Last night I got a call from my running partner that deflated me somewhat. He said, 'Okay so I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we are still on for 9 miles tomorrow. The bad news is that we miscalculated last week's 'Big run' and we only ran about 5 miles instead of six...'
**^%$#@*%**#^AAAAAaaah!!!!!!!!!... >.<
This was really a kick in the teeth because:
a) We were now behind in our training and since we only did about five miles in our last 'Big Run' we would be increasing our mileage 40% instead of the recommended 30%
b) All of our time and pace calculations were wrong so we were actually slower.
c) I'm not as bad ass as I thought.
So this was all pretty disheartening and I began to doubt if I could even finish the nine miles. I initially wanted to decrease the run to eight miles but the course was already cut and you know what? Yeah, we made a mistake and miscalculated, yeah we are a little behind...but so what? You just have to roll with the punches. It's better than we find this out NOW instead of cruising along through our training thinking that we're putting in the right distances and then get a nasty shock on race day.Business as usual! We were going to do the nine miles at our best effort!...with a hearty pre-run helping of humble pie. Haha!
I woke up a bit earlier than usual because I wanted to have a slightly heavier breakfast before the run. I was going to need all the energy I could get! However, I had absolutely no caffeine.
This is a medium sized baked apple drizzled in agave nectar, nutmeg and cinnamon and stuffed with granola.The drink is almond milk with whey protein mixed in.
I had this meal an hour and a half before my run which turned out to be a good idea as I felt very full after eating it but once I hit the road I felt loaded full of energy as though I could have power run the whole thing. Not the case (or advisable) but that's what it felt like. This is my favourite pre-run breakfast so far. I also think the lack of dairy helped a lot too. It didn't really dawn on me until today that even though I can handle skimmed dairy products in moderation, it still affects me and I shouldn't be putting any extra strain on my body when I am expecting to perform at its best for such long periods. That's hard enough!
Another thing is that it's advised that you eat something after seven miles of running. When I first heard that I thought that they were nuts because the last thing that I want to do when my core muscles are all tight from continuous running is try to choke down food! Then my friend explained to me about 'running gels' that are basically just carbs that you can carry on you. Of course when I went to get us some gels they were all out so we had to go with the second suggestion of a small banana.
I don't run with a pack or anything so we were trying to figure out where I was going to put my banana...
Can you find it? :P
How about now? :P
Okay so I didn't really run like that but it was a good way to laugh off the pre-run jitters. Another friend of mine was dong the course on her bike and she was nice enough to tote my banana for me. :P
We made our move just before eight o'clock and started our first mile at a very easy pace. Once that was over I sped up to a comfortable pace that I initially intended to keep for the first six miles and then increase to my 'goal race pace' on the last three. I wasn't as concerned about my time this time around to be honest. I just wanted to make sure that I was going to get through these miles and get through them without causing any harm to myself. I chugged along and after doing two miles at that pace my confidence started to build due to seeing that I still had a bundle of energy. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all! At the end of the first half of the run I had to circle a church that is right by the sea twice, and the end of the loop was a downhill. The combination of the view of the ocean, the scent of the sea breeze, the quiet of the church grounds and the helping hand of running down an incline was somewhat empowering. I can't really explain it but once I had done my final loop and was making my way back...I just knew I could do it. I asked myself...can I do that distance again and the answer was a clear 'Yes.' I wasn't fatigued at all yet.
The only thing that annoyed me immensely on the run was the truck drivers. I don't know if they were trying to say 'Hi' or just scare me but on more than one occasion they were nice enough to BLEAR their horns in my ears as they passed me. I nearly jumped out of my skin the first time. Then there was one other ignoramus in a truck that thought it would be cute to drive up behind me on the right side of the road when he was supposed to be on the left and follow me for a small distance. I gave him such a stink eye you can't imagine. I mean come on...was that really necessary?
My friend on the bike passed me my banana about six miles in and I really did not want to have to eat that thing. I considered neglecting to eat it but then I told myself that I either eat the banana or my body will chew on my muscles. Easier said than done. With my contracted stomach muscles it was difficult getting the banana down and once I had finally finished it I got instant cramps and I felt really dehydrated. I had to cram my fingers just in front of my ribs and sip some gatorade and after running a bit more it finally eased off. This was also at the point where I was supposed to be picking up the pace. I went a bit faster at first but after doing a little distance I couldn't see myself doing a half marathon at that pace so I dropped back just a little bit. I was going marginally faster than my initial pace so I figure that I pretty much did my goal race pace for the entire run. Unfortunately though, at this point the heat really started to kick in. I felt like I had a huge hand of heat just pressing against my back for the last two miles and it made it considerably more uncomfortable than it needed to be. I had to pay attention to my posture because I found myself leaning forward too much as if I actually was carrying weight. Then the last mile came and with the banana drama well over, I still had a little energy left but I didn't push it. I kept the pace though that demanded some pushing at this point and I finished at one hour and forty four minutes.
Ideally I'd like to do the whole half marathon in that time...but hey, that's what this training is for. I made it through my miles, I was able to speak the whole time so I know I didn't overdo and...well...nine miles man. WOO!
I learned something very important after today's butt tote session though. When I got back to home base I was extremely thirsty so I drank some water and went to the fridge and pulled out the protein shake that I brought. I believe that I drank it too quickly as I was so thirsty and I guess the combination of the temperature and the dairy had me doubled up with pain for a few minutes. My whole stomach was cramping up and it felt like it was being stretched. Not fun.
I had to sit still and sip water for a bit until it stopped. Next time...room temperature shakes and SIP IT.
Needless to say I was a bit drained so I was not about to go home and cook lunch. I decided to treat myself to my favourite food in the world, and it makes a great recovery lunch too
.
Salmon and avocado makimoto sushi! <3
After lunch I put on The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and watched pretty much none of it as I completely (and ever so slightly ungracefully) passed out on the couch for an hour. Woke up, drank water and was good to go!
Tonight's dinner was a chunky sweet potato, carrot and lentil soup and I'm going to have some yogurt and granola in a minute.
To end today's post, I'd like to address the subject of my yogurt of choice. My 'dessert' yogurt is usually Dannon Light n' Fit as it's 80 calories and fat free. I consider it dessert and a treat because it has artificial sweeteners in it. Anyways, October is breast cancer awareness month and Dannon is giving a ten cent donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation every time someone takes one of their marked yogurt lids and logs on to www.cupsofhope.com and enters the code. You need to enter the code online to activate the donation. It doesn't count if you just buy them.
This is what the lids of the marked products look like.
The Activia products, plain yogurts, drinkable yogurts and one or two more all have these special lids. You can see the list on the site.
So please everyone, if you're a yogurt lover or just want to lend a hand...buy a cup or two and enter the codes. Ten cents doesn't sound like much but every bit counts and you'll be making a difference for someone somewhere. We shouldn't leave anyone to fight alone in the battle of cancer.
That's all for today! Tomorrow, STRETCH and upper body strength training if I feel up to it.
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