Lessons Learned
Running 4 more miles tonight won’t make you a better runner.
It’ll make you more tired. Your body needs rest!
That was a quote from Steve tonight when I told him I was going to go out and run more tonight.. after we had already run 5 miles in 32 degree celcius heat! He couldn’t be more right either. Since this is supposed to be my taper week. I ran on Monday night, walked last night and ran tonight. Tomorrow I’ll be going to the gym with Future MIL and I have no idea what Friday holds for me. Apologies for not updating my exercise this week, I have just been flying by the seat of my pants because I really didn’t know how I would feel pre-half marathon.
I have to say. Training for this half (that is on Saturday! eek!) has taught me a LOT!
- It has taught me that my body won’t go as far as I want it to some days but other days it will carry me many many miles.
- It has taught me that eating a meal and then going running two hours later can be painful…very painful and leave me puking at the side of the road (……almost!!!).
- It has taught me that I can be too hard on myself and I need to remind myself how much I ENJOY running from time to time.
- Rest days are a MUST!
- Water is a MUST during long runs. I can’t wait to have a water station every three miles this weekend.
I have not set a goal time. Well, I have a little I suppose… i’d like to finish in 2 hrs 10 minutes, or under – which I think is a reasonable goal for my first half marathon. That is approx 10 minutes per mile, which I think is great for such a long distance. If I come in under this goal, great – if not then i’m fine with that, for real. I’m not doing this race to make myself feel like crap for not completing it in ‘x’ amount of time. At the moment i’d just like to finish. It’ll feel good!! I never actually thought i’d be running a distance like this. I am so so excited.
I’ve got no idea what i’ll have to eat the morning of the race. I made a huge mistake the other night of trying to run a long distance 2 hrs after eating dinner. Either a) my dinner was too big, or b) I didn’t let it digest enough but I was seriously ill 25 minutes into my run. I went to bed feeling ill, I woke up feeling ill. Strange eh? I’m thinking some toast with peanut butter might be a good pre-run breakfast. But, I really don’t know. Any advice???
This is just the start of my lessons that i’ve learned throughout the last 5 weeks. I plan on posting some more ‘ah-HA!’ moments I’ve had!
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In other news i’ve been extremely busy this week.. hence the lack of posts!! The end of the school year is near though, I couldn’t be more excited. It is so bittersweet though because I will miss my class so much! After teaching them for two years it’s going to be sad to say goodbye! I hope they come and visit me next year.
Breakfasts this week have consisted of green smoothies. I can’t get enough of them in this heat. I’ve also been living on fruit and salads for snacks and lunches. I just love the fresh produce in the summer. They’ve also been helping me with my raw transition (however I didn’t want to go ‘high raw’ until after my half marathon!).
We spent some time with our niece Emily last night… here are some highlights of the night!
Simply adorable!
I’ve got some work to do. Enjoy the rest of your evening!
I love your lessons learned…I also think it is great that you are tapering. Many people feel they need to squeeze in as much mileage as they can, but I think your body needs rest.
My advice about food is to load up on calories the day before and drink tons of water the day before (obviously not TOO much water but ya know). You need to make sure those stores are full and stay full during the run. I’m sure you know all this though. About brekkie- I would probably get up extra early and eat very early (like 3 hours at least before the run). You should be digested enough for the race. Have you considered getting some of those gels or Cliff shots? They are great for after 1 hour of running. Eek Im so excited for you!!!!! I know you are going to kick ass and chew bubblegum!
What a CUTIE!! She’s adorable! If you have time, you might want to check out Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook. There’s a lot of info in there about properly fueling before/during/after events and how to get the most out of your training.
I’m sooo excited for your half this weekend! Is it Saturday or Sunday? Well I have no idea what the weather is like, but I hope it cooperates for you!
I, too, have SERIOUS stomach issues if I run too soon after eating – especailly after having dinner since it’s usually my biggest meal! When I was training for past marathons, I would always have coffee with soy milk, and some WW toast with PB on it before long runs. Just use a bit of PB though or else this can make you sick too!
They say the best pre-run fuel is a mix of protein and carbs. Have you tried a half or whole Clif bar, something like that? Bananas are good too – and really do wonders for preventing leg cramping!
