Coeur d'Alene half marathon 2011 race report



I finished

This may be the least informative race report ever. 

My day started out at 5:30a.  I woke up just before the alarm went off, immediately drank a large glass of water along with my supplements and ate some leftover pork loin, half an avocado, and some blueberries.



The biggest blueberries ever

The night before, I had laid all my clothes and gear out to make sure I wouldn't forget anything.

Just a little after 6:30a we drove down to Riverstone.  My husband dropped me off and I went to go mill around while he found a parking spot.  While he was parking I made a pit stop at the porta potties.  Luckily I was able to get in line right after the full marathoners left so the line was actually pretty short.  I was surprised at how long it took for the glass of water I drank to go through.  If I was doing it again, I definitely would have given myself a little longer between waking and leaving for the race.  The potties were not bad in the morning, but we passed by again after the race and people were opening doors and immediately closing them to look for another potty.  Use your imagination... or don't.

Amazingly, my husband and I found each other again while we were waiting to line up for the race start.  Not much later, it was time to line up and we said goodbye.  I took a place at what I thought was near the back, but as we got closer to our 7:30a start time, I went even farther back.  I had heard that you can get run over if you line up too close to the front and I definitely wanted to pace myself and not get caught up in the crowd or tripped or run over.

And we're off!  My husband says I am somewhere in here but I have no clue where.

I honestly don't remember if there was a countdown, or a bell, or what they used to start the race, I just know that it took about a minute to get from my starting point to the start line.  I couldn't see the front very well but everyone really seemed pretty courteous and I didn't see anyone fall, trip, or get pushed.  Even though I was consciously trying to stick to my planned pace I was surprised at how hard it was to actually do it. 

The trail narrowed off after about a half mile so we were packed together pretty tightly for awhile.  I saw a number of people walking 3 or 4 abreast, blocking almost the entire trail, and it took a fair bit of patience to get through the first mile and find a decent spot with other people who were going my pace.  There were a couple other sections where I had to pass through a dense crowd, but for most of the race I had plenty of room.

About a mile in?  Feeling strong!

I wish I had some sweet details or funny stories about stuff that happened during the race, but I couldn't have planned a more perfect race, really.  I felt great, I kept a good pace, nothing out of the ordinary happened (well, there was one thing that I was unable to plan adequately for, but it's kind of too much information to post here), and I don't think I could have run a better race.

Here are my stats, with commentary:

Chip time:  2:41:04
Avg pace (chip): 12:18/mi

Garmin moving time: 2:37:04 (I made two pit stops, slightly off course)
Garmin Avg pace: 11:46/mi (this is a significantly faster pace than any of my training runs)
Avg HR: 147 bpm (almost 10 bpm over my training rates)
Max HR: 168 bpm

As I said, I'm really pleased with how I did.  I came in 1146 out of 1412 finishers, which kind of made me chuckle.  Not too great when you compare me against the others, but when you consider that the goal was to finish, and I did that plus ran better than I trained, I'm quite satisfied  =)

Here are some more pics from the race:

Motoring along.  The runners had thinned out by this time

That chick in the purple was tough to get around, but she fell back after awhile.  She would walk and then when I tried to pass she would start running again.

Right before the turn around

Just passed halfway!  Still feeling good

Refueling with dates and coconut oil

Significantly after turnaround... feeling good and rocking out to music  =)

At the finish

Looking a little haggard

Tired, but happy

The dreaded ice bath.  Not as bad as I had anticipated.

Here are some of my best training/recovery tips:
- Strength train. Especially your legs. The course in this race was really pretty flat (I think my Garmin said there was a total of 320 feet elevation gain) so I didn't train for hills but I did squat and deadlift a lot and I really think that helped with the few hills I did encounter. Most of the people going my pace walked up the hills we came across, or they were really laboring to slowly jog up them. I was able to just motor up the hills with no problems, and I really attribute that to the squatting and deadlifting. Learn how to squat to full depth (erm... ass to the grass. Youtube is a decent resource... check out this video), and if you don't know how to deadlift then do lots of lunges and work up to lunges with weight. You will thank me!

- Ice bath after the race.  Maybe it's just me, but I did this, plus a contrast shower, and I was not sore today.  Fill the tub with cold water, dump in a bag of ice, and sit in it until the ice melts.  The water doesn't have to be high... just covering your legs is fine.

- Contrast showers.  It sounds crazy but there is science behind it.  After training, at the end of my normal shower I would just turn the water to cold and make a couple turns in the cold water, then turn it back to warm for a minute, then do the cold again.  I actually kind of started to enjoy it  =|   I did these after a lot of my training runs because they are really supposed to help with recovery.

- Do a short run the day after the race.  Getting some circulation going the day after the race will also help with recovery.  I felt good this morning so I did a 2.5 mile walk with a few intervals of slow jogging.

- If possible, have support along the course.  I initially told my husband not to worry about following me along the course, but he did anyway and I was so glad to see him!  I never really got a 'down in the dumps' feeling but it really lifted my spirits to see a friendly, familiar face and to hear him cheering for me.  He was so sweet to follow my progress, cheer, and take pics.  I love you, Aaron  =D

I'll post more tips as I think of them!

