This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bucknell chapter.
For many of you that are new to running, you may not know about many of the common ailments related to long distance running, especially in females. Throughout the training, we have covered the topics of eating enough and staying hydrated, but not specifying what we meant when we said to fuel your body right. Conditions such as anemia, vitamin D deficiency and stress fractures occur when you aren’t getting the correct nutrients into your body.
For starters, there are three key things to remember when thinking about nutrition: variety, portion, and vitamins. In third grade, everyone learned about the food pyramid, and how each group has a set amount of servings you are supposed to eat. Sometimes, especially for the busy collegiette, it gets hard to get 3 cups of dairy, 2 cups of vegetables, and 1 ½ cups of fruit each day. Keep in mind that you should only consume 5 ounces of meat and beans and 6 ounces of carbohydrates. While portion and variety of this structure are hard to attain, it is a goal that each athlete should make a conscious attempt to achieve.
That is where vitamins and minerals come in. Since most of us don’t eat the perfect balance of each of these foods, it is important to take a various vitamins to make up the difference. While the supplements that may be right for each person differ depending on specific diets, there are three very common vitamins that most female runners take.
Iron: Iron is naturally found in lean meats, leafy green vegetables, nuts, shrimp, and surprisingly, OREOS! Adequate levels of iron are important to ensure that enough oxygen is getting to your muscles during workouts. If your iron is low, your legs may feel extra heavy, or you may feel overly fatigued. If your diet lacks iron, shoot for 25 mg each day. Be careful, it can be hard on your stomach so take it with food.
Calcium: In order to prevent broken bones, and for long distance runners the dreaded stress fracture, your body needs a high level of calcium. Of course yogurt, milk, and cheese are great sources of calcium, but if your diet needs more a supplement may be in order. Warning!: Do not take calcium at the same time as iron because you will not receive the maximum benefit.
Vitamin D: This sneaky little vitamin not only keeps you happy, but helps you to absorb calcium to fend off stress fractures. Since there are very few foods that contain vitamin D naturally (fish, leafy greens), it is easy to become vitamin D deficient. Also, there are very few indicators that people are low in the vitamin D department, which is all the more reason to add it to the morning routine of pills.
Week 9
Beginner:
Get ready for a big week of running after finals. Three of the days, you should run 5 miles at an easy pace. Pick out one day to do a hard workout. Run easy for 10 minutes to
let your body warm up. After warming up, try to run four miles at a page that is 20-30 seconds faster than your normal pace. Follow the four miles with 10 minutes of easy running to cool down. The day after the workout, take an easy, 4-mile run to let your body recover. The final run of the week will be a longer distance run reaching 11 miles. This is the longest run you will do in the training process. Try to keep the pace even throughout the entire run.
You should not need to cross train this week unless you are fighting off an injury.
Take a day to completely enjoy your newfound freedom from schoolwork.
Intermediate:
Getting towards the end of the rope! Four of the runs should be easy 5-6 mile runs. For the workout, begin by jogging easy for 15 minutes to warm up. Similar to the beginner workout, run at a pace 20-30 seconds faster than your usual pace for 5 miles. Cool down with 10-15 minutes of easy jogging. The following day, take it easy for a 4-mile run. Shoot for a longer fifth run around 12 miles. Be sure to keep the pace steady.
Only cross train if something hurts.
Let your body rest and recover.
Advanced:
Keep up the good work. Two of your days will be easy 6 miles runs, and the third easy day will be 7 miles. Like the workouts listed above, start with a 15 minutes jog to let your body warm up. You will do six miles at a pace that is 20-30 seconds faster than your normal pace. As always, finish the workout with 10-15 minutes of a cool down. The day following the workout, take an easy 5-mile run. The final run for the week will be a long 10-mile run.
Be sure to take a day off from physical activity.
