The Steps Foundation

Ryan and Sara are answering random questions from our Facebook fans and Twitter followers. Just tweet your question with the tag #HealthSteps or post a question to our Facebook wall, facebook.com/thehallstepsfoundation.

Our goal is to help you with better health and faster PRs in 2012, but as you will see from question 5 this week, nothing is off limits! Post and tweet anytime you have a question as we are constantly collecting the questions and sorting through them.

1) How do you stay injury-free? Can you share a few post-run stretches that may help?

 

Staying injury free is the name of the game! We do a lot of little things to prevent injuries.  To prevent soft tissue injuries, we do a lot of self massage using tools like a foam roller, softball, golfball, whatever you can use to get directly on the tight area and get blood flow to it.  We also try to prevent stress fractures by doing as much running as we can on dirt or softer surfaces than pavement, and making sure we get plenty of calcium from food (dairy, leafy greens, sardines are some of our favorite).

 

2) Running 90 miles a week and am ALWAYS hungry. How can I meet my caloric needs eating healthily?

 

This can be a challenge, especially when doing marathon training! We would recommend getting in lots of healthy fats, they will satiate you and also help keep your blood sugar stable throughout the day.  Nut butters, especially almond and walnut, are great (we like adding agave nectar to ours!).  Lemon Flavored Cod Liver Oil (it just tastes like lemony oil, no fishy taste) is the most healthful option!

 

3) I live at sea level, but will be running a marathon at altitude. How can I prepare for it? How do I adjust my pace on race day so that I don’t bonk too soon?

 

Wow, that’s a tough one!  We’ve heard it’s best if you can arrive less than 24 hours before the race, as 24-72 hours is usually when you feel the worst if you haven’t lived at altitude.  Depending on your pace, it would be wise to start 30 sec slower for every 4 minutes you run- so if you run 8 minute miles, start out running 9:00 miles, but if your pace is 12 min/mile, start at 13:30.

 

4) How much cross training do you do a week?

 

Not very much.  We both have pretty durable bodies, so we prefer to do running over supplementing with cross training.  Because Sara is doing shorter, more power events, she will lift weights twice a week (full body, a series of squats, core, etc.) and occasionally take a spinning class, but if we are healthy, we think the best way to become a better runner is to run more.

 

5) Will the epic beard be making a comeback?

 

I don’t want to give anything away at this point…. but I’ll give you a hint to say that it’s been in the high 60s in Redding all winter, unlike the usual snowy winters I’ve had in the mountains in year’s past.  I’ll leave you to guess!