This is how it goes

We're back to that time of year where I need to give myself a pep talk before heading out the door.  I have stopped looking at what the temperature is supposed to be for my 5am runs - it's only going to miserably confirm what I already know:  It'll be HOT.   I simply lay out the least amount of clothing possible (while ensuring I am not arrested for indecent exposure) the night before and throw it on at 5am before heading out into the sticky, humid mess that is a Richmond summer morning.    The one upside to summer running is that I've been able to leave the headlamp at home most mornings since the sun is up so early.  Hurray!  One less thing to get soaked with my sweat.

With the kids around all day (I've got 3 of them at home now - my stepdaughter is here for the summer as well) and various activities to get everyone to and from (swim team practice, a morning camp or two for the younger ones, BodyPump teaching for me, etc.) it's been a bit more of a hectic pace this summer than last.  Yet another reason why I'm thankful to be getting my runs in super early!  Even though it's not always fun to drag myself out of bed so early, I'm happy to get it done before the day really starts.  That way, no matter how crazy the rest of my day gets, I know I've gotten my run in!  And that makes for a happier Mama.

We are now 12 weeks out from my goal race:  Erie (Presque Isle) Marathon on September 13th.  I've been steadily increasing my mileage and am comfortably back up into the high 60s.   I've been fortunate to have a few friends around the area to run with a few days a week - they've made both the miles and the humidity seem more bearable.    I've still got a ways to go before race day, but I feel like I'm entering  the portion where I need to turn on the focus, put my head down and get to work.   To give you an idea of where my training is at, let's recap the last week:

Monday:  10 miles w/10 striders (a.m.), 3 miles recovery (p.m.)  -  Yup.  The double runs are back.  76 degrees and 95% humidity made the first part of this run very sweaty.  Second run was done at 1pm in the blazing 93 degree heat. It wasn't optimal but it was the only time I had - I (predictibly) felt pretty lousy since it was so hot, but made it through.

Tuesday:  6 miles easy - Ran this one on the treadmill, nice and easy.  Taught BodyPump later in the morning.   Feel like I have a cold coming on with a sore throat and some drainage.

Wednesday:   10 miles w/5x1000m w/3 min recovery, cut down 200s (a.m.), 3 miles recovery (p.m.) - It was 15 degrees warmer this morning than the last time I did 1000s - 77 degrees at 5:10am with our normal miserable humidity. So given that, and the fact that we had to play sprinkler dodgeball at the track (we'd run a lap, then on the second pass we'd have to run into lanes 2-3 so as not to get whacked in the face by the water!), it made for a less-than-stellar run.

Intervals were: 3:50, 3:49, 3:49, 3:48, 3:41  Avg HR in the 182-193 range for the intervals. Two weeks ago (in 62 degree weather vs. the 77 degrees today) those intervals were 3:48, 3:45, 3:44, 3:43, 3:40.  I followed it up with the 200s - 37, 39, 38, 37 - They felt pretty lousy, but I think that's because the legs were shot! Thankfully the hamstring didn't protest.  Did 3 miles later in the morning at the YMCA, followed by my hip/glute exercises and my core work class.

Thursday:  8 miles, avg. pace 8:15.  Taught BodyPump later in the morning.  Still feeling the effects of fatigue from the summer cold I seem to have caught.

Friday:  4.25 miles, avg. pace 9:03.  Shortened run-turned-recovery-day since I'm still feeling cruddy due to the cold.  So glad I only had 4 miles to do - it was work just to get through those.  Drank gallons of water today and went to bed around 8:30pm.

Saturday:  18 miles, avg. pace 7:55.   Thankfully I woke up feeling a bit better!  I was up super early to be running by 5am - I knew I had to get all of the miles done before 7:40 so that I had enough time to grab a quick shower and be dressed and back at the gym around 8am for our BodyPump launch!  No one was around to run with me so ended up using the time to listen to the songs for the new BodyPump release and practice my cueing for the tracks that I'd been assigned to present at launch.  The nice thing about 18 miles is that it gives you PLENTY of time to practice.  I took it easy on myself and ran 4 of the miles on the track just so that I'd have a little bit of flat land to run on as well as access to a water fountain since it was so warm.  I finished up, grabbed a shower and some breakfast and then headed over to team teach the new release!  Our theme was "superheroes" and the members had a great time.  My tracks went well and I stayed to attend the CXWORX (core work) class and about 10 minutes of the Body Combat (kickboxing class) before I took my tired body home.    It was a busy, but very fun, morning.

