Marathon Training - A Reflection

For my Country Music Marathon training, I used Hal Higdon's Intermediate I marathon training plan. I've used several different training plans in the past (like the Runner's World online smart coach and training plans from race websites) but I think that I have most enjoyed training with this Hal Higdon plan. He incorporates 5 runs per week - 3 Monday through Friday, 1 Saturday and 1 on Sunday. This worked very well with my schedule, and it was also easy to incorporate swimming, cycling and rest days.

As of this Saturday afternoon, I will have run 415 miles from January 13th through April 24th, which is roughly 100 miles per month. I know of some people who run 100 miles per week, which is crazy. I averaged about 27-30 miles per week, and that was perfect for me. I felt strong on all of my long runs (2 16 milers, 2 18 milers, 1 22 miler) and I tried to really make my shorter runs during the week count - I tried to incorporate speed work and hill work. Overall, I feel prepared. This week I have been trying to rest well, eat well, and think well! My mind is going crazy - but I keep telling myself 3 things:

1. This is not a big deal. Millions of people run marathons each weekend. Just go out and run with them.
2. You trained for this for 4 months - you are ready! All the miles and all the hours have brought you to this point.
3. This is going to be FUN! I will get to meet new people, explore a new city, and hopefully set a new marathon PR. Many people would love to have this opportunity - have fun and keep things in perspective.

That is pretty much what I am telling myself over and over and over. And it is working! I am super excited about the race and the weekend. I found out this week that two of my favorite marathoners, Ryan Hall and Josh Cox, are going to be at the expo on Friday. I really hope that I can meet them and get a picture with them! Ryan Hall just set the American course record at the Boston Marathon on Monday, and Josh Cox is the current 50K American record holder. It would be so cool to meet them!

Back to training, one thing that has greatly improved my training this spring has been my diet. I have really, really tried to be much more careful about what I eat. After listening to several Zen and the Art of Triathlon podcasts where Brett spoke about how much his raw diet was affecting his energy levels, I decided to dip my toes in the water. Now I don't think I can or would ever go to a full raw (or even vegan) diet, but being more mindful of what I am eating has made a huge difference! I have tried to incorporate way more fruits, veggies, and nuts into my diet. I always try to keep dried fruits and nuts, raw almonds, apples, and Larabars on hand in my desk drawer for a quick and easy snack.

I've also been keeping a comprehensive food log since March 15th. I've found that its best if I eat breakfast around 7:00am, have a snack at 10:00am, have lunch at 12:30pm, another snack at 3:00pm, and then dinner around 6:30pm. I've also found from my food log that my definite weakness and craving is SUGAR. When it comes to candy, cookies, cake, ice cream, etc - count me in. I think these things are OK in moderation and I am usually satisfied with one serving, but having the fresh fruit and Larabars on hand really help to curb my sweet tooth. I also like having something sweet after dinner, so I've been curbing my dessert craving with greek yogurt, low-fat Pop Tarts (still not the best, I know) or Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal. This has made a huge difference in my energy levels! One more thing - I try to drink a "green smoothie" with fruits and veggies at least 4 times a week. I usually blend up spinach, baby carrots and 8 oz. 1% milk (or Odwalla Superfood) with two fruits - like apples, strawberries, pears or bananas. I sip on this for a couple of hours each morning for sustained, all-natural energy!

I still have a long way to go with my eating, but I think I am on the right track! I have noticed an incredible difference in how I feel before, during and after a run. I used to crave double cheeseburgers after a long run, but now all I want is an apple and some chocolate milk. I also used to crave Taco Bell, McDonald's, Wendy's etc. all the time, but now I don't even really think about it. I guess my marathon time will show if the proof is in the pudding with my nutrition changes....non-fat pudding that is!

The third thing that has been super motivating during my training has been being a part of Team LIVESTRONG. Thank you all for helping me reach my fund-raising goal to secure my spot on the team. Running for something that is so much greater than myself has been awesome, and I am thankful for the opportunity.

Next post...meet the people who are going to help get me across the finish line! Stay tuned.

Thursday

Training Log
Bike trainer
Time: 30 minutes

Food Log
Breakfast: bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, coffee
Snack: Kashi dark chocolate cherry granola bar
Lunch: leftover spaghetti with a spinach and mushroom salad, with light ranch dressing
Snack: small piece of cake and M&M's at an office baby shower (the cake was so good!)
Dinner: 4 slices Pizza Hut thin crust pizza w/ black olives and red onions
Dessert: vanilla yogurt with granola

Food, etc.