My running strategy, paleo fueling

I realized I haven't really talked much about my running strategy.  Basically, I'm following Mark Sisson's heart rate recommendations for staying in low level aerobic activity range most of the time I'm running.  For me this maxes out at about 145 bpm.  It also means I am probably technically jogging, not running.  Meh.  The reason I'm keeping my heart rate around this level is that I don't want to be burning sugar (glycogen) as fuel while I'm covering long distances.  I eat a relatively low carb diet because I feel better eating that way, and I also feel better when I use primarily fat for fuel during exercise instead of sugar.  After my first couple runs at 150 to 155 bpm, I realized I was going to have to slow it down or start loading up on carbs.  You can see which I chose!

For my longer weekend runs, I try to run the first half of my scheduled mileage at or under 145 bpm.  After about an hour, I start pushing a little harder and that's generally the point at which I'll go for the sugary fuel.  I've tried several different things, but this is what I've settled on.  A variation of Brendan Brazier's Direct Fuel Bites.  Here's the recipe with my modifications and measurements:

Coconut date direct fuel bites, adapted

4 oz pitted dates (medjool or deglet noor are fine)
28g (2 tbsp) coconut oil (softened or melted)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
zest from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp sea salt  (I used Real Salt for extra minerals)
1 packet Cococeps (totally optional.  I had this laying around and wanted to check it out for the adaptogen factor)

Throw everything in the food processor and process until a smooth paste forms.  Separate into 8 servings.  I found that it's easiest to portion it using waxed paper, and then wrap the individual servings in little parchment squares.  I keep them in the freezer, and right before a run I'll tuck several in a zip lock and put it in the pocket of my hydration belt.  They get soft during a run, but stay in the parchment pretty well and come off easily.

From my couple experiments with these, I have found that one every 30 minutes after the first hour is okay, but for the race I plan to eat one every 20 minutes after the first hour.

Other things I've tried:

Dark chocolate - I thought this would be great because of it's high fat content and little bit of sugar and caffeine.  Maybe a little is good, but I wasn't able to stick to just a little.  And a whole bar before a run is definitely a bad thing for the tummy.

Hammer gel - I tried this once and while the taste was acceptable, by the time I felt any type of energy from the darn thing I was already running way too low on fuel.  Admittedly, this could have been my fault for timing it wrong and I'm sure it would work in a pinch, but it wasn't my favorite solution.

Coconut oil, raisins, cocoa powder, protein powder, salt - This one was okay, but coconut oil is hard to manage when it gets melty, which doesn't take long!  Also, the protein powder during the run and the fiber from the cocoa powder upset my stomach.

Coconut water - I have used this as a sports drink on my long runs up until this last weekend even, but how well it works seems to depend a lot on which brand agrees with your digestive system.  The one that agreed with me most was the O.N.E. brand, but last Saturday at about mile 7 I was just tired of it and refilled my bottle with plain old water.  I am pretty sure I'll just stick with water for the race, too.

So, that about wraps it up for my running and fueling strategies.  I have to say that as Sunday gets nearer and nearer, I'm getting more and more nervous!  I know I will finish, but I think the nerves are inevitable  =)

Taper week, 10 mile run, bacon party, and faileo

It's been a bumpy ride the last few weeks, but I've officially reached my taper week.  Or maybe I should say, I've finally reached my official taper week.  Over the last few weeks I've been dealing with overtraining, lack of motivation, some poor food choices and the consequences of those choices.  As a result I've backed off a little from my training schedule and it's had me a little concerned I might not be prepared enough by race time.

But, Saturday I completed my 10 mile run and it felt okay.  Not good.  Not great.  But okay enough that I feel confident I can complete the race.  Here are the stats from my 10 mile run on Saturday:

Distance: 10.03 mi

Moving time: 2:08:13

Avg HR: 139

Max HR: 159

Avg moving pace: 12:47:17

My pace was a little under what I figured my race pace would be.  I think part of that is that I just didn't want to push too hard the week before the race.  Maybe part of it is due to sub-par nutrition as well.  If I can tighten up my diet this week and get some good rest I am sure I'll have more in the tank come race day.

Something struck me as funny as I got started jogging, heading out of my neighborhood while chewing a rough spot on my nail, which I feel a silly need to state is not something I make a habit of.  I thought, "I'm chewing my nail as if I'm just mosey-ing along with nothing better to do.  I think this running thing has just become another part of my life" and I chuckled slightly to myself.

In other, food related news...  I spent most of Friday preparing for our bacon party.  I must have sent 8 or more pans like this through the oven!



Bacon, ready for the oven

The menu was not paleo (though I managed to keep the whole affair gluten free!) and it consisted of:

Almond stuffed bacon wrapped dates

Goat cheese stuffed bacon wrapped dates

Caramelized onion and bacon dip with veggies

Bacon explosion

Baked potato salad

Broccoli and bacon salad

Chocolate chip cookies with bacon

Bacon and toffee cookies

Dark chocolate bacon fudge



Here is the spread

Stupidly, perhaps, I planned to do this while I was still logging pretty high mileage.  With the exception of the copious amounts of dark chocolate I've been consuming recently and the occasions I've gone, uh, nuts with the nut butters, my diet has been pretty clean. 

