Saturday, May 22, 2010
Bluebonnet 10K Race
Ran this in 56:26 - hardly a PR. However, I didn't push myself out there today, thinking there was no way I was in racing shape. I just ran this at a comfortably hard pace. Maybe I should've picked it up a few notches, because this was relatively easy, actually. I wasn't even breathing hard or sweating when I crossed the finish line. So I'm getting my running moxie back, and am so happy. Now I know I can actually "race" the next 10K or 5K I do. I feel new PR's coming up...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Fitness Nerd Info Alert
I totally recommend listening to theFitCast.com. In between the smart-ass comments, there are nuggets of great information on sports nutrition, exercise, etc. This is a must-listen-to podcast for fitness geeks! (Thanks to Bree, for mentioning it in some of her blog & forum posts.)
Am currently listening to the Berardi interview, and am distressed to see that he still hasn't gone back to sporting his soul-patch. Who am I gonna make fun of now?
Am currently listening to the Berardi interview, and am distressed to see that he still hasn't gone back to sporting his soul-patch. Who am I gonna make fun of now?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Diet Adventures
Now that my training volume has gone considerably down (and I mean, WAY DOWN - I only ran a total of 10 miles last week), I decided to take advantage of the situation and start a diet. I'm definitely one of those folks who can't do full-throttle training and adhere to strict dietary rules at the same time. If I'm training hard, I eat... whatever I want. :P And when I want to cut, I still work out, but not at the same intensity as when I'm in full-on omnivorous mode. That's just a recipe for a major disaster.
So my diet of choice turned out to be TNT. What drew me to it, you ask?
a.) there's no calorie or macros counting involved and
b.) it's a high-fat, low-carb plan*.
I'll be honest, my running hasn't been as exhilarating since I started this last week, and I've incorporated off-plan meals (i.e., low-fat carb-ups) to ensure I don't spin my wheels out on my long runs. But on the other hand, my overall energy levels have been steady, and I'm actually looking forward to my meals. I'm not stressing out over my eating, and I'm getting back in touch with my inner herbivore. Even with all the fat in the diet, the real secret weapon to its success is that you EAT.LOTS.OF.VEGGIES.
The fact that I sailed through the first week on this new plan enduring PMS is a miracle. I didn't even have a chocolate craving at all last week! I just had lots of coffee to counteract evil PMS, wheee...
I'll roll with this for 3 more weeks, and re-assess. I'm contemplating incorporating the general TNT principles into my maintenance eating, or going more paleo. We'll see.
*(And um, I like the fact that cheese, beef jerky and half & half are considered "compliant" on TNT, but low-fat anything is not.)
So my diet of choice turned out to be TNT. What drew me to it, you ask?
a.) there's no calorie or macros counting involved and
b.) it's a high-fat, low-carb plan*.
I'll be honest, my running hasn't been as exhilarating since I started this last week, and I've incorporated off-plan meals (i.e., low-fat carb-ups) to ensure I don't spin my wheels out on my long runs. But on the other hand, my overall energy levels have been steady, and I'm actually looking forward to my meals. I'm not stressing out over my eating, and I'm getting back in touch with my inner herbivore. Even with all the fat in the diet, the real secret weapon to its success is that you EAT.LOTS.OF.VEGGIES.
The fact that I sailed through the first week on this new plan enduring PMS is a miracle. I didn't even have a chocolate craving at all last week! I just had lots of coffee to counteract evil PMS, wheee...
I'll roll with this for 3 more weeks, and re-assess. I'm contemplating incorporating the general TNT principles into my maintenance eating, or going more paleo. We'll see.
*(And um, I like the fact that cheese, beef jerky and half & half are considered "compliant" on TNT, but low-fat anything is not.)
Saturday, May 15, 2010
I Did It, I Did It!
So on May 2nd, I finally ran my first marathon. I survived it, and even though I'm disappointed I didn't meet my planned time goal of 4:30, I survived and I still crossed the finish line in under 5 hours despite the heat.
And yeah, that's the other part that really ticked me off about the New Jersey Marathon: how unstable Northeastern and MidAtlantic states weather gets in the spring! It was 80 F when DH and I arrived at Philadelphia Airport the Saturday before the race. And it only got hotter once I arrived at Long Branch to start the race, which began at 9 AM - much later than what I'm accustomed to. And you know what the kicker is? The temps got back into the 50s and 60s once I left NJ. Fuckers.
I'll say that my first-time marathon experience was an enlightening one. It taught me that the kindness of strangers can be incredibly helpful, because if it weren't for them, I may not have been able to finish. Many of the spectators were hanging outside of their homes throughout the marathon, hosing people down with water or handing out ice. While the race's water stations were frequent, I am still grateful for these folks who got involved on their own.
To sum up my feelings during the marathon:
Miles 1-16: Running at a steady clip. OK, hot, but not bad.
Miles 16-25: UGH! I'm hot, then cold, then hot... And constantly thirsty. Because I was getting a clammy feeling at around mile 13, I was beginning to worry that I was getting overheated, and may pass out. Then I got plain 'ol overheated at mile 16 onward. My running becomes jogging, then I decide to simply run/walk.
Mile 25: Pass my pace leader, who at the outset of the race said this was going to be "easy." When I see him here, he's walking very slowly and looking like death.
For whatever reason, something in me got jolted awake, and I began running at a good pace (around 9 min/mi) until I crossed the finish line... It felt close to an out-of-body experience.
The sick thing after this rather uncomfortable experiment is that I want to do another marathon. You'd think I would've learned my lesson after dealing with all this. But I never learn.
And yeah, that's the other part that really ticked me off about the New Jersey Marathon: how unstable Northeastern and MidAtlantic states weather gets in the spring! It was 80 F when DH and I arrived at Philadelphia Airport the Saturday before the race. And it only got hotter once I arrived at Long Branch to start the race, which began at 9 AM - much later than what I'm accustomed to. And you know what the kicker is? The temps got back into the 50s and 60s once I left NJ. Fuckers.
I'll say that my first-time marathon experience was an enlightening one. It taught me that the kindness of strangers can be incredibly helpful, because if it weren't for them, I may not have been able to finish. Many of the spectators were hanging outside of their homes throughout the marathon, hosing people down with water or handing out ice. While the race's water stations were frequent, I am still grateful for these folks who got involved on their own.
To sum up my feelings during the marathon:
Miles 1-16: Running at a steady clip. OK, hot, but not bad.
Miles 16-25: UGH! I'm hot, then cold, then hot... And constantly thirsty. Because I was getting a clammy feeling at around mile 13, I was beginning to worry that I was getting overheated, and may pass out. Then I got plain 'ol overheated at mile 16 onward. My running becomes jogging, then I decide to simply run/walk.
Mile 25: Pass my pace leader, who at the outset of the race said this was going to be "easy." When I see him here, he's walking very slowly and looking like death.
For whatever reason, something in me got jolted awake, and I began running at a good pace (around 9 min/mi) until I crossed the finish line... It felt close to an out-of-body experience.
The sick thing after this rather uncomfortable experiment is that I want to do another marathon. You'd think I would've learned my lesson after dealing with all this. But I never learn.