Well, I've come to a realization. I've got to get a handle on my nutrition if I want to drop a few pounds for the upcoming 5k/10k and marathon training season. I would love to lose 10 pounds over the next few months...but, unfortunately I eat like its nobody's business.

I have struggled for the past few years with eating healthy, filling, quick, easy and cheap meals. It's hard to find a lot of recipes that fit into all of those categories. I know they are out there - I just need to make the effort to find them, try them, and then incorporate them into our weekly meal plan. This meal plan currently doesn't exist - but it is something that I hope Chad and I can work on and establish this summer.

Last night at dinner, I looked down at my plate (which, ironically, was a paper plate in the shape of a pig) and realized that really I need to make a change. My meals for the weekend consisted of:

Saturday
Breakfast: Special K with skim milk
Lunch: 2 slices of leftover pizza
Snack: Handfuls (several) of White Cheddar Cheez Its
Dinner: 2 small pieces of bar-b-q pork, two heaping spoonfuls of Sarah's amazing potato salad, 3 dinner rolls, 1 small ear fresh corn, a chocolate Drumstick ice cream cone, 2 servings of cherry cobbler, and one piece of white cake with butter cream icing. Mind you, I was not sharing with anyone.

Sunday
Breakfast: Honey Nut Cheerios with skim milk
Lunch: One slice leftover pizza
PM Snack 1: Small cookie dough Blizzard
PM Snack 2: Cheese quesadilla with cilantro, salsa, light sour cream
Dinner (at about 9pm): Steak, macaroni and cheese

Monday
Breakfast: Huge cinnamon roll and latte at Main & Maple Coffeehouse with Chad
Lunch: No lunch - I was at the dog park with Emma from 11:30-1:00 and forgot about eating
Dinner: Hot dog, handful of Cool Ranch Doritos, half a tomato, and an Ale-8 soft drink

(Also - I try to always have either a bottle, cup, or glass of water with me at all times for hydration)

This is no way to live! I've got to get on track in order to fuel myself properly for my running endeavors. I've tried to make better choices today -

Tuesday
Breakfast: Honey Nut Cheerios with skim milk
AM Snack: Small carton of peach yogurt with almonds
Lunch: Turkey and Cheddar Lunchables, apple (and yes, I am currently coasting down off of a sodium high from that Lunchable)
PM Snack: Coffee light Starbucks Frappucino and 100 calorie Cheez-It pack
Dinner: TBA

It is 4:30pm and I feel very satisfied - not hungry at all. I guess that's a good sign!

Speaking of food, I've been thinking about all of the snacks that I loved growing up - but that are no longer available. Here is a short list of my personal faves that, unfortunately, are no more:

• Breyer's Vienetta ice cream ( I felt so glamorous eating this fancy dessert)
  
• Keebler O'Boises chips
• Keebler Pizzerias chips
• Rice Krispy Treats cereal
• Dunkaroos
• Planter's PB Crisp cookies
• Fi-Bar granola bars
• Crystal Pepsi

Do you have a favorite thing that has been put out to pasture in the snack graveyard?
...Or - a quick, healthy, cheap and easy recipes that you might want to share with me?

Fast Food Nation

This past Sunday evening I promised myself that I wouldn't eat any fast food this week. I classify "fast food" as any establishment with a drive-thru. My biggest vices? Starbucks, Taco Bell and McDonald's. It is Thursday morning, and so far this week I have had pizza from Little Ceaser's, a double cheeseburger Mighty Kid's Meal from McDonald's, and a triple grande non-fat Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks. So much for no fast food this week!

However, I think the reason I craved these things so badly this particular week is because of the simple fact that I told myself I couldn't have them. As you can see, I fold pretty easily.

In his best-selling book "Fast Food Nation," author Erich Schlosser writes that “the whole experience of buying fast food,” he writes, “has become so routine, so thoroughly unexceptional and mundane, that it is now taken for granted, like brushing your teeth or stopping for a red light.” This is where the danger lies for me and Chad. It is so...easy. It is mindless. After being at work all day, neither of us want to make any more decisions. We just want to eat. We've gotten a lot better about making more attempts to cook throughout the week - but it is just so much easier (and surprisingly less expensive for us) for us to pick up sandwiches from Subway or order Chinese food.

I feel like a key part of my upcoming half-marathon and marathon training will lie in modifying my diet. I've always tried to eat a balanced diet with fruit and vegetables, grains and proteins. But I don't think I consume enough of the "right" grains and proteins, etc. I am going to attempt to keep a food log - not so much so that I can be a strict calorie counter, but so that I might be able to give myself a wake-up call and realize what kind of foods, and how much food, I am taking in each day, and how Chad and I can both add more "superfoods" into our diet.