As I mentioned, I managed to keep everything gluten free, but there was a fair bit of sugar in several of the dishes.  I did not cut the sugar in the cookies, and dates are, of course, just little bits of sugar.  There was dairy in the dip, and obviously the cheese.  The fudge was dairy free, but the toffee bits clearly aren't sugar free, and neither are the gazillion dark chocolate bars I used to make it.

Dark chocolate, I've come to realize, is a slippery slope for me.  It's one of Mark Sisson's sensible vices, and has positive qualities including mood enhancement and a high antioxidant content.  There are also downsides including added sugar, caffiene (though some may consider that a plus), and a really high calorie content. 

I was fortunate enough to be gifted a LOT of quality dark chocolate for Christmas.  I mean, it honestly must have been well over $100 worth of chocolate.  But it's been a blessing and a curse.

First, chocolate is not paleo.  It sounds stupid to say, and it sounds obvious, but it has taken me a long time to realize this, due in part to the fact that dark chocolate is pretty regularly consumed by people who follow the primal movement.  A chocolate bar, no matter it's quality or country of origin, is a highly processeed food that contains added sugar.  I think it can be a very occasional treat, but should not be a regular part of a clean natural foods diet.  At least not my natural foods diet.

Second, it seems I've become unable to resist the stuff.  Shortly after Christmas I taped all my wonderful gifted chocolate in a box and placed it in the closet because, honestly, I had further weight loss goals and was having a hard time looking at the tower of chocolate all day long.  Not long after that taped shut box was in the closet, there was a ripped open and retaped box in it's place.  And then, there was a double sealed, double ripped open taped up box on my desk, until I asked my husband to put it somewhere I wouldn't find it until May.

Then, I started buying small size dark chocolate bars at the grocery store, and eating them before my run.  At first, it was nice to have a little bit of chocolate before a run.  I got a nice little energy and caffiene kick and felt really good while running.  But I soon started to not feel so hot during and after the runs where I ate chocolate.  By then, I knew where the chocolate box was and the last few weeks have been a full on dark chocolate fest.

I have eaten 3 to 4 oz bars of chocolate before several recent runs, and every time it's been a poor experience.  Once I got really sick afterwards, and the stuff jacks my heart rate so high I have a hard time keeping my heart rate down where I want it to be, causing me to run on sugar instead of fat during my run, which hasn't been working well because my carb intake is pretty low, which raises my cortisol and....aaahhh!!!  It's a cascade of stress on my body. 

Basically, I can't control myself and it has been taking it's toll on my energy and health and fitness goals.  I've also been getting some nasty muscle cramps since my chocolate consumption has been high.

With the exception of two Trader Joe's 85% dark chocolate lovers bars, which I'm saving for a really special occasion, I have now used up my chocolate stash.  I also forced myself to dispose of the remaining chocolate bacon fudge which I have been less than successful at restraining myself from today.

I have to say, I am hugely relieved!

The bacon party is over, the chocolate is gone, and I'm ready to get back on track.

For the last several days I've been waffling about what I want my next health and fitness goal to be.  Now, I've decided: after the race, I'm going to take two to three months to really dial in my diet and refocus on exercise with the goal of losing 8 lbs.  Then, I will reasses and switch my focus to something strength or aesthetically related (ie: building muscle).

Coming up in the next several posts: recipes and pics from the bacon party, and details on my nutrition and fitness plans.

Vitamin C, l-glutamine, and sleep to the rescue! Plus, the next big thing?

Just a quick update...

I have been feeling lots better the last couple days.  I took a few days to really focus on getting good sleep and have been following a simple vitamin c protocol (3 grams of vitamin c spread throughout the day) to help bring my stress hormone levels down.  I'm also taking a gram of l-glutamine daily for good measure.  Since I've been supplementing the quality of my sleep has really improved.

I'm a little nervous since I've still been tired and unmotivated to put much effort into running this week.  Tuesday I did an easy 3.5 miles with lots of walking, and today I did 4.5 miles with a little walking.  Saturday is my last long run before the race... going for 10 miles. *gulp*  Next week is my official taper and I have a few short runs scheduled, and a big chunk of rest towards the end of the week.

The thing is, I know I can do it.  I have no doubt I will complete that 13.1 miles on race day.  I am just growing tired of logging so many miles per week.  I am not cut out to be any type of distance runner.

To avoid the post-race blues, I've been seriously considering what I want my next goal to be.  For the last few months I've been really excited about the possibility of going back to CrossFit.  Now, that's a topic for a whole other post, but I'll just say that I am kind of hesitating now... I'm undecided about going back.

The other thing I have been considering is working on some bodybuilding stuff.  I'd really like to shed some more fat and put on more muscle.  The only reason I'm hesitating to jump full-on into it is that it's an aspiration but there's no real goal, and right now I think I need a goal to focus on.