Sunday:  6 miles, avg. pace 8:14.   Ran early before church.  Felt a bit sluggish on this run (most likely due to yesterday's efforts).  Taught BodyPump at noon and was very happy to be done with my BodyPump teaching obligations for the week.  Whew!   Still battling some drainage and fatigue from the cold but it seems to be improving.

And that's it!  68 miles for the week.  

I'm still guzzling water and trying to get to bed early in hopes of ridding myself of the rest of this cold.  I had a rest day on Monday which helped so hopefully I'll be back to full power soon!

Tomorrow's run is a tempo that I'm nervous about - mostly due to the lingering effects of this cold, along with the hot temps and humidity we'll have tomorrow morning.  (Triple digit temps today mean that it won't cool down very much at night...)  But I'm going to get up early and do my best.  I've got 12 weeks to increase my fitness so that I can chase down that 3-hour mark and I won't get there if I don't put in the work.   Let's do it!

Hope your week is going well!  Anyone else out there suffering from the same miserable heat and humidity as we are in RVA?    

Whole30 and Marathon Training

About three weeks ago my very speedy friend, Sage, challenged me to do a Whole30 (basically, a very strict Paleo diet).  She ran with my group in Richmond before she moved and I've always admired her strength and speed.  She's also a BodyPump instructor and was helpful in encouraging me to get my own certification to teach Pump.  It was nice to know it was possible to do that well without sacrificing fast times on the road.    In any case, when I caught up with her a few weeks ago she mentioned that she'd taken 4 minutes (!!!) of her half marathon PR - bringing her to a 1:20.  I was stoked for her - and immediately wanted to know what she felt was responsible for her breakthrough.  Her surprising answer?  Whole30.

Whole30 is a program (outlined here) that the creators describe as a "short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system."   You eliminate sugar, grains, dairy, and legumes for 30 days in order to let your body heal and recover from any effects those foods may be causing.

I'm not big on "diets", and I felt like I ate pretty cleanly already.  After being vegetarian for many years I now eat meat, but not a ton of it.  I try to drink lots of water and stay away from most processed foods.  So when Sage raved about this Whole30 plan I was a bit skeptical.  BUT - she's never been one to push any new fads or diets and even admitted that she herself was very surprised at how much it had benefitted her.  I did let her know that I wasn't looking to lose weight - and she assured me that while my body composition would probably change (I'd lose fat), that there was no calorie counting or weight-loss goal and I could easily eat enough to maintain my weight.   I also wanted to make sure that I was getting in carbs.  While this diet allowed some starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes), no corn or grains meant that I knew I'd have to work a bit harder to get adequate carbs to fuel my running.   But with Sage's promise of increased energy, better workouts and improved recovery ringing in my ears, I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a shot.

So, armed with my list of acceptable foods (mainly grass-fed meats, veggies, fruits, and (some) nuts), I hit the grocery store.

Week 1:

The first week was...surprisingly okay!  I swapped out my post-run smoothie (the peanut butter and protein powders were not allowed) for a banana with almond butter, followed with two scrambled eggs.  My snacks were fruit and LaraBars and I swapped out my mocha coffee for tea.   I definitely missed my mochas the most.  I was used to having them a few times during the week and one of my favorite little joys in life is sitting at my kitchen table, reading or working on the computer, while sipping my hot coffee from my Boston mug.  It's the little things, right?  Tea just wasn't the same.   I did enjoy eating healthier snacks, though I found myself eating quite a few cashews and almonds to get that "satisfied" feeling.

Lunches were pretty easy as I just added chicken and removed the cheese to my usual salads.   Dinners this week were pretty bland.  I cooked chili for my family and had to leave out the beans and cheese in my portion (blah!!) and then my beloved Friday night spaghetti was replaced with spaghetti squash.  While it didn't taste bad, it definitely didn't have the same mouth-feel as a nice plate of pasta.  I also ate quite a few sweet potatoes this week to try and make sure I was getting enough carbs.

The running went...okay.  I didn't have a ton of energy, but I did have a decent tempo workout (4 x 3/4ths mile: 6:20, 6:22, 6:17, 6:21) and you all know how the 5K race went.  So that was encouraging.  I'd read the Whole30 timeline and knew to expect a drop in energy for a bit as my body adjusted to the new way of fueling.  Perhaps it was because I was focusing on getting carbs by eating more fruit and sweet potatoes than the plan called for, but I didn't feel a huge slump - just a noticeable decrease.

