What has changed in the last month? I've lost 5 more pounds (leaving about 6 to go to my goal weight), and have managed to put on a little bit of muscle. My core feels stronger, and my running form has improved a bit. I still have a little hip discomfort in the groin area, but only when I'm not running. I've gotten my long run up to 16 miles at a comfortable pace of 11:00/ mile (which is about 30 seconds per mile faster than what I had originally planned for, so color me optimistic!).
I've been experimenting with fueling for the long run too. Before my workout it is either a mix of Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios and almond milk, or a couple of Quaker Soft Baked bars (so far I have only tried the Banana Nut). I'm thinking that on race day I probably won't have easy access to almond milk, so I'm trying to find dry fuel that is high carb and easy on the stomach. So far, this seems to be a good choice.
During my run I have been using GU Chomps (Cranberry Apple with Caffeine). A full serving is 4 chomps, which is basically 90 calories of sugar, and I eat them at miles 5 and 10. I have felt a 'bonk' the last couple times out in my last 2 miles, so I'm going to try something a little different on this Sunday's run. I'll be upping the 'dose' to 3 servings at miles 4, 8, and 12. I'm thinking (hoping?) that it will give me a more steady amount of energy to draw from. We shall see. Post workout is either a protein shake or a Met-RX bar. Lunch follows pretty closely after that. ;)
My training schedule has undergone a pretty drastic change starting this week. I am not doing HITTS on Tuesday and Thursday for the foreseeable future. Instead I will be doing a moderate 4 mile run (which will increase to 6 over time) at what I consider a fast pace (goal here is ~9:30/mile). This should help me add a couple miles to my overall base as well as build a little extra stamina as my perceived effort will be higher for these shorter runs.
Saturday runs will increase from a moderate 5 mile effort to 8 miles, and eventually 10 (to pair with the 20 on Sunday). The idea here is that I am again building more endurance and getting 'used' to running on tired legs on Sunday. To be fair though, with the amount of running I have been doing... my legs are *always* tired! ;)
Friday's double sessions will also be getting an overhaul. I have been running 8 miles in the morning at a comfortable pace and then going to my Spin class at night after work. I'm not sure what is going to happen here honestly, there are two possibilities. 1) I drop the run and just do Spin Friday night, or 2) I change Friday to my rest day and move Spin to Monday night. This is a tough decision because I *really* enjoy my Friday night Spin class (my moment of zen at Just Ride), and the instructor is phenomenal. However, my training guide highly suggests that Friday be my rest day before my back to back lengthy runs on Saturday and Sunday. I canceled tomorrow's Spin class because of prior commitment, so I'll go for a run tomorrow morning instead, but I really need to make a decision before next Friday.
Do you ever dream that you are flying? I do, and when I do it looks an awful lot like the girl shown below. During this morning's run I had an experience that felt like I was flying. It was AWESOME!. I am usually really cautious on this one particular hill as it is steep and I happen to run down the hill. Today however I maintained my 'push' pace down the hill and for a few seconds I had the odd sensation that I was flying. It was truly amazing. :)
So that's it, not much in the last month... ;)
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