Sally M. winning the AZ marathon this year
I know. I know. I should really be writing a post about my awesome training camp in St. George, but I am just not feeling it. I was not going to write anything today since I have been engrossed in Sally Meyerhoff's blog. It is so incredibly sad what happened to her. I don't want to go into details since I am sure some of you have already read her story. She is a professional runner and was also planning on racing triathlons professionally this year. She has had tremendous success both as a runner and as a triathlete. I don't know her personally but I have loved getting to know her a bit more through her blog.
Sally lived and trained just a couple of hours south of Flagstaff and was loving life and sports. She was hoping to qualify for the Olympics and had an unbelievably positive outlook on everything. She was out on a training ride on Tuesday, got hit by a truck in an intersection, and died immediately. I am at a loss for words. This hits very close to home.
If you want to read her very inspiring blog, you can find it here.
It seems very trivial to be talking about training and nutrition. But as I was about to write it down on a piece of paper I thought I might as well write it down here. Most likely I will lose the piece of paper sooner or later. The reason I want to write down what I did/ate in more detail is because I had a really good run this afternoon. Usually I feel rather crappy when running long/hard in the afternoon. Tired and sick to my stomach. Maybe today was just a fluke but I would like to recreate it next time and see if it works again.
No early morning workout. I am trying hard to live by the "Quality over Quantity" motto which is not easy for me. I just love to train. I still woke up before 6 though since that is when my boys decided the night was over. Argh.
It's not so bad to be home in the early morning. I ate a banana and made the Oatmeal Protein Cookies that Leslie discovered while we were training in SG. They are super easy and super healthy. Perfect for breakfast. I made 12. Max had 1. Noah had 1. Karl had 2. That means I must have eaten 8. Oops. That is why I don't bake much anymore. But like I said: they were healthy and I don't feel bad one bit. I also made French Toast for the boys...
Went to the gym at 10 for 60 minutes of easy spinning and 30 minutes of core exercises. Ate a banana and a handful of pretzels (Max's snack).
At 1 I had peas, corn, 1 cup of pasta, and some yogurt with strawberries.
Since we had a friend over after preschool, I had some time to clean up and start dinner before quiet time. I forced myself to lie down and take a little power nap while Max was sleeping. Of course I slept. I could take a 3 hour nap and still go to bed at 9. No kidding.
I can't remember if I ate anything before the run or not. Maybe a few pretzels. I love pretzels. During the run I carried two little flasks with me. One with 100 calories of CarboPro and one with water. I think I am going to do this in racing as well. I really don't mind holding them and it makes nutrition a lot easier.
I was supposed to run 10 miles. 2 easy, 6 at 7:45 pace, 2 easy. Nothing crazy. But considering that I have a 50-mile pretty hard bike ride followed by a 5-mile fast run tomorrow, I was not supposed to kill myself today. We (Coach M and I) decided to run this on a hilly course since my next race is anything but flat.
I am happy to report that I felt great during the run. Paying attention to nutrition and rest all day is a pain but it sure paid off. I ran the 6 miles at 7:27 pace and really enjoyed myself. The miles just flew by. Might have had something to do with the fact that I was not stuck on a treadmill but rather running in shorts and tank top in the warm sunshine (and strong wind).
On my way home, I went by the (ridiculously expensive) health-food store and bought myself a liquid iron supplement called Floradix. I have been wanting to try it for a long time, and for a few different reasons I decided now was the time. As it turns out, it is made in Germany. So it must be good.
Here is to hoping that my next afternoon run won't be disaster again. Can't wait to get on my bike tomorrow and soak up some more sun.
Happy (almost) Spring Training!
PS: Have I mentioned that I love my coaches? I really think I am in better shape this early in the season than I've ever been at this time. My first race of the season is coming up in about 4 weeks and I am really looking forward to it. This is going to be the year of the half-iron distance races and I am excited!!! I love that distance. Maybe. We'll see. Not sure. I have not done one in a long time. RAGE Half - here I come!
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