Okay, so, rule of thumb. Night before a long-ish run, do not eat majorly fatty foods. Don't split them, and think you are still fine, just plain don't eat them. Don't do it. Hubby and I split a lovely grass fed burger and fries at a restaurant nearby, and I think our digestive systems used our 8 hours of sleep to punish us come 9am. Running+fatty meal night before= not happy tummy. I'll just put it that way.
Alas, a 5 miler was planned, and the calendar doesn't give much room for rescheduling, so I headed out. It wasn't Valentine's weekend, there wasn't any grand Saturday planned, just me, my shoes, and a run. A little less glamourous this go-around, right?
I think I was a little dehydrated, because all throughout the run I kept having this feeling that I needed a sip of water. I had to stop briefly several times to get a sip, and splash my face. The whole run just felt laborious and gross. I hit mile 4 and was finally happy to have only a mile left, woo hoo! Finished up my run feeling okay, but still bummed the 5 miles took me 55 minutes.
This week the mileage creeps up a little more. 4 miler for today, which I am going to try to do as 1 mi easy pace (5.0mph), 1 mi pickup pace (5.3 with incline), 1 mi flat and fast (6.0), and 1 mi back up hill (5.2 with incline). Let's see how this goes. I tried doing mile repeats last week - but felt like dying. Seeing as I have a huge amount of studying to do for next Tuesday's exam, I cannot afford to be nauseous and dizzy post-run.
So - today? I hydrate! Oh - and eating small meals throughout the day.....
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
5 miles...the count starts to creep up....
Being that this last weekend was Valentine's weekend, my hubby had Saturday all planned out for us. I thought we were somehow magically NOT tackling our long runs, but alas, that was scheduled in. This week's run was 5 miles, and to be honest, it scared me more than the 4 miler from last weekend. Something about the number and how it is starting to creep up. I know a half marathon is 13.1 miles, I realize 5 miles is a little under 40 percent of the total mileage I will run in 7 weeks (run and hide right now)....but for some reason, 5 miles just seemed daunting.
I woke up 2 hours before my run, made coffee, had a light breakfast of 1 piece of sprouted grain bread, 1 T almond butter, and a half of a banana. I squeezed a little honey on there because, hey, it's honey, it's sweet, and it's deliciousness in a bottle. Followed that all up with a huge glass of water, must. stay. hydrated....
I ran slow (10.5 min mile pace) - at this point I am still nervous and wanted to get my mileage under my belt, rather than focus on my mile pace. The first 3 miles felt a little rough, but I was trying to focus on my breathing and form, keeping my heart rate down. Anyone out there train with a HR monitor? I used to hate them, but now it makes training so much simpler. It is also nice to compare what the monitor says to my actual perceived exertion. Sometimes I can push myself a little more, or back down accordingly.
So - I took my towel off after 44 minutes and saw I had......1 mile go!!! Wahoo! I felt pretty nice, so I cranked up my speed to a 9 min mile, and polished it off! It was lovely, the best Valentine's gift ever! Happy V-Day to my cardiovascular system!!!
I did feel a little shaky after my cool-down, so I supplemented with a banana and a light lunch. I also was a lucky lady this past weekend, as my hubby treated me to a post-run massage. Positive reinforcement! Run 5 miles, get to eat a yummy lunch, and get a massage = one happy lady. : )
The mileage this week starts to creep up across the board. Today is 4 miles, which I will try to do as 2x2 mile runs at a slightly faster pace, a 10 min break in between. My sched is as follows:
Tuesday: 45 min cross train
Wed: 4 miles
Thurs: Rest
Fri: 45-60 min cross train
Sat: 5 miles
Sun: yoga
I have a distinct feeling that once I get through the 6 miler on the calendar for 2/27, I will feel much, much better about the April Half Marathon....we'll see!
Until then - off to hydrate and prep for this pm's run!
I woke up 2 hours before my run, made coffee, had a light breakfast of 1 piece of sprouted grain bread, 1 T almond butter, and a half of a banana. I squeezed a little honey on there because, hey, it's honey, it's sweet, and it's deliciousness in a bottle. Followed that all up with a huge glass of water, must. stay. hydrated....