So, things are up in the air right now.  I'm going to take about two weeks after the race to adjust my diet and figure out where I want to go with things.  For now I'm using most of my free time to steep in some heavy nutrition and exercise literature.  I'll update more on what I'm reading in the near future!  One thing for sure, whatever plan I choose I'm doing it paleo-style  =)

Running update

Last Saturday I completed my 9 mile long run.  I felt really good when I was finished and my body seemed to recover from the effort really well.  I wasn't even sore the following day.  Last week's stats:

Tuesday 5/3  5.42 miles
Time: 1:08:28
Avg HR: 139
Max HR: 159

Thursday 5/5  5.38 miles
Time: 1:10:44
Avg HR: 139
Max HR: 157

Saturday 5/7 9.5 miles
Time: 1:53:53
Avg HR: 141
Max HR: 157

Something happened this week, though.  I was feeling pretty great Tuesday before and during my 5 mile run, but when I got home I got sick to my stomach and very achy.  Thursday's run was tough and I probably should've cut it short.  I did an 'easy' 5 miles of sprint, walk, run intervals and was able to complete the 5 miles.  My recovery from Tuesday's and Thursday's runs has been difficult, so last night I went to bed early and got a couple extra hours of sleep and skipped today's planned 10 miles.

I think, honestly, I'm riding the edge of being overtrained.  I've had some hyper-cortisol symptoms this week, some difficulty sleeping, and some stress going on here at home.  I've also been dealing with some inflammatory symptoms -- connective tissue pain, inflamed gums and other things.  Even though it was difficult mentally to not complete my planned training today, I know I'm doing the right thing for my body.

This training process has really shown me that I have the mental toughness to set a big goal and follow through with it.  It's shown me that I'm able to affect change in my body.  I've developed a love for running and made it a part of my life.

I have never been under the impression that chronic cardio is health promoting, but training for the half has really brought that fact home for me.  Between my last couple (rather stressful) months at CrossFit and this near-overtraining experience I'm beginning to recognize the ways in which I need to guard my health and wellbeing when I'm trying to... improve my health and wellbeing!

So, as I said above, I've developed a love for running but I will be so glad to be done with training for this race!  I've got a few plans I'm considering as 'the next big thing' but nothing's set in stone yet.  Possibilities?  Taking a couple months to focus on leaning out, or maybe just enjoy hiking and backpacking this summer and looking forward to starting CrossFit in the fall... though, that's a topic all on it's own.

Back to the present.  One big training week left and then taper week!  Hopefully I can rest up enough over the next couple days to be able to hit it hard (and smart) next week.

Randomness

I really need to do better with keeping this blog updated!  There have been lots of times I've wanted to write but I've just been short on time to do it.

Last week I took kind of a 'deload' week with my training... I ran 3 days but I did less mileage, and took it pretty easy with the weights, too.  This week I'm back to my scheduled workouts.  Tonight was a 5 mile run, and after Sunday's squat heavy session (5x5 backsquats and bench press, then 150 squats and 60 pushups), running was very, very difficult.  For some reason my DOMS took a couple days to develop, so even though I rested Monday it really hit me today and my quads were stiff and sore.  A couple times during my run I had to apply a fair bit of pressure to the muscles with my thumbs to get them to loosen up, along with some stretching.

The other thing I'm kind of having problems with is fueling.  I tried a gel (Hammer gel, huckleberry flavor) today about halfway through and I just don't like it.  It digests fine, but when I use sugar or carbs during my run I end up with mad carb cravings for the rest of the day, and then I overeat.  So far, I'm really liking a little bit of dark chocolate before a run because I get a little sugar, a fair bit of fat, and a little caffeine kick, and I think coconut oil during the run with a little bit of dried fruit works too.  I may experiment more with those fuel sources to see if I can make that work on the longer runs.  I just have to figure out how to make it a little more portable.

Last Saturday was my birthday and I had a great day!  I got a super sweet cookware set from my husband.  I have had the same 'cheap' (it was $60 when we bought it, and that was a lot of money at the time!) cookware set for 10 years, since we got together.  It was nonstick, came out of the box warped, and has probably been flaking teflon and chemicals into our food for the past couple years.



This cookware has seen better days!

 And this is what I now have... a shiny new 13 piece set of Calphalon tri-ply!

I also decided that instead of going out for dinner (yuck) I would make some slow cooked ribs.  They turned out excellent.  Recipe to follow!

There are officially 4 training weeks left until the half-marathon, and I'm getting a little nervous.  I know I will finish, but I hope I can finish with a semi-respectable time.  I think the most nerve wracking part is the heavy training volume over the next few weeks.  C'mon body... stay strong!

Intuitive eating experiment - FAIL! And sugar IS poison

Well, by the end of day one of my intuitive eating week, I failed and logged my food.  I think I've been doing it for so long by now it's just become habit.  It's sick.  Not sure where I will go next with this, but it's not a huge concern at the moment, just another time waster.

