Our Team is Looking to Expand!

Sports Bistro is looking to sponsor 10 non-professional athletes for the 2011 season.  We don't care if you've done a dozen events or a thousand!  If you have a passion for your sport and are a regular user of sports nutrition, you could be a great fit.  Runners, cyclists, skiiers, swimmers, mountain bikers, triathletes, hikers, etc are all welcome to apply.  You are free to choose from any of our products and we will never force you to use anything that doesn't work for you.  We carry all the major brands (Gu, Hammer, PowerBar, Clif, nuun, Succeed!, Pacific Health, Fluid, and SaltStick) and can help devise the right nutrition package for you.

Sponsored athletes receive benefits such as:

1 - Discounts on www.sportsbistro.com
2 - Quarterly store credit grants
3 - Store credit bonuses for placing well at qualified races
4 - Free coaching/advice from Team Sports Bistro coaches and athletes
5 - Other flexible benefits (financial and other) to be discussed with each athlete

In return, we expect that sponsored athletes will:

1 - Represent Sports Bistro well at all times and serve as an ambassador to your respective sport(s) and to Sports Bistro
2 - Provide helpful advice on how Sports Bistro and sports nutrition has helped you in your athletic endeavors
3 - Be able to intelligently discuss the benefits of sports nutrition with fellow athletes/enthusiasts
4 - Wear the Sports Bistro team uniform during training and racing
5 - Maintain an online presence and write a blog (or join ours!).  Posts should mention what sports nutrition you use, how you use it, and how it has helped you.

If you are interested in becoming a part of Team Sports Bistro as a sponsored athlete email us at info@sportsbistro.com for more information and an application.  Our deadline for receiving applications is September 30, 2010.

NYC Marathon Training - Week 1

This past week I did (almost) exactly what I planned to do, which is all I can hope for.  Daily results:

Tuesday- 4 mi in 30:30 (7:37 pace)
Wednesday- 5 mi in 37:30 (7:30 pace)
Thursday- 4.3 mi in 31:00 (7:12 pace)
Friday- OFF!  Last day of work, celebrations, dinner, etc
Saturday- 7.4 mi in 1:02:35 (8:27 pace)
Sunday- nothing, all day travel

I had planned on doing 8 miles on Saturday and would have liked that to be 30 sec/mi faster,  but I got lost, had a lot of traffic lights, wandered around, had my watch stop, etc etc.  I'm not concerned this far out, but this is the only thing that didn't go as planned this week.  Other runs were just fine.  I don't need much more speed, but certainly need to increase the mileage!  I am just very cautious about doing too much, too fast.  The week's total of 20.7 miles is a 13% increase over last week.

Nutrition on the runs:  nothing, but I did take a Gu gel before the 7 miler (my only breakfast) and always followed my runs with a Fluid recovery drink (it was warmer than usual in Seattle and felt I needed the electrolyte replacement).

This coming week I am back in New York (after spending the summer in Seattle)!  Most of my runs were in Myrtle Edwards park, along the water.  I will certainly miss the view!  And with the water temp around 50 degrees and the wind off the sound, it was like natural air conditioning.  I'm excited to be back in New York, but will certainly miss the running in Seattle. Luckily the heat wave seems to have broken back east, since I am NOT acclimatized to that!

Goals for the coming week:
25 miles, including 10 miles as the long run next weekend.

Marathon Training: the plan

I am just beginning my training for the 2010 New York City Marathon, to be run on November 7.  This is my third time doing this race and it might be my last for awhile so I want to make it good.

I have the dubious luck of being able to focus solely on my running now because I hurt my arm in a bike accident (see previous posts) and am unable to bike or swim.  So this gives me 12 weeks of continuous, uninterrupted run training to prepare for the marathon.  I have no interim races planned (though I may add a few shorter running races in just to mix it up) so this should be a very dedicated training block.

Until recently I didn't really have a goal for the marathon.  I have already qualified for Boston (from NYC Marathon last year) and there is no major time threshold that I am near.  I consider myself a competitive runner, but I am nowhere near elite and so going for a top place isn't remotely realistic, even within my age group (I was 196th in F25-29 last year).  But to train without a goal is hard for me, so here it is:  run a 7:45 pace (3:23 finish time), negative split (run the 2nd half faster than the first), and feel GOOD doing it.  I also have a not-so-secret wish to take the Team Sports Bistro crown at the marathon distance.  6 of us are competing for it this fall!

So let it be known that I am in full-on marathon training mode.  I will check in here weekly, if only to keep me honest.  I'll also be experimenting with some different sports nutrition so I'll review that as well.  I'm starting fresh (I had 2 weeks exercise-free in recovery from my accident) and am still building mileage and speed, but I know it will come quickly enough.  I want to run 18, 19, 20 milers, get up to 50 miles per week, and complete a few trials of Yasso 800s.  Let's see how I do!

Plan for this week:  21 miles, including a long run of 8 (hey, I said I'm still building up!)

Clif Shot Bloks - Product Review

I recently got the chance to try Clif Shot Bloks while in training (bike and run).  Part of Clif's Shot line of products (including Shot Roks which are a protein recovery bites), Shot Bloks are chewable 33 calorie cubes meant to be taken during exercise.  The are like a semi-solid gel and quickly dissolve in your stomach to release carbs and electrolytes (sodium and potassium).  While I don't mind the texture of gels many athletes don't like it and find energy chews a more palatable choice.  In addition, energy chews like Shot Bloks allow you to monitor your caloric intake even more finely, so you don't have to take 100 calories all at once like you do with individual gel packs. 

I tried the Cran-Razz flavor which is caffeine-free (Black Cherry and Orange have 50mg of caffeine).  The flavor was good- not too strong or sweet but definitely there.  On my bike rides I took one cube every 15 min or so an hour into the ride and coupled with my regular sports drink they lasted the duration of my 2.5 hour ride.  The chewing was easy (I hate when I have to chew something forever) and the Shot Roks went down easily with gulps of water. I didn't notice an energy spike with these but neither did I crash, it was just a constant release of energy.  The only downside is I had to remember to take them frequently, as I am so accustomed to taking gels every 45 minutes.  I have to remind myself to keep these readily accessible so I can consistently take them.

I particularly liked the tube ("fastpak") rather than the regular square packages which made getting the chews easier to get out of the packaging.  They fit will in a bike jersey pocket, but might be harder to fit in pockets on running shorts or tops.  I have a hard time running and chewing so I stick to gels while running, but these will make their way into my bike nutrition rotation, especially when I just get sick of gels and need some new textures and flavors!