3 Things I’m Doing Differently to Get My Sub-3 + Sneaky & I Am in Trouble

It was just the girls and me again yesterday.  Andrew had another shift at the hospital (he says that working with all of the new babies makes him miss Skye a lot during the day).  Knox comes back to us today.

Somehow Brooke has a sixth sense about when Andrew is gone in the early mornings.  She sneaks into my bed so quietly once he leaves that it doesn’t wake me up until she falls asleep and then starts kicking me.  Also, on Monday night I had a very vivid dream that I signed up for a challenge where I did three marathons in three days… it was stressful.

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Once I took Brooke to school, I met up with Candice for a walk.  The soreness was much better yesterday but a walk still sounded much better than a run.   Skye has a hard time staying awake when she is in the stroller.

I am very excited to get running again today even though it will be short, I’m ready to sweat again.

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I think we decided on a race to do this June together…

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After we picked up Brooke from school we headed to Target to get some slime making materials.  I am very thankful that Skye already has a deep appreciation for Target like we do.

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Speaking of Target, have you seen that they are offering this now?  Same day delivery… I’m in trouble.

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We started off with Brooke’s ‘cooking class’ once we got home.  I wasn’t sure what to make with her so I asked her and she said French Toast.  She did everything except for flipping the french toast… she even did the dishes.  Success.

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And then I asked you guys on my IG stories for a good slime recommendation since crafts are not my specialty and someone recommended this one.  She loved it and she asked to make it with Knox today too.

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Skye was still napping so we got to work on figuring out how to get the jogging stroller up and working again.  It needs some new tires so we got those ordered.  Skye will be able to go for runs with me in this stroller starting in 1 month and 6 days.  I don’t know how we are already to this point but we are.

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It seems like Brooke was just riding around in this stroller with me.  Brooke loved the jogging stroller so I hope Skye does too.  I won’t be doing long runs and speed workouts with it like I used to with Brooke (I think a lot of miles with it changed my form back then and gave me major ITBS problems) but we will get in some of my shorter easy runs together.

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We took Brooke over to her friend’s house to play for a bit.

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And then had dinner together at home.  Not going to lie… When Andrew is gone, our meals are even more simple than usual.  Costco salad, rotisserie chicken, banana and string cheese.

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After dinner we went to go cheer on my nephew at his volleyball game.  They won and are going to state now!

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My nieces were munching on these flaming hot Cheetos… I’m a wuss these days and cannot handle the heat of these.

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This was Brooke’s idea to run on the track.  I wouldn’t hate if she did track later on.   Also, my sister proved that running in flip flops is not the worst thing (she ran 6 miles with me in flip flops while pregnant once upon a time to get me to my marathon finish line) and Brooke tried them out too:

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Andrew got home!

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Skye was determined to stay up late so she could get in some quality time with us since Andrew was gone all day.  She achieved her goal because of her determination.

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I’ve had a lot of time since my last marathon to think about what I’m going to do differently to finally get my sub-3 marathon.  I’ve been shooting for this goal since 2010 and have had MANY failures along the way.  PS I love the quote that Des Linden said on the Ali show about failures HERE (you have to listen to this episode), “We fail all the time, and we learn from it and we get better.  I think that’s amazing.  You fail your way to success.  That’s how it happens, and I’m super comfortable with that.  I have no problem pointing out a bunch of failures in my career.  But I don’t define myself or my career as a failure.”  Yes. Yes. Yes.

I think for me personally, there are three things that I’m going to do differently to help me to reach this goal of mine.

One last picture from my half last weekend:

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1.  Stop obsessing about the number.  Which is funny because my goal is a number—> to get under 3 hours but I think part of the problem of why I haven’t gotten there is that I’ve obsessed about that number too much for years now.   I just need to focus on giving my best effort in my training and racing and eventually it will happen.  Focusing so much on a certain number gives me a lot of anxiety so why do it?  The less I stress, the better I race.  My PR marathon was one that I decided to do 3 days before the race.  I went into it with zero expectations for myself because I hadn’t planned on doing it and I just ran hard.  Focusing less on a time so much is going to open up a whole new world of running based on effort and negative split marathoning instead of being so concerned about a time.  I swear part of my stomach problems in 2015 were caused by the stress I put on myself on TIME in the marathon.  Less thought about a number and more thought about running smart with a hard effort is going to be one thing that will help to get me there.