Annndd.... Yesterday and today I ate a few squares of 88% dark chocolate.  Today, binge-o-rama.   I demolished half a jar of sunflower butter and completely screwed my calorie deficit for the day (and then some!)  Obviously my body is unable to handle added sugar of any kind because when I have it, it triggers insane cravings.  I seem to do fine with dark chocolate before a run, and I actually find it to be pretty good fuel, but if it's not immediately before a workout then forget it.  Like Dr. Lustig says, sugar is poison. 

In other, less food related news running is going really well.  I struggled a little with hydration and fueling last week on my 7 mile run, but I'm going to pick up a hydration pack and make sure to get that straightened out before I run that far outside again.  My body is feeling good and I'm actually enjoying my runs most of the time.  When I get my recent stats loaded up I'll post them!

Finally... I acheived a bodyweight deadlift yesterday, woohoo!

Playing catch up

I hate to be one of those bloggers that says, "Oh, sorry I haven't posted in a long time..."  But, sorry I haven't posted in a long time.

I have still been running, still been keeping paleo, and am feeling pretty great!  Here are some quick stats from recent runs.  It seems I've been doing some pretty shoddy record keeping, but here's what I have:

3/22
3.5 mi run
Time: 55:57
Avg HR: 141
Max HR: 168

3/23
3x3 press and deadlift

3/24
3.5 mi run
Time: 45:10
Avg HR: 142
Max HR: 168

3/26
5.1 mi run
Time: 1:04:05
Avg HR: 137
Max HR: 164

3/27
3x3 bench press and squat
assitance work (squats and pushups)
clean and jerk skill work

3/28
5 rounds of
50 jump rope
25 kb swings 25#
5 60# c&j
3 pullups

3/29
4 mi run, no other stats

3/30
5,3,1 press and deadlift

3/31
4 mi run, no other stats

4/2
6 mi run plus 1 mile with husband later
Time: 76:03
Forgot hrm at home

4/3
5,3,1 bench and squat
50 sq, 30 plu
5 c&j 55#
40 situps, 40 back extensions

4/4
no workout recorded... can't remember if I rested or not!

4/5
4 mi run
Time: 53:09
Avg HR: 141
Max HR: 180

4/6
3x5 push press (55,60,65) and deadlift (105, 115, 125)
3 rounds of
30 lunges, 10 pullups
c&j - 55#, 60#, 65#

4/7
am 4 mile run
ran fasted, lost stats in my hrm but the run went really well

4/9
on vacation!
6 mi run
Time: 1:20:56
Avg HR:  146
Max HR: 172

4/10
took rest day

4/11
on vacation still!
ran/walked 3 miles, every 1/4 mile did 20 squats, 20 psu for total of 160 each exercise.  This was a good workout

4/12
4.5 mi run outside, felt great

Strength training wise, I've been keeping with Wendler's 5/3/1 program up until this last week where I decided to switch to mostly bodyweight exercises.  I was getting a little bored with the program, but the main reason I switched it up was because we were out of town this last weekend.  I am not sure if I want to go back to 5/3/1 at this point or if I want to work on some other stuff at this point, but I better figure it out soon since I have a strength workout scheduled tomorrow.

Twice in the last week or so I've experimented with some different pre-run fueling.  I did one fasted morning run, which actually went really well surprisingly, and two runs after eating a small dark chocolate bar.  I figured, the dark chocolate (Dagoba 87% is what I've used because the small bar is the perfect size) is high in fat and has a little bit of carbs.  Since I'm primarily trying to run using fat as fuel I though this might work out well.  It's also nice that dark chocolate has a little bit of caffeine.  I may experiment with this some more.

On our vacation I had the privilege to be in charge of most of the meals for myself, my husband, and my father in law.  I was also able to share some information with my father-in-law about the paleo diet, and it was awesome to actually have someone willing to listen, and maybe even a little bit interested!  The other thing that happened was that I ended up losing a couple pounds on vacation, weighing in this morning at 154.4, which is the lowest I've been in over a month.  Overall, I think we all ended up coming home feeling pretty good instead of run-down from eating a bunch of crappy food.  Well, my husband had a little too much sugar, but I think he knew what he was getting himself into.

My training schedule really starts ramping up now until race day, adding an additional mile every week.  Depending on how I feel, I may back off a little one of those weeks.  With the exception of some hip pain during our vacation I'm feeling strong and injury free.  I think the hip pain was due to sitting a lot during travel... Monday we spent 9 hours in the car!  Hopefully it will stay away from now on.

For those interested, I photo blogged just about every morsel I ate while we were gone, it's all over at my food blog.  I did succumb to a piece and a half of salt water taffy while we were gone.  It was good, but I know I feel better without it and I have to say I enjoyed the smoked salmon a lot more!

Long run stats, menu plan, disappointment, and pain. Plus a new strategy!

Wow, could I have come up with a more depressing title?

First, a warning, this post is not 'all about' running or paleo.  It will probably be filled with whining.

The week has been rough.  Nothing's really wrong.  I haven't injured myself.  No one has died.  But, Wednesday I lost my running buddy.