On another note, I bought Natalia Rose’s book The Raw Detox Diet, and I plan to perhaps spend tomorrow at Barnes and Noble checking out other raw books. I have been eating as much raw as possible, not certainly not 100%, mostly because I have too much “other” food in the house that I don’t want to go to waste, and not enough good raw stuff.
Don’t forget to REST before your race and get plenty of water! Also, try to avoid cheese the night before – dairy can be mucus-forming and will coat your throat so may feel allergy-like symptoms. The best of luck!
Your babies are adorable.
I’m so excited for you this weekend. I hope you do great and have fun!
As a newbie runner, I love to read about pre-race prep and race recaps so I’ll be checking back for sure. 
Good luck!
Emily is just adorable!
awww glad you’re starting to listen to your body! rest is SO important!! so excited for your race
Great lessons! It is weird how somedays we can do so good at exercise and others we are just tired. Can’t wait to hear about your raw transition!
I agree running so soon after you’ve eaten a meal is horrible!!!!! Crazy thing is my fiance can do it no problem. In fact he can’t understand why I can’t.
Different strokes I guess!
PS: Hope you had a wonderful Canada Day in your part of the world!!!
When is your race? I definitely would not even be thinking about the high raw thing until you are done. It’s amazing how different my motivation to move is now versus a few weeks ago. Get it done, girl!
Your niece is adorable. And I know adorable.
Sarah – This Saturday!!
Ange- I am definitely going to be getting some shot blocks, but they won’t be by Clif as we don’t have that brand here. Thanks for the reminder though, I need to get to the store!
Val- thanks so much for your suggestions!
EVERYONE – yay for support!! Thank you all!
Wow, I can’t believe it is this Saturday already. I don’t know if it’s as hot there as it is here, but if it is, I am so glad you included the thing about the water. I am having really light workouts lately yet I am still sweating buckets and feeling like I’ve done a lot more than I have! I’ll be thinking of you on Saturday and hoping for temperate weather! xx
I can’t believe how soon your half marathon has come around! Is it in Birmingham? I’m in Devon all weekend visiting family, but I’ll be thinking of you. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but hopefully it won’t be too hot for you. I went for a run on Monday night and I was pathetically slow and sluggish – it was just way too warm!
GOOD LUCK ON SATURDAY! You are going to do amazing!
For both my half marathons, I got up extra early (3 hours before the race) to eat. The first time I had a yogurt/fruit/granola combo and the second time I had a white bagel with a bit o’ buttah and a PB Cookie Larabar. Both seemed to sit just fine – my problem is also I can’t eat too soon before running, so three hours was perfect!
Happy running
I don’t typically eat anything before my runs as I have the same type of issues. However, before my long runs (10+ miles), I feel that I must eat something – like a banana, bread (something that doesn’t have a lot of volume, fiber or fat). Your body really needs those simple carbs. I’ve also found that I can’t have anything too sweet (honey) or I get really queezy.
I really identified with your lessons learned. I have found a lot of comfort in not pushing how far my body wants to go (except on those long runs). Good luck on your race – I know you will rock it!
you niece is a doll! love that tunnel photograph. GOOD LUCK on your half! you are going to do greak. here i am just doing a measley 10k saturday
but i think you are well prepared and that is real smart to not overwork yourself this week. can’t wait to follow your race and see how it goes! xo
she is so cute!
You are going to do GREAT in the half
I can’t wait to see the recap!
good luck on Saturday! Will be sending good vibes- is there a way to track/watch it online do you know? I don’t run but nut butters and toast seem popular!
Isn’t this weather crazy? I think it’s the hottest it’s ever been in Scotland! I LOVE it!
Your niece is adorable
I don’t think there is a way to track my race online. It is a small’ish run.. 800-1000 people so it’s not a huge race that will warrant online tracking. I will definitely be blogging Saturday afternoon though!!!
Good luck on Saturday! I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that the weather cools off a bit!
So exciting that your race is already Saturday!! I think tapering is really wise – and I would do VERY little on Friday … either go for a leisurely walk or do some yoga. Like Angela said, drink a lot of water and eat to fuel yourself the day before, too. My favorite pre-race breakfast is oatmeal with a banana and walnuts. It stays with me and isn’t too much to make me nauseous. HAVE FUN!