Last night, I puzzled over how to fuel before/during/after a long run (more than an hour or so). I stared at my collection of energy gels, bars, and chews comparing and researching. Eating should not be this complicated!

I made a plan and stuck with it, and it worked out really well! I felt great my entire run, so I thought I’d share.

I woke up around 6, got dressed, and poured myself a glass of water. I drank about 10 oz. while I browsed some blogs and went down to the kitchen at 6:30. For pre-run fuel, I had a slice of Ezekiel bread toasted with some PB and a banana. I headed out at about 7.

After a four mile loop, I stopped back at my house for about a minute for some water and energy. I had half a pack of Luna Sport Moons (100 calories, 24 g carb). For longer distances I probably will have the whole thing, but I figured with only 3 miles left to go, half was a good amount. Half, incidentally, was four moon-shaped watermelon flavored chews. They come in blueberry and pomegranate flavors too.

I wasn’t expected the best, but I was pleasantly surprised! They were a little chewy, but easy to get down, and they tasted good too! I chugged about a cup of water after and then finished the other three miles.

I don’t know if it was the water or the extra carbs, but I felt so good on the last half of my run. Compared to my 2 six mile runs, where I basically just dragged after mile 4, I was flying! I managed a 10:43 pace easily, and I think my pace for my last six miler I struggled to maintain a 12 minute pace! I’m going to try out a couple other mid-run fueling options before my half-marathon, but I definitely give the Luna Sport Moons two thumbs up! I know my water intake was also important. I think getting some water down before my run was very important.

When I got back, I changed into dry clothes to have breakfast before I jumped in the shower because I wanted to refuel within the short window after exercise that our muscles are most receptive. Research has shown that after a long run, a 4:1 carbs to protein ratio is advisable. Obviously this doesn’t have to be exact, so I just made sure that my breakfast contained a bit of protein and lots of carbs. I had the other half of the Luna Sport Moons and two servings of Flax Multibran with raisins and soy milk. This kept me full until lunch!

Long runs are so important because they are basically a practice run for the race; we get to experiment with what works so that we have a definite plan on race day that will help us do our best! I’m going to experiment more in the coming weeks, but if I had my race tomorrow, I think I’d do fine with today’s plan!

Run Stats:
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 1:15:06
Pace: 10:43

**************************************************

Run Stats:

Duration: 35:58
Distance: about 3.5 miles

I felt a little sore the first mile, but after that I felt great – I made sure to walk down any steep downhills and mostly avoided hills to protect my knees, but I pushed myself on the second half of the run and it felt really good to fly along the trail like that!

When I got back from my run, I was starving. I was going to try my new Gardenburgers tonight, but instead made a quick go-to meal of mine: a pita spread with pb, topped with a sliced banana, and folded in half. I had a gala apple on the side. Not long after that, I made some dessert: one tofutti cutie (peanut butter flavor) with one tablespoon of White Chocolate Wonder PB. Today’s snacks were a Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar before lunch (delicious! Will be buying this again!) and a mini ClifBar around 9 p.m.

************************************************

I was planning on re-capping last week’s half-marathon training, but I feel like talking about rest days and listening to your body instead. The first paragraph of this post sounds very positive, like it is easy for me to take a rest day. Well, it sure isn’t! Even now, I am second-guessing myself about it.

One side of me thinks that I’ll be fine, it’s just soreness, I just need to push through the pain! I’ll get my speed work day out of the way, and then I have a shorter run Wednesday and a scheduled rest day on Thursday. I can make it until then! I already made one change to my running plan last week/this week, and I really shouldn’t screw around with it any further!

The other side of me has these facts.

1. My knees hurt. The pain isn’t terrible, but it’s bad enough that I have to limp a bit to go down stairs.

2. Running repeats around a track with knee pain is not going to help with my training. I am at my best for training when I do not feel pain. It is okay to feel sore, and I do feel sore – but not pain, which is what I am feeling in my knees today. Running speed work with pain could make this minor pain, which will probably go away if I just take a rest day, turn into something more serious and lead to taking more time off than just one rest day. It could even turn into an injury that would prevent me from running my marathon!

3. I talked with a friend who lives in my house who pushed herself too much running and didn’t take enough rest days. She now has chronic knee pain and has to be very careful about her running. I love that I don’t have any recurring running injuries and I would like to keep it that way.

