Interview with Heidi Greenwood, Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier

This weekend, Saturday February 13th, U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials will take place in Los Angeles, California. Every four years, a super-fast group of competitive runners, whose previous race times meet the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying standards, race for their spot to represent the U.S. in the Olympics.

Sanford Power athlete Heidi Greenwood qualified for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials at the Columbus Marathon in 2013, with a time of 2:42:08, and has been living and training in Sioux Falls leading up to her 9th Marathon this weekend at the trials. When Heidi isn't logging miles or strength training, she also keeps up an awesome blog and website where she documents her training and recipe experiments in the kitchen. We got the chance to interview Heidi before the big race - check out Heidi's blog and her answers to the interview questions below to get inspired to push your limits and reach a little further to meet your goals!

Q&A with Heidi Greenwood

What got you into distance running in the first place? What was your first marathon and how was
your experience there?

Heidi: I first started running for our high school team in the 7^th grade.  In high school I mostly ran the 400 and 800 meters and by my sophomore year I started to dabble in the 1600 meters.  My first love was volleyball and knew I wanted to play that in college, but decided at the last minute to give college track a try too.  With balancing both volleyball and track in college I stuck to primarily the 800 for first couple years, but by my junior year it started to become obvious that my greater talent was in the 1500meters.  My senior year in college at the University of North Dakota I was fortunate enough to win the 2008 NCAA Div. II title in the 1500 meters. I truly believed that I was done with competitive running at that point.  In the fall of 2008 I decided I wanted to run one marathon to check it off my bucket list.  I ran the Twin Cities Marathon.  I had a pretty good first experience. I actually ran a negative split in that race by 10 minutes and ran a 3:11.  Going into that race I really had no idea what I would be able to run, but wanted to try break 3:30.  Training for my first marathon I ran about 55-60 miles per week, which was about 10 miles per week higher than what I averaged my last year competing in college.  At that point I still really wasn’t sure if I’d run more marathons or not. 

 When did you set your eyes on the Olympic Trials qualifying time?

In 2012 my husband and I moved to Cleveland, Ohio for his residency and I started to become really busy with full time work.  Being new to the region I thought it’d be cool to run the Columbus Marathon and experience a new city.  However, I actually wasn’t even able to follow a structured training program for the Columbus Marathon in 2012 because of working 60+ hours a week.  I did not do one single specialized long run or fast-finish long.  I really was convinced that Columbus 2012 would be my last marathon for a LONG time.  As the race unfolded I floated to a 2:47.  I was completely dumb-founded.  How did I do that?  After that race I felt that God had given me a gift.  It is then, October 2012, when I decided that qualifying for the Olympic trials in the Marathon was something I wanted to do.  The new 2016 OT standard had not even been released yet when I committed myself towards that goal. 

 How did you react when you knew you achieved that time?

I went back to the Columbus Marathon in 2013 to test myself and see what I could do.  After the race I was sort of in a state of shock or disbelief that I actually did that.  Prior to the race my coach thought 2:45 was more of a realistic goal, but I wanted to shake the dice and go for the 2:43. 

Achieving the Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying time

My favorite running experience would definitely be the Columbus Marathon 2012 and 2013.  Both races I’d say I was in the state of “FLOW” for most of both races.  No pressure or thoughts of not reaching a certain goal.  Effortless.    

What do you think has contributed the most to your running success?


In my childhood I did a wide variety of things.  This helped me to develop different movement patterns.  I never felt I “had” to do something growing up.  What I chose to do was all internal motivation and desire.  My parents always supported me and helped to provide opportunities, but never suggested I needed to do anything.  My marathon success has come from consistency.  I have had no major injuries, just some small setbacks, nothing requiring more than a couple weeks off of running in my 31 years of life.

Do you have a favorite workout that you do during a marathon buildup?

This is not a typical workout you will see in a training book, but I love it - it is fun and I can get a lot of work done.  The idea is to make yourself run on tired legs.  I’ll do this work out only once per marathon training block and about 6-7 weeks before the race.  This marathon build-up for the trials I got to do this work out on Christmas Day!

Workout: 12 miles easy to moderate, 8-12 x 800 meters at half marathon race pace effort with 60-90” recovery jog between reps, finishing up with another 3-5 miles easy to moderate at the end.  The workout will end up being anywhere from 20-24 miles.

(That is workout inspiration!)

 I know you’re an active strength trainer in addition to your running workouts – What’s your favorite strength exercise?

I really enjoy doing strength work. I like doing box step-ups, lunges, and using my TRX!

Using TRX equipment at the Sanford Fieldhouse

Nutrition talk

What is your go-to pre-race day meal?

I do not feel I purposefully go into a “carb” loading stage before I race a marathon.  I think I will naturally pick up extra carbohydrate stores with decreased volume in training.  I try to keep a pretty similar eating pattern no matter if I’m in heavy training or peaking for a race.  I get the majority of my carbohydrates from potatoes/sweet potatoes and higher carb fruits like bananas.

Pre-race day meal: baked or grilled Chicken, Baked Potato, Dinner salad, (sometimes I’ll have a chunk of crusty bread with butter if I’m at a restaurant that has that).

