Skinny Tuesday - Recovery Part 2

Part 1 is HERE


Now you know what I do before a run, what about during and after?

This is new to me to replenish during my run. I am learning about this cause running for 2.5 hours straight is going to take plenty away from my muscles and I need my endurance to stay up. I am trying out different sports gels. I call them gel shots. These are little packages filled with gel and in the gel is a hefty dose of carbs, salts, and minerals (some have protein) to replenish your muscles and yet fit conveniently in your pocket. Some gels come with caffeine, but I am not trying those cause caff cuts my energy instead of giving me pep. I have used a couple now, and I can tell the difference after my run. My muscles are not screaming quite so loud. I took the gel 30min prior to my run with about 4-6oz of water. The first time there was more gel than it looked like could fit in the pkg, and at the end there was some forceful swallowing. I guess my mind then realized the delightful caramel flavor was not so delightful.

So for the marathon I will plan to do a gel shot 30min prior, and 2 during. One shot after every 45 min.

I am finding that the citrus flavors of the gel, GU brand, are the best for me while running. The citrus flavors, lemon, orange, etc, don't taste like a wad of sugar forced down my throat. And this brand seems to work best for me on my long runs.

What I do post run:

I like to drink a little bit of water just to quench the parchness. It is usually about 4-6oz. For me, a lot of water immediately afterwards kills my tummy. On long runs, I am doing half watered down gatorade and water. Throughout the rest of the day I drink A LOT (at least 64oz) of water. After my 80z of fluid I down 8oz of protein drink. I am liking the Odwalla Super Protein Vanilla Al'Mondo drink. It gives me 10g of protein in 8oz! I can down that really fast and it sits well on my tummy despite that it is made with soy and oatmilk. Added bonus is it is packed with lots of vitamins and minerals that aid in faster recovery. Bad news - it is loaded with sugar - 19g. I can look past that. :) After the marathon I won't have this drink. :(

Stretch, stretch, stretch. This is so important for me. Keep those muscles loose!

Completed Training Runs for the Half:
Mon - 1 hour
Wed - 1.5 hours
Fri - 1 hour
Sun - 35min
Mon - 70 min
Tues - 1 hour

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK:

I have stopped strength training for the next two weeks. However, unless you are training for a marathon, DONT STOP!

Back to the core, it's my favorite place. You would think I would have washboard abs by now, but I dont. Just goes to show you how hard you have to work to get a flat tummy.

Modified Plank. See demo HERE

Start out holding the pose for 30sec. Then move up your time as you progress.

TIP OF THE WEEK:

Feel like your diet is going nowhere? The pounds are not coming off? Keep a food journal. Write down everything, EVERYTHING, that goes in your mouth. Then review it after 5 days. A handful of M&M's here, crust of the kid's pb&j's, and an extra roll at dinner will add up! This is a great way to help you WAKE UP and take notice to what you are eating. Take it from me......I am notorious for eating 3-4 goldfish at various times throughout the day. Those goldfish can pack a punch if I don't stop NIBBLING and I must make my food calories and nutrition COUNT!!!! Good luck!

Who Fished Like A Champ

I swiped this off of my friend Lori's blog. Who rocked it like a champ catching the silver salmon? Yours truly and my gal pal Lori. How strong are we bringin' it?!

More details and pics coming........I promise.
And Lori is one of my gal pals running the half with moi.

Skinny Tuesday - Recovery Part 1

A topic I mentioned last week but did not delve into was recovery.

Everything I have read says you should take a day off in between long runs/intense workouts for rest and recovery of your muscles and joints. However, when training for a marathon and there being an odd number of days during the week I find that sometimes I have to run 2 days back to back. It is very important to rest your muscles after each workout/run. When you push your muscles you deplete the muscle energy stored. Your muscles recover quicker when you can eat/drink easily digested foods soon after depleting them. I can not eat directly after running 5-8 miles, therefore I need an alternative way to replenish my muscles fast without making my stomach queasy. This is especially important when I do my back to back days. So I am finding that recovery is a combo of three things: what I load into my muscles prior to my run/workout, what I load into my muscles after I run/workout, and a hydration strategy.