I ran slow (10.5 min mile pace) - at this point I am still nervous and wanted to get my mileage under my belt, rather than focus on my mile pace. The first 3 miles felt a little rough, but I was trying to focus on my breathing and form, keeping my heart rate down. Anyone out there train with a HR monitor? I used to hate them, but now it makes training so much simpler. It is also nice to compare what the monitor says to my actual perceived exertion. Sometimes I can push myself a little more, or back down accordingly.
So - I took my towel off after 44 minutes and saw I had......1 mile go!!! Wahoo! I felt pretty nice, so I cranked up my speed to a 9 min mile, and polished it off! It was lovely, the best Valentine's gift ever! Happy V-Day to my cardiovascular system!!!
I did feel a little shaky after my cool-down, so I supplemented with a banana and a light lunch. I also was a lucky lady this past weekend, as my hubby treated me to a post-run massage. Positive reinforcement! Run 5 miles, get to eat a yummy lunch, and get a massage = one happy lady. : )
The mileage this week starts to creep up across the board. Today is 4 miles, which I will try to do as 2x2 mile runs at a slightly faster pace, a 10 min break in between. My sched is as follows:
Tuesday: 45 min cross train
Wed: 4 miles
Thurs: Rest
Fri: 45-60 min cross train
Sat: 5 miles
Sun: yoga
I have a distinct feeling that once I get through the 6 miler on the calendar for 2/27, I will feel much, much better about the April Half Marathon....we'll see!
Until then - off to hydrate and prep for this pm's run!
Monday, February 8, 2010
4mi baby!
Saturday is my official long run day. While most runners don't consider 4mi to be a lengthy run, for this chicka, it was quite a feat to tackle. I was kind of dreading it all day. I had the procrastination bug in the worst. way. ever. I cleaned the condo, did grocery shopping, made lunch, all but run. Finally 5pm rolled around and my hubby was headed to the gym, so we carpooled. Having him on the treadmill next to me really kept me accountable and motivated. I found that if I could just get to the 2.5/3 mi range, I could feel really motivated to finish that last mile. Normally I cover the time and mileage with a towel so I don't fixate, but as I approached my mileage I wanted to see!!!!!
It took me 45 minutes, but I did it! Insert gleeful cheering here!
After which, I stretched, then promptly showered the stank that is running off of me. And ate pizza. Glorious, glorious, organic-fair-trade-locally-grown pizza. www.restaurantpi.com *Nom nom nom* : )
It took me 45 minutes, but I did it! Insert gleeful cheering here!
After which, I stretched, then promptly showered the stank that is running off of me. And ate pizza. Glorious, glorious, organic-fair-trade-locally-grown pizza. www.restaurantpi.com *Nom nom nom* : )
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Half Marathon training is under way!
I have been diligently trying to get back on the running horse that I fell off of, oh, almost a decade ago. Years of cross country in high school taught me to have a love/hate relationship with running, and so I ran (figuratively) far from it once college hit.
My husband recently talked me into running a half marathon this spring, and I took the bait. The first hurdle? Getting myself back in shape to run the basic training run, a 5k.
This past Monday, I did just that! Hooray! I ran 3.1 and stopped for a brief 4 min walk to ease a cramp. I am still getting the hang of eating before a run, and think I had too much too soon in my tummy....a lesson I will adjust for in the coming weeks!
So - for all who don't think it to be possible. Get out there and go for a jog or a walk - you never know what you are capable of until you try!
My husband recently talked me into running a half marathon this spring, and I took the bait. The first hurdle? Getting myself back in shape to run the basic training run, a 5k.
This past Monday, I did just that! Hooray! I ran 3.1 and stopped for a brief 4 min walk to ease a cramp. I am still getting the hang of eating before a run, and think I had too much too soon in my tummy....a lesson I will adjust for in the coming weeks!
So - for all who don't think it to be possible. Get out there and go for a jog or a walk - you never know what you are capable of until you try!
Just an update....
As I was plowing through my 5k on the treadmill the other day, a skinny skinny gal got on the elliptical in front of me. While I was sweating bullets and running, she lightly exercised for 15 minutes while on her cell phone. I couldn't help but be a little offended that I was in much better shape than her, yet would never look like her...I found this site today - and became a huge fan of ending the "Fat Talk" - take a look.
www.endfattalk.org
www.endfattalk.org
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