2.  Fueling.  I am reading The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition and it is so good.  I love how the intro of this book is called ‘The Wall-Hitters Club.’  Who is a member of this club?  I’ve been a member since 2010;)  He talks about the three causes of hitting the wall being a lack of fitness, poor racing (going out too fast) and of course nutritional errors!   He talks about how nutritional mistakes are the most common ‘cause of repeated encounters with the wall… They are also the most overlooked cause of disappointing marathons and half marathons (runners often never realize what they’ve done wrong) and are therefore in many instances the trickiest to solve as well.”   The more I look back on my marathons the more I see that I think nutritional errors are probably the biggest factor of me not hitting my race goals for the marathon in the past.  In 2015 I ran two marathons and had never been in better shape in my life and for both marathons my nutrition stunk—>  Boston = I didn’t take in calories until mile 15 (TOO LATE) and in Tucson I was never able to keep anything down for the race.   I have focused over the last 8 years on training enough to get my goals but have not realized how much my nutrition factors into the equation of having a good marathon until NOW!  Huma gels have been working really well for me and I am going to try Tailwind during my next long run.  Long story short, taking in my calories/water/electrolytes properly for my marathon is going to make a world of difference.  Taking it seriously is going to be everything:

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3.   Word replacement.  I talked a lot about this in my post on Monday but it is going to make a big difference during the marathon and practice makes perfect so I”m practicing it with everything in my life, not just running.   The more I read about it, the more I realize that our thoughts/words make or break a race/run so replacing those words that are holding us back for words that push us forward is going to make all of the difference.  Also, I’m working on focusing on the present minute with my running rather than thinking down the road (i.e. Instead of thinking I have FOUR more miles… how am I going to do this?).  Focusing on doing everything I can in that minute and forgetting the rest is going to help me a lot I think.

*Bonus:  Stop twisting my body as I run like my picture above ha.. that is sure a waste of energy but maybe I was doing it because I had my huma gel in my hand;)

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I would love to know what those of you with certain diet restrictions (gluten intolerances, major allergies etc) do for nutrition during a race?  Does it effect your racing nutrition much or not at all?

Has anything in your training/running held you back from reaching some of your running goals?  Have you figured out your race day nutrition or is that something in the works for you still?

Ever had dreams about running?  What was the last dream that you remember having?

Would you say that you make more simple meals at home for yourself or more elaborate meals? 

-I keep things really simple… it’s probably a combination of my lack of patience and holding a baby makes it hard to make anything great ha.

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67 comments

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Congrats on your race!!
My ITB flares up a lot. I roll my quad on a massage ball and try to always work on form but it is my weak spot.
How did you end up fixing your ITB?

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Emma!! Thank you so much! I am so sorry about your ITB problems.. it is the worst pain! Any chance you are in Utah? My chiro does a thing called muscle reactivation that is incredibly helpful. I think him activating my glutes to take on the work that they are supposed to (instead of shutting down) helped the most. What about scraping? That ALWAYS seems to help mine:

https://hungryrunnergirl.com/2014/01/scraping-ouch-but-so-so-so-good.html

Here is an older post that I did that included some things that helped me:

https://hungryrunnergirl.com/2013/03/17304.html

Also, it was it’s worst when I was running a ton with the jogging stroller which I think is because it changed up my form. So I think you are doing really well with checking up on your form.

Let me know if you have any other questions! Keep me updated on how you are doing!

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Any time it’s just me and the kids for dinner it’s always something really simple. It just makes life easier.

I have dreams about running a lot. I think most of those dreams are that I’m racing and I can’t move fast for one reason or another and it’s all very frustrating. Lately I’ve been having dreams that I’m running and feeling awesome so that’s fun.

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YES… I also just love simple meals so why would I make something exciting ha. Oh that would be SO frustrating! I’m glad you are having better dreams about running now:) SO excited about your upcoming running adventures.

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I have ulcerative colitis & Crohn’s disease and have found that I can’t do gels / blocks etc. I have started trying different liquids and had solid success with ultima two weeks ago at a half.

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Oh Christine, that must be so hard to deal with. You are my hero for your training with both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Wow. I am SO glad that ultima has worked so well for you. Keep me updated with how you are doing and great job at your recent half. Have a wonderful day!

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This isn’t illness/allergy related but I am vegan so maybe that would be interesting to hear about nutrition-wise anyway! I like using natural sources – I usually eat dates during my races and find that works great. If I don’t want to have to chew something then it helps me to have a bottle of energy drink. Something helpful that I’ve tried is marking on the bottle how much of it has to be gone by which mile! So I’ve got a line on it that has to be gone by mile 8, 12 and so on, to keep me taking in enough consistently.

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VERY INTERESTING. Thank you so much Karen for sharing. I’ve always wanted to try out dates so you have inspired me. That is SUCH a good idea to help you know exactly how many calories you are getting in during each point along on your run. Thank you for your comment and I hope you are having a beautiful day.

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I am vegan and do dates too! Sometimes I slice them open and put a little peanut butter in :)

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Did you read Deena Kastor’s new book? It’s great, and it’s really helping me change the way I think about running and racing! It’s all about how she changed her mindset. It makes me hope that at 36 I can become an Olympic runner. HAHAHA

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Oh. My. Goodness. It is so so good. I am almost done with it and it has been helping me so much and I’m like you… after reading her I feel like I’m going to run a 2:30 marathon;) I hope you have a great day Wendy!

