Nutrition Madness

With some time off from running, I got some spare time on my hands.  Since nutrition was on my "needs improvement" list, I spent Sunday evening at Barnes and Noble perusing some books on the subject. Excuse me, but what the hell?  Paleo, Primal, Superfoods,  Grain Brain,  Sugar Detox, Low Carb Living?   One of these books actually was so restricting that even water was "okay, in moderation."  You've got to be kidding!  Water, in moderation?  Nuts are no good, except for Macadamia nuts!  They are great.  Excuse me, but Macadamia nuts are $7.00 per pound and the lowly peanut is less than half that.

We've been hearing for some time that processed, simple carbs are bad, but whole grains are good.  Now, grains of any kind are evil.  We should be eating broccoli and MEAT 24/7.  What is a person to do about all this conflicting advice.  How is the simple vegetarian supposed to get buy if they can't eat nuts, legumes or dairy.   Really, can a person survive on vegetables only?  I know I couldn't do it, but I am not even sure if it is wise.

One of the books I read was so specific in its do's and dont's that I think he was just listing all his personal likes, so that he would never be caught in a contradiction.  Wine okay, but only red wine.  He probably hates white wine.  Nuts, but only Macadamia nuts.  (See above).   Work outs are good, but rarely should you break 65% of your max heart rate.  You can't eat beans of any kind and grains are poison.

So, I now consider my nutrition research done and have come to the conclusion that nutritionists are crazy or snake oil salesmen or both.  Since I don't plan on living on beef and Macadamia nuts for the rest of my life, I think I will go with some common sense and follow the old-fashioned food pyramid.

Another week of easy running, getting out 5 times for a total of 30 miles.  My left hip is still a bit sore, so no sense in rushing back into things.  Also made it to the gym for a couple of easy work outs.    I have to admit I am really enjoying sleeping it, but I also know that I will be getting antsy soon enough.

Happy Running and Happy Eating!

Rick

Recovery and Reflection

The week post-marathon for me is rather like January 1.  The work is done, the goal has been achieved and the slate is clean.  If things went well, it is a week of enjoying the buzz of a well run race or new PR.  If things didn't go quite like you expected, then its a review of the training plan, trying to figure out where things went wrong.  This has been a week of some buzz, but more a week of looking ahead.  Like January 1, I felt myself setting resolutions, not just about my running, but about my lifestyle in general.  I was making notes about improving my diet, how to increase my energy levels, both mental and physical, how can I increase my productivity at work and improving and building on relationships.  Lots to accomplish, not just in the running world, but professionally and personally.  I can honestly say that running and attempting to run competitively improves all aspects of my life and as long as running doesn't become simply an escape, it remains a healthy release and a fantastic hobby.  So, with all that being said, what are my New Year's resolutions?  Here is a recap:

 

Nutrition - I say this after training cycle, but it is certainly an area where I could use the most improvement.  I am not a total garbage disposal, but pretty darn close.  I manage to get my fruits and vegetables in the menu, but beyond that I am fairly undisciplined.  Way too many chips, burgers, pizza and the all the usual culprits.  My plan for the next year is to do a better job of menu planning, making sure I eat better.  Again, I am positive even a minor improvement will help in all aspects of my life.

 

Strength Training - the back injury I suffered in July was an eye-opener.  Like nutrition, I vow to do a better job of working in core strengthening into my routine, but with poor follow through.  Since I came so close to jeopardizing my chance at a running Twin cities, I have a renewed zeal to maintain and build upon my current regimen.

 

Training Plan - I am very happy with the Pfitzinger plan I have followed for the past few cycles and plan on sticking with it.  The only thing I can do differently is work harder at the fast stuff.  I finally have my endurance where I want it, but in many races I just couldn't go any faster.  So, strength and speed are the name of the game for the next year. 

 

Rest and Recovery - I worked pretty hard over the past 18 months or so, with not a lot of time off.  I rand a 2:58:57 in Des Moines, a 2:56:42 at Grandmas,  and 3 and half months later a 2:54:58 at Twin Cities.  I am happy with this string of races, but to continue like this for another cycle would surely end in a bad way.  So, the plan is to take some time off, race a bunch of shorter distance stuff and focus my attention on one marathon in 2014, most likely Twin Cities again.  Probably a 16 week plan aiming for finish in the low 2:50's.  I didn't get enough sleep over the past training cycle and often found myself sleep deprived, getting caught up on the week ends.  Not the way to train or to live for that matter.  I need my 7 to 8 hours per night and plan on doing better in that department.

 

Lastly, I plan on running more with groups.  I have done a ton more of this over the past year or so and been a huge benefit for me.  It has kept things more interesting and is fun to share the running experience with others.  I may even sign up to coach another marathon clinic at my local running store.  My work load has moderated and am feeling ready to jump back in with both feet.

 

So, here is to restful, healthy, energized and positive running year.  I am so thankful that I come out another training cycle feeling this way; running is a wonderful hobby and I feel blessed to be part of the running world.

 

Happy Running

Rick

Twin Cities Marathon Race Report

Well, after all the doom and gloom weather forecasts leading up to the race, it certainly was a beautiful day.  After several days of clouds and rain, the sun made an appearance early Sunday and the early morning temps were around 45.  Beautiful morning!  I had slept well two nights before the race and was feeling rested, relaxed and ready to roll.  I chatted with a few familiar faces at the start, then got down to business.  For some reason, my watch decided to show MPH rather than pace, so that threw me for a loop.  I then realized that I just needed to run 9 MPH to make my goal, so after a mile warm up (6:48) I settled into my pace.  I met a couple of Northwoods teammates early on and we ran together for most of the first half.  I found we were pushing the pace pretty hard, but that extra push got me to the half at 1:27, exactly where I wanted to be.  We had a bit of a shock at the half, because the clock was reading 1:25!  I figured the clock was wrong or I was in for a world of hurt in about an hour.  I ignored the clock and settled back into my 9 MPH pace.  I wasn't feeling particularly good at 14 and one of my teammates had gone ahead, so I was about ready to settle for my B goal.  As we made our way up West River Road, I was still laboring, but I was still locked into my 9 MPH and the miles up to 20 continued to click by pretty quickly.  The real test was about to start, the hills from 21 to 23.  If I could hold together a 7:05 pace through this stretch, I still had a chance.  This year the hills did not sink my ship.  I hit mile 23 knowing I still had to hit 9MPH for the balance to make sub 2:55.  I took a caffeinated GU at 23, gritted my teeth and pushed as hard as I could for the home stretch.  Mile 23 was 6:48, not good.  Mile 24 I saw my GPS flash a 9.1 MPH and mile 26 I actually hit 9.3 MPH.  The last two-tenths is all down hill and I pushed as hard as possible.  You can see the clock from the top of the hill and I knew it would be close.  I was almost sprinting at the end as I saw the clock getting dangerously close to to 2:55.  As per usual, my right hamstring started to vibrate, but I knew I was okay.  Chip time:  2:54:58.  Wow!  Awfully close.  Good enough for  a top 5 AG finish and another PR!

This is my third marathon training cycle in about 16 months, without much time off and I am looking forward too backing off a bit.  I think I will skip a spring marathon and maybe shoot for 2:53 (2 hours plus my age) in the fall of 2014.

Happy Running!

Rick