4. No training plan is set in stone. I found my training plan online. It is a good plan for the average intermediate runner. However, it is not Lindsay-specific; it was not designed especially for me, so how in the world could it be the perfect plan for me that I absolutely must follow? Reason: it’s not! Adapting the plan to suit my own needs and my own body will not be harmful; it will be helpful! As long as I use the plan as a general guideline, which I am, I will be ready for my half-marathon.

Obviously the logical thing to do is to take a rest day. It is the perfectionist in me telling me to stick to the schedule, to push through the pain! But tonight, I’m not going to listen.

I’m going to make a commitment not to run my speed work tomorrow.

Instead, I will cross train on the elliptical and do a yoga video. I will tentatively adapt my plan for this week to:

Tuesday: cross train, yoga
Wednesday: 3 m easy run
Thursday: 6×400 at 5-k pace
Friday: cross train, yoga
Saturday: 4-6 mile run

I am a bit anxious about this, but I’m sure that it is the right thing to do, and I will just have to stick out the anxiety! I’ll update tomorrow on how it’s going

Good night everyone!

That’s right, my new blender! We have two cheap ones in the house I live in, but they get abused often and aren’t for the serious Green Monster making that I have in mind! I couldn’t get it open and washed out fast enough before I was throwing in ingredients

Lunch-time smoothie:

• 6 frozen strawberries
• 1 kale leaf
• 2 c baby spinach
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 c soy milk
• 1 Flax Pak (to be reviewed soon!)
• 8 ice cubes

With a July-4th-themed straw from a package that my mom sent me!

The rest of lunch consisted of a plate of carrots and Mary’s Gone crackers with a scoop of almond butter and 2 tablespoons of garlic hummus for dipping, with a cup of cantaloupe on the side.

I didn’t get back from classes until 2 p.m., so I was hungry and ate my lunch right up. I’m still deciding what I’m going to do for exercise today. I have a 3.5 mile run scheduled for my half-marathon training, but my knees and legs are pretty sore from yesterday’s run, so I’m thinking that I will either run on a very soft surface (park trails) or do some cross-training on the elliptical, especially since I have a speedwork day tomorrow.

****************************************

Truly “Calci-YUM”

While talking with my new nutritionist about calcium intake, she said, “I have the greatest calcium supplement that will make sure you never miss a dose!” and pulled out this bag:

Now, I have tried Viactiv and assumed that this would be similar – some fake chocolate, powdery tasting chew. I’d rather just swallow a pill! I reached in to pull out a dark chocolate “disk” and was surprised – it actually looked like a piece of chocolate!

I still wasn’t convinced. Sure, it might look like a piece of chocolate, but I’ve learned, especially from Green Monsters, that you should never judge taste by appearance! I flipped over the package and saw that for one disk, I would get 30 calories, 2 grams of fat, 100 IU of Vitamin D, 40 mcg of Vitamin K, and 500 mg of Calcium. Now, I was pretty impressed by those stats, so I decided to give it a nibble…

YUM!! It tastes just like my Green & Black’s dark chocolate bar that I have a few squares of after dinner! I am picky about dark chocolate, and I give this 4.5/5 stars for chocolate, and 5/5 stars for a supplement! These are made by Adora and can be found at selected stores including Whole Foods and GNC. They also make a milk chocolate disk.

Because the body can only absorb so much calcium at one time, it is important to stay aware of when you are taking calcium supplements. For example, after my meal from last night (tofu, broccoli, pasta, cheese) would not be a good time to take a supplement because my meal was fairly high in calcium, so my body wouldn’t be able to absorb the extra calcium from the supplement. A good time to take these might be with an afternoon snack or an evening dessert. I’m putting them on my list to pick up next time I go to the Co-op!

See you tonight for my Week 2 Half-Marathon training re-cap

First I tried a Co-op that just opened in Lyme, NH. It was nice, but wasn’t big enough to have the variety I was looking for (plus I couldn’t find my coconut milk ice cream - big problem!). So I just went to my trusty Hanover Co-op.

