the last time I had raced on the track, not since a disappointing track season in my senior year of college, and ever since then I had been dreaming of the opportunity to get out there and have another shot. This meet just happened to fall in the magic sweet spot between running and the Capital 10-miler and my final few weeks before the Pittsburgh marathon- I knew this would probably be my only chance to get a race on the track this spring.

Of course, running and racing post-collegiately has its own unique set of obstacles, the first being that I had to wait to finish up my classes for the day and make a 45-minute drive down to York College. The whole day I was worried that I would be late and miss my race, even though it was the second-to-last event of the day. The real difficulty came when I arrived at the college and realized that I had no idea where the track actually was, leaving me frantically searching for any clue as to where the track might be.

I eventually found the track and soon encountered my next problem: I had no idea when I should start my warm-up. I had no idea how long each event would take, and I could not find a time schedule of events. Trying to make the best guess I could, I started my 3 mile warm-up jog… only to finish and realize that I still had at least 90 minutes to go until my race. So, I just waited and enjoyed being at a track meet without having to worry about any athletes other than myself.

We finally got the first call for the men’s 5000 and I made my way down to the track, holding spikes that I had not worn in over two years, wondering if I was about to make a complete fool of myself in front of these college runners. I put my spikes on and did a half-mile of jogging and strides as the women’s 5000 finished up, and it was then our turn to step onto the track. The gun goes off, and I soon find myself running with the lead pack as we go through the first 400 in 75 seconds… exactly the pace that I wanted to run for the whole race. We go through the next few laps maintaining that 75 second pace as I move my way up from fourth into second into first, leading the pack by the end of the first mile as we click off laps like clockwork.

I had completely forgotten how exhilarating it was to race on a track, the delicate precision of hitting almost perfectly even splits each lap. We go through the two mile mark a little under 10 minutes, the point where the 5000 actually starts to be a race, and we’re exactly on my pace. Two athletes from York College pass me and begin to move away with 1000 to go;  I begin to pick it up again at the 800 mark, slowly reeling in one of the athletes and passing him with 400 to go. No looking back now- everything I have to the finish, crossing the line in 15:36, a lifetime 5k PR, my first 5k PR since my freshman year of college seven years ago.

 

Favorite Things: Feetures! Socks

Favorite Things:

Feetures! Elite Light Cushion Mini Crew Socks

It truly is the little things in life when it comes to ease and comfort. Sure, it’d be nice to sit on the beach and drink beer all day with servants to wait on your every whim, but, let’s be honest, that isn’t going to happen any time soon. This leaves us with a significant problem: how can we best strive to achieve that level of ease and comfort as we possibly can in our daily lives? Just as Maria sang to the Von Trapp children,

When the dog bites,

When the bee stings,

When I’m feeling sad,

I simply remember my favorite things,

And then I don’t feel so bad.

Maria’s focus might have been on raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, but I enjoy the simpler, finer things in life. Like a good pair of socks. Specifically the Feetures! Elite Light Cushion Mini Crew Socks, which are better than cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels.

I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a sock snob, but I do have some very specific criteria for what I want out of a pair of socks that I plan on using several times a week to run, bike, hike, or just knocking around the house. (And, yes, my feet do smell.) First and somewhat foremost, I have a semi-permanent tan line several inches (5”, to be exact) above my ankles that needs to be hidden. These socks fit that line perfectly, while also providing enough grip and compression to maintain that height through hours in the saddle and on the road.

However, if it was all about sock height, then I would save a few bucks and buy a 6-pack of cotton socks from Wal-Mart (which I have done, and have regretted). These socks, along with the rest of Feetures! Elite line, are made with Left and Right specific anatomical design to better fit the curves and contours of each foot. Couple that with compressive Sock-Lock Technology around the foot and the seamless Perfect Toe , and you’ve got socks that are better than schnitzel with noodles!

Not only do the socks fit well, but their iWick fibers keep your feet dry, even in the hot and humid summer days. Cotton and cheap “athletic” socks have nothing on these when it comes to sweat and humidity. My feet no longer look like parboiled potatoes after a long workout and I’ve been able to keep the skin on my feet where I want it, with no chafing or blisters. Even better, the socks still have enough cushioning to take the edge off of running and dampen vibration while cycling, specifically in the forefoot and the heel.

So, yes, these socks are awesome. I like them better than brown paper packages tied up with strings. And you will, too. Even better, Feetures! has so much faith in their socks that they offer a Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee. Now that’s better than warm woolen mittens.

Breaking the Rut

It’s mid-February and I’m sick and tired of running. I’m sick and tired of my alarm going off at 5 AM. I’m sick of chugging coffee to try to get things moving. I’m tired of running in the dark. I’m tired of being cold. I’m tired of being sick, and I’m sick of being tired. I think back to just over a month ago when the world seemed rife with possibilities as I thought about the new year ahead of me and wonder where that naive optimism came from. I think back to how motivated and strong I felt as I pounded out miles and workouts. But I no longer feel that way.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, but surely I became a little more tired every day. I slept a little bit less, loosened up on my nutrition, and started to ignore the little things. The joy had gone out of running and training. I look back at my training logs to see if they have the answer. And, of course, they do. It’s right there staring me in the face. I’m stuck in a rut, hitting the same mileage every week, a never-ending procession of runs and miles. I look further back to the weeks that I felt like the king of the world, and I see that those periods involved high weeks and low weeks, hard weeks and recovery weeks, not necessarily by design but by necessity during the holiday season.

But, the holidays are long behind us and I have now had too many big training weeks in a row with not nearly enough recovery, a trap that I fall into several times per year. Thankfully my “A” spring race is not until May, giving me more than enough time to correct course and spend a week or two letting my body rest and recover from the past two months of training. It’s the classic stress/de-stress model of training, that improvement only happens during recovery. Failing to recover leads to staleness, staleness leads to overtraining, and overtraining leads to burnout, a place that I have been and do not want to visit again. Here’s to sleeping in, taking days off, and enjoying a few days of life in the midst of February.