We're now seven weeks out from the Baystate half and training is *supposed* to be kicking into a higher gear. I am not sure I have a higher gear in me, but I believe in miracles. After a summer of weekday lunchtime runs, I also have some gnarly tan lines and am tired all the time. How do you find time (but more importantly, energy) for anything more than 6 miles on a weekday? It's all I can do to just get the miles in, never mind stretching, foam rolling, or strength training.
Some notes from my training log, which does actually exist, albeit in a place that is not this blog:
August 14. Sunday morning longish run: Planned 10. Actual 8. Started late (8am) after horrendous night with feverish coughing teething child. High of 36C today plus humidity.
If horses sweat, men perspire, and women glow, I was glowing very hard all over the place and the glow was running down my elbows and knees and getting into my shoes. I must have been positively radiant.
August 20-21. Child now will not tolerate >3 awake miles in stroller with no playtime for HIM. Mr GCA away on work trip. Creative run-planning ensued:
Saturday - run 2m to next but one T stop, take T, run 1m to friends' place for playdate, shower there.
Sunday - AM: run 3m to playground with stroller and friend. Chase offspring around playground. Run 2m to pool. Take offspring swimming, shower there. PM: walk and walk and walk downtown: park, carousel in park, chase little dude round park, walk to/ around Children's Museum, corral wriggly offspring at Shake Shack for dinner-treat. At least 4m walking.
August 27. Saturday morning long run. Planned 12. Actual 11. 22C, mega humid.
Started 7am off the back of 1.5 weeks solo parenting a child whose antibiotics have been causing nighttime tummy troubles. Scooted out the door with a handful of cereal and a package of shot blocks. I was exhausted even before I tied my shoelaces. Told self to take it one mile at a time, and this wasn't a figure of speech.
Started at 9:30-10:00 miles (good). By mile 6 had disintegrated into 11:00 miles (not good). Shortly thereafter there was walking. Mile 7 going uphill: mystery, brand-new shooting pain through right knee. Mile 7 going downhill: pain vanished. Eventually made it through 11 miles as I had to get home anyway. Actually literally the worst run of the year to date.
And a nutrition side-note: I need to start a food diary, but not for the conventional reasons. Not too long ago, I hopped on the scale at the doctor's to find myself a few pounds below racing weight* and still losing weight. I generally think of myself as a pretty intuitive, balanced eater - I'll eat when I'm hungry and get cravings for vegetables when I've had too many refined carbs, and vice versa! - but this clearly is not optimal. I still feel fine (just tired?) and my periods are present and normal. But I need to figure out what nutrients or how many calories I might be missing, and see if I have more energy if I replace those.
*Not a weight I typically *strive* to achieve, just where I usually am after a full marathon or a triathlon training cycle.
Let's start with today:
- 1.5 slices toast with butter and jam
- 1 egg, scrambled
- Coffee
- String cheese
- Handful of animal crackers
((went rock-climbing with friends))
- Lunch buffet at Indian restaurant (full plate, piled high, mostly rice, naan, dal, and vegetable curry)
- Chia bar
- 1/2 peach
- Cereal and soy milk
- 1 small bowl pasta salad with olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, red onion
- 2 squares chocolate
- 2 toaster waffles and chocolate ice cream
I mean, I'm eyeballing this and thinking, but seriously, what I am not getting enough of? and plugged it all into the USDA food tracker thing and am freaking baffled.