When I first got the wild hair to run the half marathon, I asked someone at work if she would be interested in running a well known local 12k with me, which takes place a few weeks before the half.  It seemed like we had quite a bit in common and I was hoping to make a new friend.  She agreed, we discussed plans to do our weekly long runs together, I shared my training schedule with her and she liked it and decided to follow it.  We had been updating each other on our results via Facebook.  It was nice to have someone to talk running with.    Well, Wednesday she told me that she is having surgery the week before the race and so she's decided not to do it.

Now, surgery is a totally legitimate reason to cancel something.  But since there's so much time between now and then I asked if she still wanted to run on Saturdays and she said no.  Then she mentioned that she's "still following my training schedule!"  and, "has really started to love running!" 

We never actually got to run together because the weather here has been yucky lately, and I am probably taking this far too personally.  But I can't help but feel like I got, uh... honey badgered.  As in, "Thanks for the treats, stupid!"  (this video is not safe for work due to language)



I didn't think it would really affect me as much as it has.  Running the half was my personal goal from the start and I usually prefer to exercise on my own.  Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with running.  Maybe I'm just disappointed that it seems like she didn't want to run with me.

So, along with getting that news Wednesday, the rest of the week has had me in a little funk.  My legs were sore during my run on Tuesday and it was painful.  I still did my press and deadlift workout on Wednesday though I did fewer reps of the assistance work. Thursday I decided to skip my run due to knee pain (okay, okay, I was a little sad, too!  But mostly it was because of my knees) and of course Friday was my scheduled rest day.

Aside from the difficulty with running and my lack of a social life, I've been feeling bingey all week long.  I've had a couple run-ins with homemade almond butter and a little too much fruit.  The scale has been creeping up and I'm about 5 lbs over the weight I was at when I started this whole thing.

I guess that leads me to my new strategy.  Feeling disenchanted with running, for whatever the reason may be, I downloaded The Primal Blueprint.  I've always liked Mark Sisson's take on chronic cardio, and I had it in the back of my mind since before I decided to train for the half.  I haven't finished the book yet, but I've decided to change up my training strategy a bit based on Mark's recommendations.  Basically this means lowering my intensity during my runs, adding in sprints once a week, and continuing to lift weights.  See below:

I tried to keep my hr during today's run between 55 and 75% of my max (105-144 bpm).  This meant that instead of running I was pretty much at a slow jog, with a couple short walk breaks if my hr got over my target zone.  I have to say, it definitely took me longer to do my 4 miles today than it did last week, but I could tell I didn't dip into my glycogen stores as much as I have in the past.  I came home feeling pretty stable and I didn't need a piece of fruit or a sweet potato after my run.

Distance: 4.26 miles
Time: 56:12
Avg HR: 132
Max HR: 157

Along with switching up my training strategy, I'm trying a couple different things with food this week.  No fruit except berries, and no nuts except macadamia nuts.  The fruit is definitely affecting me in the same way sugar does (makes me want to binge, eat when I'm not hungry, and puts me in a nasty mood!) and the nuts are just too easy to overconsume.  I stopped buying almond butter for that reason, but it looks like even the 2 year old bag of raw almonds in the pantry is a trap, the nuts are just screaming to be turned into almond butter (delicious when roasted, salted, and ground up with some coconut oil  *drool*).  Anyway.  The goal is to try the lower intensity running for a bit, and to keep my insulin well controlled.  Hopefully I'll see a bit of improvement with these changes!

This week's menu:

Roast chicken

Carrots and curried cauliflower

Salad

Pork roast

Roasted root veggies

Salad

Meatballs and pasta sauce

Garlic green beans, spaghetti squash

Salad

Leftovers

Carrots

Salad

Macadamia nut chicken

Broccoli

Salad

Leftovers

Broccoli

Salad

Midweek blah and righting my attitude about food

I've wanted to sit down to write so many times during the last few days but I just haven't had the time.

My body has felt... a little rough this week.  Part of it is that I'm working out so often, and I think the other part has to do with supplementation.  After my first couple runs I began to notice what I thought were some indications of rising cortisol levels.  My husband has been taking l-glutamine for a couple weeks and it's supposed to be good for a lot of things like healing the gut, muscle building, workout recovery, and managing cortisol levels, so I started taking it.

The last couple days, however, I've been feeling 'off'.  A few dizzy spells, quite tired, having a hard time getting motivated to work out, feeling especially sore, not recovering as well as I was, etc.  Earlier this week I happened to listen to a podcast where the person being interviewed mentioned that even though glutamine is good for healing the gut, some people have to be careful because it's a GABA precursor.  I probably can't do a very good job explaining the neuro-endocrine side of how it all fits together, but the way I've been feeling leads me to believe that it's the l-glutamine that's making me feel weird.  I've stopped taking it for now and I'll see if my situation improves.

In light of how I've been feeling this week, yesterday's run was a slog.  I didn't want to go, had no motivation to do it, barely dragged my behind out of the house, and did the bare minimum required to get it done.  I knew going into training that I'd have some days like that so I'm just glad that I got the miles in.  I also took Monday as a rest day and cut back on my assistance work after my weights session tonight.  Tomorrow's another day, though, and hopefully my brain chemistry will return to normal soon so I can start feeling a little better!