 How do you handle getting in good nutrition when you’re traveling for a race?

I always travel with apples, bananas, peanut butter, almonds, snack bars (Generation UCAN Snack bars and Juice Plus Complete Bars), rice cakes, and electrolyte tabs (Nuun).  I also suggest looking up restaurant menus before going to make sure they have what you want.

  

  What about pre-race breakfast- what breakfasts foods have you had the most success with?

About 2.5 hours before race I usually have coffee with cream, plain greek yogurt (with Generation UCAN-(Cinnamon Delite) stirred in), piece of toast, peanut butter, and banana.  Then I will be sipping on another serving of Generation UCAN-(Cran-Raz or Tropical Orange) right up to start of the race.    

Do you bring any nutrition on long runs with you? What has worked well for you?

It really depends on the purpose of the long run.  Typically I take no nutrition on long easy runs.  The reason is that my trying to teach my body to be efficient, some argue that the quality of your long runs can diminish, but again, it comes back to what is the purpose of your long run.  Prior to any long run I do take one to two serving of Generation UCAN.  On specialized long runs or fast-finish long runs I may use Generation UCAN or a Gel depending on convenience.  Generation UCAN currently does not make their product in gel form, which can be tricky during training.

  

My go-to post long run snack is a big protein-rich green smoothie. What foods do you think help you recover faster after a long run, workout, or race?

After long runs or workouts it is usually a smoothie with Generation UCAN-Chocolate Protein, frozen dark cherries, and some kind of milk.  It tastes like a dark red tootsie pop sucker.  But, after a race it is usually a celebratory burger and fries or chicken quesadilla with a margarita. 

Are there any foods you try to avoid the week of a big race? What about the rest of the year?

I try to avoid white processed food, basically because there really isn’t any nutritional value in those foods.  Also, on a regular basis I typically do not eat very much gluten.  I have found that I feel a little bloated and lethargic when I consume lots of gluten.  I do NOT follow a gluten free diet, but chose to eat in very moderately.

What is your favorite treat food/meal?

Red Wine and I’m Norwegian and love potato dumplings, soaked in butter.

Heidi is a strong athlete who knows the importance of not only logging the miles, but also strength training and paying attention to her nutrition.

Good luck this weekend, Heidi!

If you're feeling inspired by Heidi's dedication in training, let Sanford POWER and the the Sports Science Institute help you reach your own goals. You don't need to be an Olympic Trials qualifier to set and achieve athletic goals - we work with athletes of all ages and abilities.

Call today at (605)-312-7870

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Training Talk - 3 Things Runners Need to Know About Carbs

One of the biggest nutrition topics runners ask about is CARBOHYDRATES.

• Why do we need them?
• When should I eat them?
• When should I not eat them?
• Which carbohydrates will make me fat?
• Which carbohydrates are good?
• Should I try a low carb diet? 

This article is going to delve into why runners need carbohydrates, why runners need carbs on the run and which ones are best, and why it might be beneficial to train without food some of the time.

Despite the fact that all athletes' nutritional needs are different, most runners need to follow a diet that is high carbohydrate for the best training and racing results. I work with athletes all the time to help them determine how to fuel their bodies with enough carbohydrates, protein and fat from real food without overdoing it. 

While most athletes can (and should) focus on carbohydrates for the majority of their calories, it is important to stress the fact that as an athlete, you are an experiment of one - you get to decide what diet, training schedule, and recovery methods work for you. For example, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that a high fat/low carb diet may work for some endurance or ultra-endurance athletes, but here I am making the recommendations for a higher carbohydrate diet for runners, based on the fact that your muscles' preferred fuel source is carbohydrates/glucose. This can be a controversial subject in the endurance world, but this article will delve into why we need carbohydrates most of the time, but how going without carbs may help boost performance. 

1. Daily Carbohydrate Needs

There is a huge emphasis for runners to get lots of carbs in their diets to help them run. Honestly, carbohydrate intake is sometimes overemphasized. Carbs before running, during running, after running, all day after a run - runners often neglect protein and healthy fats. That is not to say carbs aren't important! Carbohydrates from food are stored in the body as muscle and liver glycogen, which is used as fuel during exercise. At low intensities, a greater amount of fat is used as energy (though carbohydrates are always being used), but as exercise intensity increases from low to moderate/high intensity, the use of fat as fuel decreases and carbohydrates are used as the primary fuel source. Well-trained muscles can store even more glycogen, which is good news for endurance athletes who need that energy at mile 20 and beyond.

Fueling an endurance athlete through training and racing requires about 2.5-4.5 grams per pound of body weight, or 55-65% total diet from carbohydrate (compared to 2.5-3.0 grams/pound for moderate exercisers and more than 4.5 grams/pound for ultra endurance athletes).

Many athletes like to "bookend" their training with those carbohydrates, which is the time our bodies need the carbs the most.

