Rock and Roll

On Sunday, I'll be running my sixth Rock 'n Roll ("RnR") Half Marathon. I know it will be a long, hot race, but I can't pass up running on city streets in the Loop (for the first half at least). Since I don't have a marathon planned this year, this is turning out to be my "goal" race, so I'm pretty pumped.

Lakefront Run on Sunday

Last year, I set a two minute half marathon PR at the RnR. However, I don't anticipate getting anywhere close to that mark this year, as my YTD mileage is 30% less than it was last year. However, the last three weeks have all been 70+ mile weeks so I might have some newly acquired endurance to hold a decent pace.

PR finish at RnR 2016

That pace will definitely be weather dependent. If the weather is cool, my "A" goal would be a 1:25. If it's just hot, I'd "B" happy with a 1:27. If it's a hot and humid, I'll "C" about running a 1:30. As of this morning, the forecast calls for 70 degrees and 84% humidity at the start. So, we might be looking at a "B" or "C" kind of day.

In other news, I've been following a six food elimination diet. That means I haven't had any eggs, dairy, wheat, seafood, nuts or soy in over four weeks. I've been learning quite a lot about alternatives to the foods I can't eat. For example, you can either buy egg substitute in a package or use apple sauce when a recipe calls for an egg. There is also rice milk, which although it doesn't pack the nutritional wallop of a glass of whole milk, does a decent job when poured over a bowl of wheat-free cereal (e.g. Chex, Cheerios). I've also discovered a line of GF cookies and chocolate called "Enjoy Life" which have been a life saver in the snack department. I've also learned that some wines may contain egg, so I need to either drink cider or vegan wine.

So, for the time being, I'm vegan that can eat meat. My nutritionist was thinking I might need to cut back on my miles while doing this diet in order to make sure I'm getting adequate nutrition. However, I told her I can do without the eggs, yogurt and milk as long as I can eat unlimited meat to get my protein, fat and vitamins. In fact, my mileage has actually increased since I started the diet! Most days, I cook an entire package of sausage or bacon for breakfast and wash it down with a bowl of oatmeal and berries. For lunch it's cold cuts or chili and a salad. For dinner, I eat hamburger patties with Daiya vegan cheese or a steak with sides. Four weeks in, I'm feeling better than I have in a year. My sinuses are clear (I can actually breathe through both nostrils at all times) and I have almost no acid reflux, which helps me to sleep a lot better/longer so my energy levels are higher all day. I'm starting to think that my Chicago Marathon 2016 "crash and burn" was due to low energy levels related to eating one of the foods above. In a few weeks, I start adding the six foods back in one at a time. When I begin to feel sluggish again, I'll be able to pinpoint which food was the culprit.

Yoga Class at Belmont Harbor on Sunday (as seen on my run)

As for cross-training, I'm still swimming three to four times a week, strength training three times and yoga twice. A good combo I've found is to swim in the morning and then do yoga in the evening. My muscles seem to really loosen up on those days! Unfortunately, my gym's pool will be closed next week, so I might have to find an outdoor public pool to for post-race recovery.

Anyone else doing the RnR?