Marathon Training Weeks 8-9 Review

WEEK 8
Run Mileage: 29.09
Bike Mileage: 0
Yoga Classes: 0
Time Strength Training: 2:56
Swimming: 0

WEEK 9
Run Mileage: 44.31
Bike Mileage: 11.57
Yoga Classes: 2
Time Strength Training: 3:10:16
Swimming: .3 miles

I missed a week of blogging, so this is a double training week in review. There are two important changes that were made over these two weeks. The first is diet.

During week 7, Mallory thought she would like to try being vegan for a week, so we both took a seven day vegan challenge among the two of us. We loved it. Almost instantly, we felt as if we had more energy and mental clarity. In fact, my own energy and mental clarity resulted in not feeling the need for any caffeine on my way to work by day two, which therefore resulted in a horrible caffeine withdrawal nauseating brain piercing migraine. (However, once that was over, I kept up being caffeine-free, because why not). The food was great. I cooked a lot over the past couple of weeks and we ate a lot more fruits and vegetables. I made a point of having a smoothie and leafy greens everyday. However, extra focus on the berry and green nutrients wasn't really all that necessary as we have both been chowing through in-season, nutrient-rich edibles like bunnies. I have done almost all of the grocery shopping in the produce section, which makes my life easier too. I think the prize for the best prepared vegan meal goes to  Best-ever Vegan Quinoa Chili from Making Thyme for Health. I made this one evening after dinner and we had it for a couple of lunches throughout the week. It's phenom. Even if you're not vegan, it is so worth your time.

Being vegan was so good that after 7 days, Mallory and I decided to make it 30. I'd be lying if I said I don't think about cheese and ice-cream, but the food is overall so much better and we are both feeling GREAT. 

Photo stolen from Making Thyme for Health

Guess what else happened possibly as a result of this new way of eating? No DOMS. No sore legs and calves. Easy recoveries. This is my rest day. And my weekend was nuts: 18 mile HOT long run, core workout, 5.25 mile trail run, .3 mile swim, leg routine, 12 mile bike ride. Normally I would wake up today and not even be able to straighten my legs after all that, but I bounced right up feeling like I walked my dogs around the block this weekend rather than put in a ton of hard miles. This is a noted benefit to being a vegan athlete and the reasons are unclear. One theory is that the food is easier to digest so the body can focus more on repair and wellness rather than digestion. The other theory is that the food is incredibly nutritious, and all that goodness results in a healthy body that recovers well from strenuous exercise. 

Also, on Saturday, I tried these for the first time after my long run.

Dr. Cool Ice Wraps

These are Dr. Cool Ice Wraps (size medium). You wet them and put them in the freezer and then wrap yourself up in them. It's an alternative to an ice bath, which I would never do. No thank you. The coolness doesn't last as long as I would like, but even a few minutes of this after a run while sitting outside on a hot day felt amazing. I won't do this too often, but I knew this was going to be an exercise-intense weekend, so it seemed appropriate.

The other important change that has gone into the past two weeks is a commitment to my strength training. I mean, I have been pretty consistent with my strength training since beginning this training cycle, but I often missed a workout or two each week, especially after long runs, but not in these past two weeks. I have been KILLING IT! 

I have been wanting to go do a long run on the Newport course, but haven't made the commitment to driving there early in the morning yet, so no new or interesting locations for running. However, we are still enjoying going trial running and pond swimming every week or two. My pond swim is getting stronger and further. I'm still slow and it's still tough, but totally getting better. I can now swim from one end of the swimming area and back without stopping as was my goal. New goal is to get to .5 miles. 

Pond water is nasty water! I swim faster when I think about what might be floating in here.

Marathon Training Week 5

Run Mileage: 41.15
Bike Mileage: 0
Yoga Classes: 2
Time Strength Training: 1:08:36
Swimming: 8 minutes!

This week presented with time challenges. I am blessed with a career that allows for flexible hours, particularly in the morning. As an art therapist/mental health counselor, working primarily with kids, the majority of my self-scheduled hours come in the afternoon, leaving everything before noon all to myself to get it on with my fitness. This week I had a couple of morning commitments. I missed a yoga class to make sure I got my miles in earlier and my strength training was not on point. The good news is I got my runs in as prescribed, tried a swim (most suckily -- swimming is hard) and went to see a sports nutritionist to talk about proper fueling during long runs and races (my Achilles heel of running) and check in on my vegetarian, considering-vegan fueling.

My current nutrition assignment is to just try eating anything I want on my long runs to see what I will actually ingest. I am lucky in that I don't ever feel sick to my stomach when running, but I don't want anything. I run marathons on water. WATER! So stupid. I would definitely improve if I could just knock that one little tendency. This week on my long run, I tried 2 fruit source bars from the produce department and didn't hate them. Progress!

Fruit source: Not gross while running

This didn't happen during a run, but I tried spiraled zucchini which was the meal success of the week.

My adventure workout this week was another trip to Chepachet, Rhode Island where I ran about 7 miles of trails and went for a very short and pitiful swim in Pulaski State Park. I enjoy trail running, but I wonder if it is helpful or harmful to my training. It's hilly and rocky and my pace is not as prescribed. However, my feet are moving all over adjusting to every root and crevice and muscles working hard in a different way up and down the hills. Most significantly, I'm having fun and enjoying running, which gets tougher the more focused I get on pace and distance and getting the training just right running the same places over and over. I'm going to have to research and maybe ask my coach about pace and trails. Good idea or bad? This likely won't be the last you'll hear about this.

Trail running in Pulaski State Park

I set fitness goals for myself that have more to do with having fun than reaching a certain goal. This summer I set a goal to use my surfboard and swim in open water. Pulaski State Park is awesome! It's free and has trails, bathrooms with running water and soap as well as a swimming area that isn't too crowded, at least so far. On Sunday after our trail run, I decided to accomplish one of these goals and go for a swim. I'm a big baby when it comes to cold water, so although infants and their grandmothers were gleefully bounding right in, it took me a good twenty-minutes of whining and tiptoeing. Finally, I made my Garmin, which has a swim function give me that extra push. I hit the start button and made myself waste no more time. Of course, it wasn't so cold once I got it.

I haven't swum in maybe three years. I always imagine myself a strong and amazing swimmer. I mean, growing up in California means I can do all sorts of sporty things right? I lived in the water. I can totally swim. I quickly realized swimming is not "like riding a bike," and running has nothing to do with swimming endurance. Granted I can still swim without drowning, but I cannot swim great distance or for extended periods of time. I swam a total of 8 minutes and was completely pooped. I felt muscles in my arms and legs that apparently atrophied since my last swim. I flopped from my stomach to my back, tried one stroke and then another. Exhausting! So, my revised summer swim in open water goal is now to swim from one end of the designated swim area to the other and back STRONG.

Post swim