Run, Karla, Run!

The Montreal Half-Marathon starts with a 5.5 mile uphill climb. Photo of Montreal by Christine Scholes.

Five weeks down, 11 to go…

With another solid, feel-good week of training for the 2010 ING New York City Marathon under my belt, I’ve decided to look forward to the week ahead. Namely, I’m looking forward to my big pre-marathon litmus test—the OASIS Montreal Half-Marathon on Sept. 5.

It’s going to be an uphill battle—literally. When I looked at the elevation chart, I gulped. How could I possibly prepare for this race when uphill climbs are my Kryptonite, my public enemy number one, my Newman? Read the rest of this entry →

The ING New York City Marathon better watch its back. I'm training with renewed vim and vigor. Photo by Christy Hourihan.

Three weeks down, 13 to go…

In the 12th paragraph of this post, I’m going to confess something that very few runners ever admit. Something that has reinvigorated my running. Something that served as the wake-up call I needed if I’m really going to race, not just run, the 2010 ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 7.

Runners are generally a stoic bunch of achievers who will run to exhaustion or almost pass out from heat stroke. I’m often one of those runners, pushing myself to my limit for the greater glory of a personal record. And because I’m still on the cardiovascular upswing, I PR every time I race. And I mean every time. Of the 25 odd races I’ve run in earnest in the past three years (I’ve run another five at a jog for fun), I’ve set a PR in all of them.

Until last Saturday. Read the rest of this entry →

Beans and lentils are packed with protein, but low in fat.

You’ve got questions. I’ll find the answers. “Ask the Running Nerd” is back.

Question:

What is the protein requirement for runners post running? I run marathons in about 3 hours and am looking into my nutrition a bit now to try and improve a little.

—Sean, Ireland

Answer:

Thanks for a great question, Sean. My running could certainly benefit from better nutrition, and as we head into fall marathon season it’s more important than ever.

Protein is crucial to muscle recovery after a workout. It repairs muscle damage, diminishes the effects of cortisol—the so-called “stress” hormone that breaks down muscle—and, when taken with carbohydrates, speeds your body’s ability to replenish its glycogen stores, your all-important energy source for those long runs during marathon season. If you’ve ever “hit the wall” or “bonked” in a marathon, you know what it feels like to deplete your glycogen reserves.

To gain the full benefits of protein’s power, most sports dieticians and nutritionists recommend getting 10-20 grams of protein within 30 minutes of finishing a run, and some say even sooner—that’s when your muscles are the most receptive to a helping hand. Read the rest of this entry →

Check out The Marathon Show for an interview with Karla. She talks about the running status of many elite marathoners, how to be a successful blogger, her coverage of the Olympics and much more.

The author.

Two weeks down, 14 to go…

Well, just two weeks into my training for the 2010 ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 7, I’ve already done it—I missed a long run.

It couldn’t be helped. I came down with a fever and chills that knocked me out of the game for a few days.

The funny thing is, I wasn’t actually planning on doing the 10-mile run on my schedule. I was camping in the Adirondack Mountains, and after two days of canoeing, I had on the docket a 26-mile hike with a total of 10,000 feet of elevation gain. I figured that would be far more taxing on my legs and lungs than any long run, so I could easily just swap it out, a bit overzealously, but swap it out nonetheless. I figured that starting my marathon training by hiking one first would be kind of poetic.

Alas, it wasn’t to be. Read the rest of this entry →