Part 1 --

What I load into my muscles before I run/workout:

Of course this is helpful for those who have established a routine of regular intense workouts. Intense workouts can be of varying degrees based on the person. For the sake of confusion, I am going to base this at my level while training, which I think is intermediate intensity. I strength train 3 days a week for 45-50 min and run 4 days a week, anywhere from 40min to (as of now) 1.3hours. A good baseline is that you burn 100cal for every mile ran. So when I take on a nice 8mile run, I am looking at burning at least 800cals, plus vitamins and nutrients.

So, I need to be sure that I am feeding my muscles right. Right now I am eating about 55-60 percent of my calories from carbohydrates. Not 'bad carbs", but complex carbs from fruits, veggies, pasta, bread, rice - I eat A LOT of long grain brown rice. Bad carbs come from the sugars: fructose, glucose, sucrose (table sugar). Another 20% of my diet is protein. I usually eat about 70g of protein/day. Lastly, fats. You need fat. You just got to find the good fat to eat. My diet is about 20%fat. Mostly, my fat is from some dairy, red meat, instant oatmeal, power bars, etc. I roughly eat about 30-50g of fat/day. Because I have high cholesterol - hopefully not much longer-, I keep a watch on my saturated fats, which are in a lot of dairy. My pantry and refrig now carries 98% reduced fat or fat free products. Remember too much fat and your muscles won't use it, instead your body will STORE it - hello...muffin top! I am a creature of habit. Most mornings I eat instant oatmeal, cereal, or a fiber bar. Before a marathon (my only 5.6 miler under my belt) I eat a bowl of weight control banana bread instant oatmeal (loaded with protein and fiber), 4oz of fat free milk(more protein), and guzzle 16 oz of water 1-1.5hours prior. I then for some carbs eat a piece of whole grain wheat toast 45min prior. Also, the night before a run I carbohydrate pack. I will eat a big pasta dish and drink lots of water. The idea is to load up on carbohydrates a few days prior to competition to give energy stores the chance to fill up. "Carbo loading" meals contain 65-70% carbohydrate by calories.

This week, Skinny Tuesday will continue on Wed as well. I have a lot to say this week!

Our First Summer in Alaska

I think this speaks for itself. Click on the pic to make it larger.

Some recent thoughts........

I am thankful for a God who answers prayers. Kevin lost an engine on takeoff today out of Hawaii and was able to land the plane safely. Praise God that he and his crew are safe.

I ran for 1.5 hours today (yes my quads and calves are screaming!) on the treadmill and only God carried me that last .5 hour. He has given me the endurance and capability to be able to achieve some really awesome goals.

Last night, I saw a streetlight come on for the first time in about 4months. It was neat to see some darkness, but that also means summer is coming to an end and the snow will be here soon.

Why do children wake up at 530am? We are going on 3 consecutive nights. AND they refuse to take naps..............yaaawwwnnnn.

Latest phrase on the lighting store marquee:

"May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future."

Too Sweet

As I have previously mentioned my sweet sweet C is no longer the sweet angel baby, but has transformed himself into a toddler tyrant. He comes complete with full on, in your face, arms and legs flailing, able to crack windows screams, and body contortions of another dimension. He tries not to take no for an answer, but can be so sweet when he asks for things he can't have.

Since birth he has been a swatter. He has always taken things and seen what he could hit at his stubby little arms reach. He has swatted so much that he can become reasonably good with his aim. So, when he hits something now, you can see the intentionality (is that even a word?) in his action.

So, while I am balancing the checkbook he decides to swipe the calculator. It has buttons! He walks around aimlessly with it, for a while. I turn around to try and coax the little bugger into bringing it back to me, and I notice his has his sights set. N is putting together a train track and his head is angled down exposing the top of his head, which to C looks like a target. C's eye take aim, stubby legs quicken their pace, arm raises above his head, and I am on the move as the arm makes it descent to hit its mark. I am too late, and I hear the greatest of screams come from boy #1, Noah. C is there with a look of, "Yes! I did it! Whatcha gonna do about it?" I snatch the calculator from C, while holding N, and begin the verbal discipline. Now, for the sweet part. I tell C he must apologize to N for hurting him, C goes over and says "ahh-ree, O-ah" then gives sweet hugs and tries to kiss N, but N does not like C's kisses on the mouth, so N grabs C's face and plants a sweet one C's cheek.