• eat breakfast sometimes* (granola bar, cereal with milk, oatmeal, a banana with peanut butter, toast)
• fuel with carbohydrates during long runs sometimes* (Gu, gels, chomps, candy, etc.),
• refuel with a mix of carbs and protein post-workout 

Don't neglect those carbohydrates right after a workout - whether it's a post-workout snack or a full meal that contains carbohydrates and protein, this meal is important for recovery so athletes can accomplish their goals at their next workout. 

*Keep reading for "train low" techniques to try on long, slow training runs. 

2. The Science of Mid-Run Carbs

Once a workout goes over 90 minutes, glycogen/stored carbohydrates can get drained, especially for a moderate to hard intensity, prolonged workout. Eating some sort of carbohydrates on a run will help athletes to spare their glycogen stores, keep blood glucose from dropping, and can help replenish glycogen stores before the next training session, therefore helping you perform better on training runs and at races. 

During a training run or competition, aim for 40-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour (120-240 calories/hour) after that first hour of running. Most carbohydrate energy products (Gu's, gels, chomps, etc.) contain different types of sugars, so it is important to practice with many different types of carbohydrate fuels during training to experiment with how your body will respond to the different fuels. 

Some people may bring regular candy on their training runs, like gummy bears, but those pre-made carbohydrate products are usually formulated with electrolytes and also mix different types of sugars, allowing the body to absorb more carbohydrates per hour (more than 60 grams per hour).

Many carbohydrate products on the market contain maltodextrin (a very quickly and easily-digested carbohydrate) AND a different type of sugar (simple sugars like glucose and fructose). Anything above what the body can absorb and use may cause gastrointestinal distress, so it's important to practice fueling during training runs. I recommend practicing with many different types of carbohydrate fuels (solid, liquid, gels, different brands) to see how your body responds to them. 

Check the label for this GU energy gel, containing maltodextrin and fructose for sugars + electrolytes at about 100 calories , 23 grams of carbohydrates. 

Salted Watermelon Gu

INGREDIENTS: Maltodextrin, Water, Fructose, Leucine, Sea Salt, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Citrate, Calcium Carbonate, Valine, Green Tea (Leaf) Extract (Contains Caffeine), Gellan Gum, Isoleucine, Sunflower Oil, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Potassium Sorbate (Preservative).

3. Try Training Low, Some of the Time

As mentioned above, carbohydrates stored in the muscles and liver, in addition to any carbohydrates eaten on the run help runners keep their energy levels high, prevent blood sugar from dropping, and help replenish glycogen levels for speedier recovery. This is especially true as intensity increases - when runners are pushing the pace or climbing a hill (anything at a higher intensity), they're burning carbohydrates. Having full glycogen stores and eating carbohydrates on runs over 90 minutes helps to delay fatigue and "hitting the wall" by sparing the glycogen stores from getting depleted. Once glycogen stores are depleted, fat becomes the primary source of fuel for exercise.

Endurance training increases the body's ability to oxidize fat, which in theory can help runners prolong endurance exercise without depleting their glycogen stores. It is more difficult for our bodies to use fat for energy, and if given the choice, muscles prefer carbohydrates to use for energy, but many athletes want to be able to burn more fat, to run longer in training and races without taking fuel with them or without "hitting the wall." Being able to burn more fat means being able to tap into the nearly limitless fat reservers (50,000 to 60,000 calories of triglycerides stored in your body, compared to only ~2,000 calories of total body glycogen stored). In fact, some recent studies have looked into "training low," or restricting carbohydrates for workouts. The research right now isn't strong enough to say that eating a high fat diet benefits performance, and in fact, repeatedly performing with low glycogen stores have been shown to decrease endurance, especially at high intensities.

So, train low or no? It's not so black and white!

Regardless, of research, athletes can use the "train low" strategies to train their bodies to use fat more efficiently on runs.

They can to include some fasted workouts into their training schedule (not more than 50% of runs!) to promote training adaptations and work their fat metabolism versus training each and every time with carbohydrates. According to Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, runners can try training with lower glycogen levels when they have a lower-intensity workout and keep themselves fueled for any high-intensity workouts.

Athletes can try eating a normal (higher carb) dinner the night before a long, slow training run, and wake up and run before breakfast, just taking water with them on a their runs. Most runners have enough energy to run at least 90 minutes, but may have to build up to running without fuel if they are used to usually running after eating. Athletes can also try training more than once a day, with that second training session being a low glycogen workout. Make sure to refuel right away after a workout to promote muscle recovery and glycogen storage.

Remember: Everyone is different!

These strategies may not work for everyone, and likely will not work for every run. If someone is a very speedy marathon runner, a low carb run or diet may not fit into their training. For best results, working with a Registered Dietitian with experience working with athletes can help you decide the best strategies to help you fuel YOUR workouts. Call the Sanford Sports Science Institute to make an appointment with the Registered Dietitian at 605-312-7878!

Read more:

Training Peaks (Asker Jeukendrup) || Food Fight: High Carb or High Fat Diet For Endurance Athletes

Running On Veggies || Nutritious Recipes for Athletes

Outside Magazine || The New Science Behind Low Carb Training

The Guardian || High Carb or High Fat? The Running Diet Debate

Read More