Run to Win

How many vitamins should you take, and when should you take them? I have been getting quite a few questions based on these two general topics lately. I have previously written about whether you should take vitamins or not.

Generally speaking, your body is only able to process so much of any particular nutrient at any given time. There are also certain substances that will help your body to absorb vitamins and minerals, and others that will block your body from absorbing them. For example, having vitamin D in your system can help your body absorb calcium, while caffeinated coffee or tea can interfere with the process.

Be sure to talk to your doctor if you are taking any sorts of prescription medications or have any medical work coming up; excessive vitamins and minerals can sometimes have an averse reaction or cause problems that your doctor will be able to warn you about.

If you are going to take any sort of supplement, then you should take it with a meal. If you are going to take a multivitamin, then you should take any other vitamins at a different time of the day. For example, my wife takes a multivitamin with breakfast, and vitamin C with dinner. If she took the vitamin C with breakfast, then her body would be unable to absorb most of it. If you have a pill splitter, you can take part of a pill at different times of the day.

If you can, try to get as many of your vitamins and minerals as you can through the foods that you eat. If you eat regularly throughout the day and include plenty of fruits and vegetables, then you probably do not need to supplement.

My copy of Again to Carthage arrived this week, so I gave it a read through. It is a very different book than Once a Runner. You can read and enjoy Carthage without having read the first book, (which is good as it still costs in the hundreds of dollars,) and fans of the first book will certainly appreciate all of the references that are made. The sequel is much less about running and living, and instead concentrates on an older protagonist going through a mid-life crisis. The running seems secondary rather than central to the sequel, and does not take a central role in the book until more than halfway through it.

A lot of people die in this book, and it seems to be a central theme that propels Quentin Cassidy into his quest for the Olympic Marathon. Not all of the deaths seemed necessary, either.

Not quite as much time is spent on his actual training in Carthage; an entire year is skipped from the end of one chapter to the beginning of the next. There is a more serious but just as comical “court” scene in the book, and it was interesting to find the different stories woven throughout that John Parker had told about his own life when he spoke at Maine Running Company this Summer.
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Photo by NCBrianWhen was the last time that you visited your doctor? Were you sick, or were you just getting a checkup?

Any time that you visit a fitness website, they always recommend that you visit your doctor before starting a new program and that you keep your doctor informed of what you are doing. I think that that is a good idea. I think that seeing your doctor every year for a physical is also a good idea, no matter how healthy you are.

Today I followed my own advice. It’s been 14 or 15 months since I last visited my doctor, mostly because my doctor left the practice that I was going to and insurance is not a big fan of my visiting anybody other than my primary care physician. His new practice isn’t taking any new patients, so I had to switch my PCP to the person assigned to me by my original practice.
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In a continuing collaboration with Scott over at Straight to the Bar, we wrote about great sources of information for the month of November. Today I’d like to wrap up the month by asking what is your favorite running forum?

There are a few that I visit off and on, and a couple that I participate in regularly. Here are a few of the ones that I check in on now and again:

Running Ahead

Running Ahead is the best training log software that I have played around with. There are a few that I haven’t tried yet, but this is the one that I have been using for most of this year. There is also a great forum and community attached to the site, with a strong group-level forum behind the scenes.
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This week last year was mostly centered around local news, but there were a few articles that were worth revisiting.

• Scott continued our themed articles by discussing common weight lifting injuries. This week two years ago I shared Scott’s recipe for roasted vegetables, a mainstay in my diet since then.
• I pointed out that your off season is a perfect time for home improvements and other manual labor that you do not really want to do the day before a big race.
• A news story that I felt was worth revisiting was about Thiago Olsen, a high school runner who created a fusion reactor in his basement. That is certainly a more ambitious project than any that I attempted when I was in high school. Or since, for that matter.
• This week two years ago, I discussed how to plan workouts around holidays. I also suggested that you weigh yourself daily so that you can track how your body is doing. Sharp fluctuations in weight generally mean that you are over training, getting sick, or both.

Update: The 15% offer has now expired, but you can use PCHoliday187 through December 18^th to save 10% off of your order.

I received the following message in my email this week. I have written before that I wear my Road ID wherever I go, and every Christmas they offer savings for people looking to get Road IDs as gifts. This year they are offering the discount a month early:

Hello Blaine:

I know it’s a bit too early to wish you “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.” But, that won’t stop us from offering you (a previous Road ID customer) a great Holiday Special. Order from RoadID.com by 11/30 and take 15% off your entire order! Simply use the following coupon code to get your discount: PCSaveOurHair7

Why are we offering this coupon so early? We’ll, last year everyone here went completely bald from the stress of trying to keep up with the Holiday orders. Some of us are just now sprouting new hair and would love to show it off to our families this Holiday Season. By ordering early, you’ll not only save 15%, but you’ll also help save our hair.

ALSO, we have a whole NEW product line to show off. Now, every Road ID is available in an “Interactive” version. What’s “Interactive,” you ask? Well, go to the website and check it out. I think you’ll be impressed!

As you already know, a Road ID is the perfect gift and training partner for the runner, cyclist, triathlete, or active person on your gift list. If you can’t speak for yourself, your Road ID will. If you don’t know exactly which Road ID to purchase, just order a Road ID Gift Card or an online eCard.

Click here to order:
http://www.RoadID.com/?referrer=2219&CID=PCHoliday187

$1.49 shipping on all orders!

Road ID: It’s not just a piece of gear - it’s peace of mind.

Safe Sporting & Happy Holidays,

Edward Wimmer & Mike Wimmer

I do not know that I would bother getting their “interactive” road id. You get a free year’s worth of the service but then there is a charge to keep it going. You could duplicate the same sort of thing by putting a website address on your Road ID that contains your emergency info.

I stand by this product, having bought 4 of them in the past. I’ve gotten 2 for myself and 2 for my wife (pre- and post-marriage and house acquisition.)

Dirigo RC had a good showing this weekend with strong performances in the Philadelphia Marathon and the New England Cross Country Championships.

Sheri Piers and Kristin Barry both ran very strong marathons in Philadelphia, starting and finishing together in 2:45:36! They were 59^th and 60^th overall, placing 8^th and 9^th for the women’s race. There were 2726 women in the race and 6677 finishers overall. The 2008 qualifying time for the women’s Olympic Marathon Trials is 2:47:00 or better for a “B” standard, which both Sheri and Kristin made with ease! Now there will be two more great runners to cheer on in April on the day before the Boston Marathon.

Speaking of Boston, this weekend was the 2007 USATF New England Cross Country Championships. Dirigo won the Masters 8k championship race after being led by strong performances from Todd Coffin and Pete Bottomley. The men’s open team was led by Kirby Davis in the 10k.

In a continuing collaboration with Scott over at Straight to the Bar, we will be writing about great sources of information for the month of November.

This week, Scott discusses old strength training books.

He divides the books up into rough categories based upon when they were published, and provides suggestions about where to find copies of the books both online and offline.

He includes books from the last couple of hundred years, from the 1970s when the lifting boom really took off, and more modern books from the 1980s through today.

Looking through his list, I only own one of the books but I have read 3 of them.

Are any of the books on your shelf?