Week 2:

I was really looking  forward to this week as this was supposed to be the time when all the good stuff started kicking in (increased energy!!  better sleep!!  improved workouts!!).  I kept the same breakfasts and lunches, but food boredom kicked in with the dinners and forced me to be a bit more creative.  I spent some time researching recipes (I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest) and came up with several to try.  I ended up finding several winners, but each took a few hours out of my day to prep and cook.  While I ended up with leftovers for each to use for lunch the next day, it was a pretty big time investment that I wasn't used to having to make.   Normally we keep things pretty simple at my house and I'll cook the same meals but rotate them weekly.  It's easy for my shopping list, and helps cut down on food waste since I know exactly how much I need and often have several staples already on hand.  With these new recipes I found myself in the grocery store almost every day - and shelling out money for ingredients that I wouldn't normally buy (coconut amnios, almond flour, coconut oil...).   But despite all the time for the food prep and cooking, eating the new recipes helped me feel less deprived and happier when it was dinnertime.

The running was up and down this week.  I had a few tough runs and generally felt like I was lacking in energy, but then had a progression run that went fairly well (6:51, 6:51, 6:26, 6:13).   But the long runs....oh the long runs were tough.   With no sugar allowed I couldn't have any gatorade, or fuel ahead of time with my usual bagel and peanut butter.  I had a banana with almond butter and a LaraBar before my 15-miler but found myself starving about 5 miles in.  Very low energy on both of my long runs over these two weeks.   The timeline stated that the "tiger blood" phase of boundless energy and general amazingness should happen around 12-15 days....but I was still waiting.

After 15 days on the program I woke up on Sunday (after my low-energy long run on Saturday) and was just...not feeling it.  I went for my 6-mile run and felt so tired and sluggish.  I came back, ate my Whole30-approved post-run breakfast and decided that I think I'd had enough.  Even though I had only made it halfway through, I decided it was time to start adding back in some whole grains to see if I could get some energy back.  Lunch was still a Whole30-approved salad, but I had a roll with butter later in the day and (joy of joys!) my beloved mocha.  I threw the whole thing out the window at dinner when I had a tiny half piece of Pizza Hut pizza (to go with the leftovers from my Whole30 Pad Thai), and a little bit of ice cream at night.  But woooo boy.  Did I pay for that.  My stomach was miserable for the rest of the evening (the dairy from the mocha and ice cream?  Or the stuff that is in the Pizza Hut pizza?)  and I slept terribly.

My run this morning (one day post-Whole30) was pretty sluggish.  I went back to my normal post-run smoothie (frozen banana, peanut butter, almond milk, protein powder) plus a piece of Ezekiel bread and didn't seem to suffer any ill effects.

So what did I take away from this experience as a runner training hard and fueling via Whole30?  

The BAD:

• I learned that it's tough for me to get enough carbs to fuel the hard workouts and super long runs on Whole30 without careful planning.  And even still I felt that I fell short as my energy was lacking.  Plus, it's tough to recommend a diet that bans peanut butter (a runner staple!!). :)
• I'm still not on board with a diet that cuts out whole, unprocessed grains and beans.  I understand that gluten bothers some folks and fully support them cutting that out of their diet.  But for the rest of us, whole grains can help us get the carbohydrates we need to fuel our runs and support a healthy diet.
• Life is too short to be in a constant state of deprivation.  Part of the reason I run is so that I can indulge on occasion in delicious food.  I get lots of enjoyment from going out with friends or family to a nice restaurant, taking my kids for a ice cream on a hot summer day, or sipping a hot chocolate with marshmallows on a snowy morning.  A plan like Whole30 that doesn't allow any of that and makes it hard to be social.  Now, I realize that this is a 30-day reset and not a true lifestyle diet, but even in those 30 days there were too many gatherings and social opportunities I didn't want to miss.