• Organic WestSoy Lite Plain (I go through one of these every two days!)
• Once Again Organic Peanut Butter (I can see in the picture that I accidentally bought crunchy…so *NEW*)
• Once Again Organic Almond Butter
• WestSoy Pre-Marinated Tofu: Italian Garlic & Herb flavor
• Pavich Organic Jumbo Raisins (to have with cereal!)
• Flax Paks *NEW*
• Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream (chocolate flavor)

• Olivia’s Organic Baby Spinach
• SoySation “Mozzarella Cheese”
• Gardenburger GardenVegan Burgers *NEW*

• Pineapple
• Organic Carrots
• What are those in the back left? You’ll have to wait and see!

************************************************

Running and Hydration

As I’m sure we all know, it is so important to be hydrated when we run (or do any sort of exercise!). Two main ways we lose water are through breathing and sweating, which means that we lose more water during exercise (faster breathing, more sweating)

For 3 mile runs, it’s a breeze – chug a glass of water a little while before you leave, have a glass or two when you get back. However, for longer runs, this presents a problem. Going 60+ minutes without water can dehydrate the body, impacting running performance and causing symptoms such as increased fatigue, lightheadedness, and muscle cramps. So, of course, this means we need to hydrate not only after, but during our long runs!

Different Ways to Hydrate ($-$$$)

1. ($) Run repeats of a short route close to your home, for example three repeats of a three mile loop. Each time you pass your house, gulp down 4 – 8 oz. of water. An easy way to do this is to leave your water bottle in your mailbox!

2. ($$) Hand-held bottles like the Amphipod Hydraform provide a simple way to get in your H20, but may be cumbersome. I remember the time I ran with my regular iPod and had to hold it in one of my hands the entire way – all I wanted was to be done with my run so I didn’t have to hold it anymore! Also, carrying something in your hand can alter your running form, especially if you always hold it in the same hand.

3. ($-$$$) Water Belts fit around your waist and can hold anywhere from 1-4 bottles of water. Most of the ones I’ve seen have small zipper pockets to store an ID, a small cell phone, or gels. One downside of water belts is the excess weight, however this should not severely affect your running form. Also, some water belts can bounce up and down irritatingly. This Waterboy Aid Station by Brooks ($) has an elastic band designed to prevent this:

I also like the Delaney by Camelbak ($$$):

4. ($$ – $$$) Backpacks can hold a lot of water (1.5 – 3L) and have tubes that provide an easy access to water without having to pause or stop your run. They are generally more expensive than other methods of hydration, so make sure the one you buy has a comfortable fit. Improper fits can cause bouncing (imagine if you wore an incorrectly fitting sports bra!) and pain in the back and shoulders. Look for a snug fit and remember that it will be a lot heavier filled with water! Almost all have pockets for ID/gels. The Camelbak Annadel ($$) is designed especially for women and holds 1.5 L of fluid.

Personally, I think I’m going to try a water belt first. My long runs for the next few months will range from 6-12 miles, so I think a water belt should be able to carry an adequate amount of water for that. I will let you know which one I decide on

Sources:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Water-Bottle-Belt-For-Serious-Runners&id=2380125

****************************************

See you tonight for:

1. What was that in the corner of my grocery goods?

2. Easy-peasy-yummy-vegan PASTA!

For pre-run fuel, I had a bowl of Nature’s Path Flax Plus Multibran Cereal with organic jumbo raisins and about a cup of soy milk.

I ate around 10 and went for my run around 12, and I was hungry! I thought about eating a small snack before heading out, but decided against it and I forgot to bring my Luna Sport Moons that I was going to try out. A lesson for next time. I think I’m going to look into getting one of those belts that holds water or a CamelBak, because as my long runs start increasing in miles, I know that I need to stay hydrated.

Running Stats:

• Time: 1:07:12
• Distance: 5.8 miles
• Pace: 11:35 per mile

Needless to say, when I got back, I was starving! I fixed up a green smoothie:

It contained:

• one leaf of organic-grown kale
• 2 cups organic spinach
• 5 frozen strawberries
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 c soy milk
• 2 c ice (I wanted it cold with lots of volume!)

Alongside, I had a cashew butter & strawberry jam sandwich on an Arnold’s sandwich thin and a side of honeydew melon.

For dessert, I had half of a “Vegan Nirvana” cookie from the bakery in town, Lou’s. They are made with pumpkin, dark chocolate chips, walnuts, and cranberries. Delicious! I had a spoonful of white chocolate pb on top.

******************************************************************

Later on today:

1. Results of grocery shopping Sunday!

2. Research on hydration methods during a run

3. An easy, yummy, vegan pasta recipe!