Tuesday, July 11, 2017

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?

9 comments:

  1. Me!!!! I'm so excited that you will be there. We need to meet up! Of course, I will be way slower than you. I'm having a mini-flare, so who knows how Sunday will go.

    Diet-wise, I'm trying to stick to an anti-inflammatory diet. I've been doing pretty well, but last week I was a little non-compliant. I don't think that's what has sent me south but I'm cleaning up my act as we speak.

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    1. Cool that you'll be there. We will definitely have to pick a time and place for a meet up! Sorry to here about the mini-flare. Hopefully things will calm down by the time Sunday rolls around. Glad to hear that you can stop the inflammation with your diet. I know it can be hard to be compliant, especially when foods you like are on the no-go list. Anyway, I'll see you Sunday!

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  2. Really excited for you! Hope that the weather gods smile on you for 90 minutes +/- on Sunday :) what compelled you to work with a nutritionist (just curious)?

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    1. Thanks. Yes, hopefully it's not too hot for those 90 +/- minutes. I'm working with a nutritionist (through an EOE specialist) to determine the food allergen(s) that are triggering my EOE. As a side benefit of this diet, my stomach, which was constantly upset and causing me fatigue and sleep issues, seems to have settled down quite a bit!

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    2. Ohhh, interesting. Got it. :)

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  3. Good luck at RnR! I used to do that race all the time too! Weather can be so unpredictable this time of year! And yes, I've been subbing applesauce for eggs for years in things. My mom used to do it too. Glad you are feeling pretty good with the foods you are eating! Will be interested to hear the results when you start adding them back in! Good luck!

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    1. Thanks for the RnR well wishes and hopfully the heat will stay away until at least 8am! Funny how I am learning nutrition related stuff that other people have been doing for years like substituting apple sauce for eggs! I'm glad I can still eat meat at least. I made a big pot of over the weekend that I am eating a bowl of it for pretty much every meal this week.

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  4. Good luck Sunday! I'm kind of bummed that I'll be out of town during RnR, because I love that race and my mileage is back up, but I'll be on vacation so I'm not too bummed :)

    That's great that the changes in your diet seem to be improving things but not impacting your running! I've thought about doing an elimination diet but I don't think I have any issues that are bad enough to motivate me to do so. I already don't drink cow's milk because of what it does to my stomach, but I do eat cheese and sometimes yogurt and ice cream without the same issues. Almond milk is my favorite milk substitute.

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    1. Yes, it's a fun race, but I'd rather be on vacation as well! Yeah, I was fine with food until the last six months and then my symptoms got bad. That motivated me to go to the doctor. I had a good run eating all of the food anytime I wanted, but it looks like things will be different now. Hopefully I can still eat yogurt and ice cream when this thing is over. Unfortunately, almond milk is on my "no fly" list now. Have a great vacation!

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