There must be something going on around the paleo blogging community lately because I've seen two blog posts about this recently... the need to adjust one's thinking and behaviors surrounding food.  One is from Primal Kitchen and the other from AndreAnna.  It seems I've started taking the attitude that since I've worked out I should be eating larger portions because "of course I need to have plenty of food to recover properly"!

I've been tracking my intake for months now, and what I've realized lately is that I'll eat to fulfill my calorie allotment even when I'm not hungry.  Even when I'm stuffed, I'll finish my portion because I've already counted it into my allowance.  I really want to shift towards a more intuitive based style of eating.  I'm not sure how this will end up looking when all is said and done, but expect to see a few more posts about working towards that goal.  I started this morning.  When I woke up I wasn't hungry, so I had some broth and didn't eat until lunch.  At lunch I had a snack sized portion of food, and then ate my lunch when I came home because my stomach was growling.  After years of not being able to trust my body's hunger signals, it's going to take awhile to learn how to respond to them.

Luckily I've got plenty of opportunity to figure it out!

Day 1 of Wendler 5/3/1 and some randomness

First day of lifting for this strength cycle, done.

Today's strength workout:
3x5 press  35, 40, 45#
3x5 deadlift  80, 90, 100#
20 pull ups, 60 push ups, 60 walking lunges, 60 abmat situps

We had a class at our church tonight scheduled for 6:30p, so I had planned to rush home, do my workout, and get dinner on the table before we headed out.  Well, it seemed like everything was conspiring against me today.  On the way to work this morning I ran out of washer fluid not even half way there, and there had been deicer sprayed on the roads so my windshield was sticky, which meant I had to go pick up a bottle of washer fluid before heading home.  Then, while I was at work we got several inches of snow, or so it appeared.  I work about 20 miles from home, and in between home and work there is what I like to call the Bermuda Triangle of weather.  At home, we got between 8" and 10", and the roads were (are!) covered in a sheet of ice, and there were multiple slide-offs on the freeway.

So, traffic was a mess and the roads were dangerous.  I finally made it home, quickly changed, and went into the uninsulated garage in about 20 degree weather to lift freezing cold metal things.  I was able to finish my workout in about a half hour, then went to prepare dinner.  In the middle of my preparations, and running later than I'd planned I got a call saying that our class was cancelled.  Thank God.  After that we were able to have a leisurely dinner and relax a bit.

That was a really long explanation, basically just to say that I was stressed and crunched for time, but still managed to get my workout in.  Whew!  I can't wait for the snow to go away!

Other than complaining about the weather, here's some of what I ate today.

b: chicken breast, broccoli slaw sauteed in coconut oil,
blueberries, and 1/2 an avocado.
l: chicken breast, roasted curried cauliflower and
carrots in coconut oil

Pre-training week is over, official training starts tomorrow!

Things have been busy around here!  I have tried several times to sit down and write a post but each time I do I find I'm sidetracked with more pressing things. 

Last week I got 4 workouts in.  Monday was 3x5 push press and back squat, followed up with 60 bodyweight squats and 20 pullups.  Tuesday was approximately a 3.15 mile run which took 42:05.  Thursday was 3x5 overhead squat (super pathetic weights on this one, obviously I need to work on my OHS!) and 5x5 deadlift, followed by 50 squats, 40 situps, 20 pushups and 15 pullups.  Saturday was a decent little run... 3.5 miles in 42:xx minutes.  I'm also sad to report that my Polar HRM officially died Saturday.

I've been doing great with keeping my diet clean, but I've also taken on a lot in this area as far as work goes, especially since I'm know working a little harder at planning paleo meals for my husband.  Last Sunday I tried the tactic of doing a big cooking marathon in the afternoon and it worked pretty well for keeping the rest of the week open for training so I tried the same thing again today, except I went bigger since I knew the training volume would be picking up this week.  Between last night and today, I:

roll cut, stuffed, and tied a pork loin for roasted sun-dried tomato and rosemary pork loin (a full loin, minus the tiny roast at the end, which is for later this week) and roasted it
roasted 2 chickens
made mayonnaise
mixed 5+ lbs of pork sausage and divided it up to freeze
chopped 6 bell peppers, 2 onions, a cucumber, 2 tomatoes, a head of cauliflower, 2 lbs of carrots, 2 apples, and 5 heads of lettuce
made deviled eggs
made a week's worth of sausage, pepper and onion egg muffins for husband's breakfast

So, most of my veggie prep is done for the next couple days, but tomorrow I have to marinate and cook two flank steaks.  The rest of the week should be pretty easy, due to the amount of leftovers we will have, I'll just need to cut some veggies mid week for salads, maybe make some dressing, and cook another pork roast later this week.

I also did our menu plan for the whole week:

Tomato and rosemary roast pork loin

Broccoli

Salad

Marinated Flank Steak

Broccoli

Salad

Roast chicken

Carrots and cauliflower

Salad

Leftover pork loin

Garlic green beans

Salad

Leftover roast chicken or thighs/breasts, or apricot pork loin roast

Broccoli

Salad

Baked salmon and cod

Garlic green beans

Salad

Annnnnd.... I figured out my strength workouts for this week.

