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AEROBIC ADVICE Take one or two aerobic runs each week, recommends Hislop. “It means you can breathe easily,” she says. “Enjoy the scenery or have a conversation or sing a song. You’re better off breathing [in] through your nose and exhaling fully through your mouth. Every once in awhile, take nice, deep breaths in and exhale all the way. If you breathe super shallow, your muscles don’t get enough oxygen and you’re operating on a different energy system. If you breathe deeply, it gets rid of the carbon dioxide and you feel better.” UP THE TEMPO Tempo runs take 20 to 40 minutes. They’re about 30 seconds per mile slower than your 5K racing pace, Sweeney says. “The idea is to help your body get used to working out lactic acid,” he says. “When it’s building up in your muscles,
it feels like your legs are burning. You slow down. Your muscles can’t push as hard. You’re typically sore afterward.” POWER POLES Interval training improves your speed. Once a week, run hard enough to feel winded for two telephone poles, then ease up for four, Hislop advises. Add one pole per week to the fast phase. OVER THE HILL Run hills once a week, Hislop recommends. “Maybe you start going partially up the hill, turning around and coming back down,” she says. “If they’re short hills, maybe you’re adding in repetitions of the hill. Work the hills quicker and longer to get faster.” HL 5K training plans and coaching are available through runnersworld. com, TroyTurkeyTrot.com and FreihofersRun.com.
Regular viewers of The Today Show know all about nutrition and weight loss expert Joy Bauer’s helpful tips to eat right. Capital Region women got to see her in person in September’s popular Women’s Night Out sponsored by The Foundation for Ellis Medicine. We caught up with Bauer to ask for her best nutritional advice for those tackling a 5K race. Here’s what she had to say: “The key message here is to immediately choose high quality carbs.” Carbs, Bauer says, will help provide continuous energy. Bauer’s winning picks: Beans, lentils, quinoa — “It has more protein than rice” — farro, millet, rice, whole-grain pasta, high-fiber cereals. “Ditch the refined carbs and go whole grain. That’s where you will get your high octane fuel.” Pack in protein. “It will help build and maintain muscle mass — your quads and hamstrings are your greatest asset for training.” Winning picks: Fish, lentils, shellfish, chicken and turkey, some lean beef. Bauer recommends soy foods too, such as tofu, tempeh and edamame. Other good choices are nonfat and low-fat dairy foods
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such as yogurt and cheese. Bauer recommends choosing nonGMO foods wherever possible. Include anti-inflammatory foods to minimize soreness. Winning picks: Salmon, sardines and walnuts. They all contain Omega 3, which are anti inflammatory compounds.
Stay hydrated. “Keep drinking water throughout the day,” Bauer says. She warns against sports drinks in general, which typically have extra calories and sugar you don’t need. “Water is your best bet,” she says, “but go out of your way to eat juicy foods with water content, such as mushrooms.”
Pick foods rich in vitamin C, another anti-inflammatory. Winning picks: Broccoli, citrus fruits and strawberries. Pick foods rich in carotenoids, the ones that are bright orange and deep green. Winning picks: Sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, spinach and kale Eat foods rich in anthocyanins. Winning picks: Berries, cherries and purple or red grapes. Add grated or ground ginger to whatever you can as you cook. Bauer ticks off stir-fry meals, muffins and salad dressing as a few options. Ginger, she says, is another anti-inflammatory. So is turmeric, which can be added into soups and sautéed vegetables. “The more the better,” she says.
DOES WATER BORE YOU? Bauer offers these tips to get more in your system: Take advantage of naturally flavored seltzers. Jazz up your water with sliced cucumbers or citrus. Add a shot of fruit juice to sparkling water Make a big batch of interestingly flavored tea. — Janet Reynolds
Photos: Seltzer, Jack Andersen/GettyImages; 5K Training, courtesy of Troy Turkey Trot Training Challenge.
Want to Run Well? Eat Smart