The GOOD:

• I learned that I was eating way too many scraps of things - the crusts from my kids sandwiches, a few chips here and there, a quick handful of chocolate chips, etc.  I was snacking a lot on random things - many that were less than nutritious.  The Whole30 made sure that every calorie I ate was working to fuel my body with healthy stuff - and I want to continue that trend going forward.  I will definitely be paying closer attention to what I choose for snacks.
• I learned that if I don't have my mocha every day, or a glass of wine each night, when I DO have those things I enjoy them more.   Moderation with those treats makes me take the time to really savor them.
• I did appreciate the fact that it made me broaden my horizons and add some delicious new meals to my repertoire.  I've also learned that sugar is in EVERYTHING that is packaged (sweet potato fries - really!?!?) and I'm even more committed now to reading labels and making my own foods whenever possible.  Despite the significant time commitment for recipe prep, eating foods that I knew were wholesome and without any additives was worth it.
• I didn't experience a huge energy boost.   That's on my "good" list because I believe it validates the fact that I was eating fairly clean to begin with.  I was hoping to use Whole30 to tighten up my diet that last 20% and so I was pleased to see that my original diet was probably "good enough".  As  runners many of us are always on the lookout for ways to improve our running - to squeeze that extra little bit out of our training.  It was worth the experiment to find out that the extra work (and lack of a social life) that Whole30 entails was not worth it for an unnoticeable gain in energy or improvement in my running.

The Bottom line: I think for now I'm going to keep things Whole30-ish.   I do plan to watch my snacking more carefully and limit treats like mochas and wine a little more.  (Perhaps as a treat for completing a hard workout that day)  And I'd like to continue branching out with recipes to incorporate more veggies and healthy proteins in my dinners.  But I'll continue to eat whole grains and beans and I'm happy to say that peanut butter has reentered my life.

And for now?  It's a good day.

 Has anyone out there done the Whole30?  Love it/hate it?  

The Fall Marathon...Jinx?

Last week I took a deep breath, crossed my fingers and hit "confirm" to register for this:

And....the next day I promptly injured my hamstring on a 3x2 mile tempo run.  To be fair, it was a bit sore after the speed work from the following week.  I'd done speed again on Tuesday, then run easy on Wednesday and Thursday.  It was feeling much less sore, so I went ahead with the second dose of speed work on Friday as planned.

The workout was 3x2 mile at 6:20-6:30 pace.  It was raining so I opted for the treadmill.  Did a 1.5 mile warm up, then 6:31, 6:31 - 2 min rest - then 6:27, 6:27 - 2 min rest.  I started my third set at 6:27 and was alllllmost done with that 5th mile when I took a step and felt a huge twinge in my right hamstring that made me jump to the sides of the treadmill, wincing in pain.  Tried to run easy for a few paces and the hamstring was not having any part of it.  So I scrapped the workout and run and just gently stretched and cooled down.   I sadly (but wisely) decided not to run the Saturday long run with friends as planned and spent the day with family celebrating my nephew's birthday.  I foam rolled and iced and wore my compression shorts around the house.

Sunday I went for a tiny little run to test it out.  Still very sore, but improving.  Felt like I wasn't getting the proper push off and power on that leg and my gait felt off.   Was hoping for 6 miles but called it at 4 since I felt like I was doing more harm than good by trying to force it.   On a happier note, I also taught BodyPump and had some of my very favorite people show up to take my class:  my family!  Three of my sisters, my sister's boyfriend and my Mom all took my class and had a blast - along with getting a great workout!  They only heckled me a little bit and I got a big kick out of making them work hard!!  Extra pushups for everyone!

Cross-trained Monday on the Arc Trainer and had a massage.

Today I went out (with fingers crossed) for a 5-mile run.  While that leg still feels off (adductors are very tight on that side, and hamstring still feels tender), it was much improved and I was very happy to be able to run without wincing at every step.

Fingers crossed that this is a little bump in the road on the way to my Fall marathon.  I am having flashbacks to this time last year when I was injured right at the start of marathon training for Harrisburg and had to take the Fall season off.  It seems every time I actually hit the "confirm" button on a registration for a race, something pops up!   Hopefully I've caught this early enough and with a few days of easy running and cross training I can nip it in the bud and be back on the roads to ramp up for Erie.   I'm really looking forward to running Erie again.  While the drive up there is LONG (almost 9 hours!), the course is great and several of my friends from my running group are planning to go up as well.  I can't wait to train alongside them this summer as we all gear up to run.   If I'm going to train through the heat and humidity of RVA summers for a September marathon it sure makes it nice to have others suffering along with me!

Fingers crossed for me on this hamstring, eh?  Anyone out there have hamstring strain recovery advice? Who is running an early Fall marathon?  Anyone else in for Erie?  (you'll have a great time, I promise!)