CARA 10 Miler
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| Chicago Lakefront |
After successfully shedding about five pounds this training cycle, I have stopped focusing on losing weight for Carmel. I'm stopping because last week after finishing up my first 70 mile week, I had some very intense almost animal-like protein cravings. For the entire day I devoured all of the meat/fish/nuts I could get my hands on. I felt like Leonardo DiCaprio in the Revenant after he finally was able to score some buffalo meat after weeks of scavenging for berries!
That episode (and my stomach) made me realize that I was not consuming enough nutrients for the intense workload I was doing. If I continued depriving myself just to lose a few more pounds, I would actually get weaker and my training would suffer. I also know that high mileage necessitates extra carbs for added fuel, so I have added in more bread and even a cookie here and there. I feel much better now and am using the scale for informational purposes only. I'm looking forward to gaining back a couple of pounds during taper time. Lots of healthy taper eating will make me stronger for April 16th which is the end goal!
Pre-Taper Madness
Also, last night I got a blister on my big toe which got pretty large. I must have been exhausted when I noticed it, because the idea of having a blister sent me into a "taper-madness" type panic mode fearing that the blister would sideline from running for a few days and even cause me to miss the CARA 10 Miler on Saturday. Anyway, at lunch today I put some moleskin on it and headed out for a few (pain-free) miles. Here's hoping it will clear up reasonably well before Saturday morning!
I hope you get to "race" on Saturday! :) It's almost 10 miler season! Woot!
ReplyDeleteMan! I am happy you stepped back and realized you needed more food or you would make things worse! Good for you!
And I am also happy that that blister was nbd ;)
Thanks. I hope to "race" as well (it's more fun)! Yeah, I was close to "racing weight" but wanted to drop further so I could gain during taper without worry. Realized it was too hard to restrict calories and run extra miles. Thanks, the blister is okay right now. I need to chillax when stuff happens near the marathon (I know, easier said than done!)
DeleteI hope you get a good race on Saturday! It would be nice to be able to have some semblance of what pace to shoot for in Carmel. Weather is looking decent- a little windy but the temps are good for you.
ReplyDeleteIt's so smart that you realized you weren't getting enough nutrients and have since started eating a bit more. Definitely don't want to undermine all of that awesome work you've done so far!
Really happy that blister wasn't a big deal. absolutely something you don't need to stress about on top of the marathon training!
Thanks! I have not looked at the weather yet, but fingers crossed that the wind won't knock me down during the race! Yes, the blister thing was scary for a few hours. I am such a head case the closer I get to marathon race day - although that's pretty normal, right? :)
DeleteThanks Amanda! I am going to try and maintain my weight until taper and will try only to eat healthy carbs and lean proteins. There will be plenty of time for over-indulging in the "bad" stuff after the race. Thanks for the tip. I will have to look into injinis!
ReplyDeleteI hope the weather cooperates for the race this weekend! Good for you for reeling in the eating plan before you got sick. The bugs right now are brutal. Hooray for the 30-day mark. Carmel will be here before you know it.
ReplyDeleteSounds good to me! The crazy craving stuff made me (a non meat eater) laugh. I actually just read a post on the subject over at No Meat Athlete, about ways you can tell if you're not getting enough protein. Good on your for being so dialed in to your body. Have a blast this weekend!!!!
ReplyDeleteThose blisters sure find a way to creep in our feet right?
ReplyDeleteGreat job yesterday! I ran the race too and was so happy it wasn't windy like last year.