These boys are so awesome!

Skinny Tuesday

Ok, first week down. Just a few things done. Here is what I have discovered so far.......

Good running shoes are a must. I would say that if you are going to seriously take up running, this is a very important topic. I think for the casual runner, a good pair of cross trainers work great and I have had many of those by nike and have always been satisfied and happy. However, for the serious runner this is a topic of serious business. I have researched and researched shoes. Not sure what I needed. Pronation, orthotics, etc. seemed so confusing. Knee pain and shin splints were supposed to be a part of running, so I thought. Insert good shoe store into my life.
So, I find a store that has a whole section dedicated to running. Running savvy folks, who actually know something. Running shoes galore! Even better, they have a treadmill and a camera. Explanation is coming, hold on.
I am greeted by a very knowledgeable salesman who asks me questions like, "How much do you run", "Do you have any prior injuries?", "What shoes have you tried before?". He then measured my foot and knew alot about my arch. I try on several pairs (selected by the running specialist) and each one goes for a test spin on the treadmill. After each short jaunt, he then shows me my feet running on the treadmill, which was recorded by the small camera. Some cause my foot to pronate, while ONE pair gave me a flat landing and a bonus for me, more room in the toe area.
What is pronation? Pronation is to twist the foot so that if walking the weight would be borne on the inner edge of the foot. Basically, your foot is landing at an angle. Meaning joint pain and shin splints would much more easily occur. Making running not so fun.
While talking with said savvy salesman, I was telling him about me taping up my feet to run. I would get blisters and chaffing, so taping them in moleskin was my solution. Well, I been brought into the new modern age of running (for me anyway) and was told about SportShield. It is some sort of roll-on liquid slick-er-upper that prevents chaffing and blisters. Well, I tried it out and it works! I was so surprised and so totally happy. You can use it anywhere, like between your thighs (which is so great when you go on long bike rides in shorts), your arms to protect your skin from the ipod armband while running a lengthy stretch, etc. This may become a new sport staple in my home.
Total cost for the shoes: $120 well spent.

Hydration. Another important topic. For me, I need a lot of water when it comes to a good run. This goes as far as watching sodium intake because if I eat salty foods the night before I run, it directly affects how far I can go and how much water I need to drink. On a normal day, I usually down about 16-24oz before I get in the car for the gym. After my run I usually have about 24-32oz more. This helps in recovery as well. I am still working on that topic. I am learning that when it comes to running and training I want to watch my caffeine intake as well. I still have not given up my morning cup of joe, but sodas are becoming a fading memory. Something about it affects me and reduces my energy, which I need all I can muster. I am now understanding the importance of 64oz of water a day. The body can only really use like 16oz of water/hour. So don't go overboard if you are on a run. Drink, drink, drink!!! water, that is. :)
I am going to look into sports drinks, but I will cover this in recovery. Usually, I don't drink the sports drinks before a run, just during and after. Anyway, I will cover that later.

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK:

I will rotate to the upper body this week. We all want to see those triceps firm and strong. Who wants "teacher arm"?? NOT ME!! These burn, but are sooooo worth it.

Tricep Dips with Bent Knees. See demo HERE.

TIP OF THE WEEK:

New found favorite of mine is edamame (ed-uh-mah-mae). They are just baby soybeans still in the pod. They are so yummy yummy. Let me give props to my SIL for the mention of these that drew my curiosity, and has caught my taste buds by surprise! Let me go ahead and present the nutrition for these tasty little pods.....
Click HERE
Fiber-rich carbohydrates such as edamame help prevent mood fluctuations by keeping blood-sugar levels steady. Edamame also contains protein, which further helps stabilize blood sugar, and omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to combat depression - thank you soybeans!!!
I find them in the frozen veggies section of my local grocery.

Oh, and these are especially good dipped in soy sauce. I hope you give them a try!!

1/2 Marathon Training Runs
Miles for the previous week - 17
Mon - 4.5, 45 min
Wed - 3.5, 30min
Fri - 6, 1.2 hours
Sun - 3, 30min