39: Men vs. Women

I was lucky to get in off the wait list to a special seminar given tonight by the Hospital for Special Surgery on what to expect in your last month of training before the marathon. I'm totally inspired right now. I am going for it!

The panel provided tons of information and literally all my questions were answered and more. Here are some of the nuggets:

- First timers should only do one 20 mile run (your longest) before the marathon and you should do it exactly 3 weeks before the race date.
- Carbohydrate loading isn't about eating more carbs, it's about not reducing the amount of carbs you should already be eating, while you train, when you taper down over the last two weeks and reduce your exercising. Expect to gain weight!
- Iron supplements. Despite what the nice lady at Road Runner Sports in Paramus told me, I should not be taking iron supplements before a race. A multi-vitamin is fine, and then a proper runner's diet.
- Expect to feel mysterious aches and pains in the week before the marathon. They don't know why this happens, but it does, so don't be worried.
- Don't consume both GU and Gatorade at the same time at the race. Alternate between GU and water and/or Gatorade alone. Otherwise you could give yourself too many sugars and electrolytes to metabolize at once and you'll feel nauseous and light headed.
- Everybody sweats differently. Some people sweat out a ton of salt (me) and get a white film on their skin (me) or clothes when they run. These people need to consume salt before and during the race. The whole "low sodium" movement is, for the most part, propaganda.
- Bloody nipples. They only happen to men. They didn't say why and I wasn't going to ask. You just put a Band-Aid across each one and you're good to go.
- Double layer socks (like Wright Socks, I'm assuming) are the best for preventing blisters on your toes.
- Running on your toes (like I do) and taking short fast strides (like I do) is the new wave in running. 90 strides per minute is a good goal to strive for. People who run like this have fewer injuries. Biking can help you cross train for short, strong strides and rapid cadence.
- To stretch or not to stretch is a personal choice. The medical community is divided. What's more important is strength training, which everyone agrees reduces your need to stretch and helps prevent injuries. (That's why triathletes suffer fewer injuries than runners when they're training, despite logging more training hours; they're cross training and building more strength.) And squats are the single best strength training exercises you can do because they strengthen the glutes and that, in turn, strengthens your core and protects your hips.
- Do not run with a baby jogger! It forces you to run upright. The new thinking on angle is that you should run slightly bent forward, which is why all the newer sneakers have heels in them, to prop you up. (I'm going back to my Asics, by the way. Brooks are too flat. It didn't take long for me to feel quite uncomfortable in them.)
- The ice bath is lauded as the very best way to begin recovering after a long run. It reaches all kinds of crevices. Good news is, I did it the hard way, icing the water and then dropping down in it. The better way to go is to add the ice after you sit. And you only have to stay in it for 15 minutes, and you can wear a hat and drink hot liquids. And then you follow it 30 minutes later with a hot shower. Ahhh... I'm already dreaming of my next ice bath! Oh, and ice in general is amazing. Anything hurts? Just ice it.
- The foam roller can and should be used as often as possible. Muscles get sticky and mush together when you're working out a lot. The roller helps to keep them rolling and separate.
- Massage is great 48 hours after the marathon, and as often as one can afford it after training runs leading up to the marathon.
- Antioxidants after the marathon are critical; but for some medically unexplained reason, they must come from real foods, not pills, and it's best to consume them (and all food) in small amounts every 2 hours for a few days after the marathon. "Antioxidants" includes chocolate, by the way!

And my favorite...

- Men and women handle pain completely differently when they are running. If a man is in pain, or isn't having fun, he says, "Oh well, I'm done running for the day," and he quits. When a woman is in pain, she runs through it no matter what, and ends up going to the doctor the next day when the pain isn't gone. When the doctor asks her why she kept going the female runner will always reply, pointing to her sheet of paper that she's brought in, "Because it says right here on my schedule that I was supposed to run 15 miles." All the women in the room started laughing when the doctor gave his punch line, and the men just sat there staring blankly, judging.

I'm not saying that women are better, but let's just say, there'd be a whole lot of dirty laundry and unwashed dishes left undone in the world if women acted the way men do when things get a little bit hard! ...Here's to getting psyched for two half marathons, a 20 mile run on October 17th, and the marathon on November 7th. And you might wonder, how do I know I'm going to do it all? Well, obviously, because it's on my schedule, dude!