Phew!  I'm exhausted!

Shoes and pre-pre-training week run

Hallelujah, I have new shoes!

I've needed some new running shoes for awhile now.  I started in these... two seasons old trail shoes:

Then, out of necessity (the New Balance's best days had long passed) I ran in my Pumas, which I had been using for CrossFit:

In general, I've found most Pumas to be very narrow and these are no exception.  I definitely do not have a narrow foot, so I always felt like my heel was sliding off the sole when I ran.  They work pretty well for CrossFit and lifting, but they are not a distance running shoe.

Today I bought these, the Nike Free Run +:

And I absolutely LOVE them.  The uppers fit like a comfy glove, the heel is just wide enough to feel stable, but not too wide, and there is just enough arch support, but not too much.  I took them on a 3 mile run this afternoon on the treadmill and from what I can tell, they are going to be a great pair of shoes.  I was going back and forth between these and the Free 3.0 v2, but I could only find them online and really wanted to see them in person before I made a decision.  My local sporting goods store had these in stock and they were $10 off, so I was pretty excited!

I struggled a little on this afternoon's run.  Miles 1 and 2 were okay, I kept about a 12 minute per mile pace, heart rate around 150 bpm.  Mile 3 was tough and I walked for a couple minutes.  I have had hip pain in the past from running and backpacking and it already hurt a little when I hit the gym today.  I saw a chiropractor a couple years ago who said my left leg is 3 mm shorter than my right (my guess is this happened when I fractured my pelvis 12 years ago) and he suggested I wear a small lift.  I lost it, but it may be time to get a replacement.

Today's approximate stats are...

Distance: 3.2 miles

Avg HR: 134

Max HR: 174

Time: 45 mins

I forgot to stop my HR monitor until I got home, so the time is a little inaccurate.

Unofficial plans for the upcoming week are to run twice, 3 miles each time, and two full body weights sessions.

On the nutrition front, I decided to come off my freaky diet early, and I've been eating clean paleo since I made that decision last Thursday.  It was very difficult to maintain something so strict, mentally and physically.  I know I made the right decision and haven't had any issues with overeating or cravings.  I'm still considering doing the Whole30, and our house is ramping up for a full month of clean eating starting February 20th.  I'm sure I'll be posting recipes, and look in the sidebar for a link to photos of what I'm eating and cooking!



Spreading the paleo love

A couple months ago I hesitantly asked my husband if he would ever consider doing a 30 day paleo challenge with me.  To my surprise, he agreed!  Our household paleo challenge, which will be known as the 'healthy eating challenge' from now on, begins February 20th. 

He will be on a not-so-strict version of paleo, with occasional potatoes in the mix and maybe a little cheese, while I am considering embarking on my first ever Whole 30.  I thought the Whole 30 might be a nice transition from the stupid Crazy Weight Loss Diet I've been on for the last six months, to something a little less, uh... weighed, measured, and inspected under a microscope, unmaintainable... well, you get the idea.  I'd really like to shift from counting calories and measuring portions all the time to something realistic, and I think this will be a good way to do it.

Workout today:
3x5 push press 45,50,55
3x5 back squat 60,65,70
3x5 deadlift 75,85,90

Training schedule

Definitely subject to change, but for now this is what I've come up with...  Please excuse my low quality screen cap image!




My running history and thoughts on a training strategy

I have a love/hate relationship with running.  I have never been much of a runner and the longest race I've run is a 5k.

There.  That's my history.  This is the part where people might think I'm a little nuts for considering a half marathon.

When I ran my 5k, I was doing a lot of CrossFit and not much running at all besides a couple 400m runs a week.  I was thoroughly shocked to find out that cross training gets you in shape to run!  I was daunted by the 5k but I ended up running it in 35 minutes or so, and part of that was while team carrying a huge log.

After finishing the 5k, I continued to do CrossFit several times per week, and would throw in 2.5 to 3 miles runs occasionally.  At the time, my husband and I were travelling to western Washington fairly often to spend time with his family.  His mom was dying of cancer and it was a really stressful time for everyone.  Looking back, I can see that I was using running as a way to handle the stress, and through that time I started to enjoy hitting the trail in solitude in the early morning.

I haven't run much since then, and I quit CrossFit altogether in December 2009.  A few sprints on the treadmill here and there, one 2.5 mile session at the gym and one 3 mile session around the neighborhood last fall is all I've done.

Training wise, I've looked at a few half marathon plans and have found a couple that I like but I haven't settled on one yet.  I plan to run 3 times a week, strength train 3 times a week using Wendler's 5/3/1, and have at least one full day of rest.  I'm currently on a fairly low calorie diet to drop some weight (I've lost 35 lbs since September and have 18 more to go) but I'm looking forward to being done with that next month and ramping up the exercise.

Probably not many posts around here between now and February but I am excited to take on this challenge and will be back to document my progress!