March 2014 workouts
Only one more long run before the half-marathon! Yesterday was an 11 mile run that went really well considering I skipped last week's long run, the first few miles it was raining, and the last few miles were uphill.
I have stepped up the fitness and eating habits that I learned from the last half-marathon training and definitely seen results - this is the first time in my life I have actually seen the *shape* of my body change (my legs and stomach in particular - both are more defined by muscle than anything else!).
My grocery trips are now focused around lean protein hunting - lots of salmon, quinoa, protein powder, and almond butter. I also have worked hard to eat more fruit, especially on the weekends, which has helped my post-long run recovery (I used to feel slightly disorientated and just a bit off for a few hours after a run longer than 9 miles). And don't worry my diet has always had enough carbs, veggies, and fat in it - this is about adding food, not taking things away.
I've also been experimenting with different mid-run supplements (conclusion: supplements with caffeine, like Clif Shot Bloks, are better just before a workout, while non-caffeinated gels, like Gu, are best mid-run for energy and recovery - for me, caffeine mid-workout contributes to feeling weird post-run).
Of course, the cross-training is also essential - cardio workouts for building muscles and aerobic capacity and yoga for deep stretching (I generally do not stretch at all pre or post run - studies show no real benefit and I feel no real benefit). I can't say enough about tempo runs and intervals - things I used to resist and now would never do without.
Which is all to say, this has been a hard, but rewarding process...
(mapmyrun.com doesn't handle tempo or intervals runs well (my Wednesday runs), which why those days look so inconsistent. Spring Break effected my cross training due to available classes at the gym. That 8 mile run was supposed to be 10, but bonked and learned my lesson about mid-run supplements. Missed long run was supposed to be 11, but I was a wimp due to a snow storm and had built in enough buffer that I could still train fully and skip it.)
I have stepped up the fitness and eating habits that I learned from the last half-marathon training and definitely seen results - this is the first time in my life I have actually seen the *shape* of my body change (my legs and stomach in particular - both are more defined by muscle than anything else!).
My grocery trips are now focused around lean protein hunting - lots of salmon, quinoa, protein powder, and almond butter. I also have worked hard to eat more fruit, especially on the weekends, which has helped my post-long run recovery (I used to feel slightly disorientated and just a bit off for a few hours after a run longer than 9 miles). And don't worry my diet has always had enough carbs, veggies, and fat in it - this is about adding food, not taking things away.
I've also been experimenting with different mid-run supplements (conclusion: supplements with caffeine, like Clif Shot Bloks, are better just before a workout, while non-caffeinated gels, like Gu, are best mid-run for energy and recovery - for me, caffeine mid-workout contributes to feeling weird post-run).
Of course, the cross-training is also essential - cardio workouts for building muscles and aerobic capacity and yoga for deep stretching (I generally do not stretch at all pre or post run - studies show no real benefit and I feel no real benefit). I can't say enough about tempo runs and intervals - things I used to resist and now would never do without.
Which is all to say, this has been a hard, but rewarding process...
(mapmyrun.com doesn't handle tempo or intervals runs well (my Wednesday runs), which why those days look so inconsistent. Spring Break effected my cross training due to available classes at the gym. That 8 mile run was supposed to be 10, but bonked and learned my lesson about mid-run supplements. Missed long run was supposed to be 11, but I was a wimp due to a snow storm and had built in enough buffer that I could still train fully and skip it.)