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Oh, when Chris is gone for dinner, I think I live on cereal for dinner. I am pretty sure if I was single my dinners would be cereal and/or whatever leftovers I have in the house. And even though I am a grown adult I think flaming hot cheetos will be my favorite food forever and ever. I hope it never changes.

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YES!!! I think I’ll probably have cereal today for one of my meals. Andrew loves them too but my mouth just catches on fire… what has happened to me!? Have a fabulous day Allison.

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How fun is that slime?! I have my students make it every year in science class to represent chemical changes and states of matter.
I usually have to stick with super simple carbs on race day!! Nothing too heavy or my stomach does not agree.
I don’t usually remember my dreams, but my husband says I kick a lot..like I’m running in my sleep!
Simple meals all the way!! I am not a fan of cooking.

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Oh I love that you have your students make the slime, Brooke had a blast. HAHAH I laughed when I read that you are running in your sleep. I’m going to tell Andrew that too but I sometimes punch him when I’m asleep so I have to find an excuse for that. Have a beautiful day Erinn.

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I LOVE that pic of Skye in the Target cart!! That girl gets it. :)

I think that sometimes fear holds me back from reaching my running goals. With everything that happened last year, I think I’m now afraid that I’ll never be able to get back to where I was or better, and I’m kind of afraid to try racing more because of that. I hate dear and have been trying to live my life more boldly, so I need to apply that to the running aspect of life, too.

My meals are definitely pretty simple. I’m the worst cook in the world, so anything I make that I eat has to be very simple (i.e., something that can be microwaved).

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Oh I am totally the same way! Fear holds me back from a lot of things but this is our year:) You are going to ROCK YOUR RACES! I believe in you Natalie. Start from where you are now (that’s what I’m doing)… and focus on your progress from here (not where you were). You are doing amazing! I hope you have a great day.

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I was diagnosed with celiac (an autoimmune disease that doesn’t let your body digest gluten) less than a week before my first marathon, I didn’t have time to research what gels/ snacks were okay and with without the entire race. Worst race ever! It’s been several years and now I know how to plan for what I can eat, it sometimes means the inconvenience of bringing your own gels (and post-race snacks) but that’s really the biggest difference.

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OH AMANDA… that is SO hard. I can’t even imagine how that marathon felt. I’m amazed you were able to finish. I’m glad that you have figured out what works for you and your body with celiac. Keep me updated with how you are doing and I hope your Wednesday is a great one.

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I’m Celiac, I either use honey stinger chews (they are gluten-free) or larabars! :)

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I didn’t know that those were gluten-free… that is awesome Kelly! I hope your day is a great one so far and thanks for your comment!

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Hey, Janae,

I haven’t nailed race day nutrition just yet. I’m getting close, and am finding that a combination of Tailwind and gels works best for me since I usually don’t take in enough calories.

My biggest challenge in running is the mental aspect. I think I tend to make my goals too conservative so that I am almost certain to meet them – I don’t do well with not achieving a goal, which (along the same lines as your post and Des Linden’s comments) doesn’t necessarily serve me optimally. I’m getting better, and am a work in progress on that front!

Dinners are usually super-simple: lean protein, starchy carb, fibrous carb and some fat. But my husband is the real cook, so sometimes he will prepare something super elaborate (and delicious!)! Sweets are my downfall!

You’ll hit your sub-3 – I know you will!

Have a great day, everyone!

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LIZ!! Thank you so much for your comment, it means a lot to me. I am so glad you are getting closer to the perfect combination for your fueling… good to hear that you love Tailwind too! Do you have a specific gel that you love the most? You are doing better and I can’t wait to hear where you go next! We sound very similar… Andrew is the good cook and sweets are my love language ha. I hope you are having a great Wednesday morning and thanks for sharing!

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I have a gluten allergy and a REALLY sensitive GI system (thats how I found this blog… googling “runner stomach problems” in a state of desperation.) I have to be really creative to get the right amount of fuel into my system throughout my training without also taking in too much fiber if I’m gearing up for a long run. I tried huma gels, but for some reason they made my stomach cramp up really bad whenever I ran over 16 miles. I usually do GF oatmeal or GF toast pre-race, maybe some GF pretzels while I’m waiting for the start, and then clif’s gels every 4 miles while I race. I have to pack all my own food for pre-and post-race, which can be kind of annoying. I hate when I finish a race and see everyone else chowing down on bagels and I have to trudge to bag check to grab my baggie of gluten free pretzels and protein bars lol.
It took a whole lot of trial and error to get to where I’m at. Nutrition has definitely held me back in the past, and I’m still working on it!

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I am so bummed that the Huma doesn’t work well with your stomach. I am so sorry about your GI problems… been there (glad that’s how you found me:) and it is THE WORST. Especially with training, it can be so frustrating. Those clif gels are really good… happy those work for you. That would be incredibly frustrating after a race, all of the options they have there are not going to work for you. Keep me in the loop with how it is all working out for you, you get bonus racing points for all of the nutrition problems you have to figure out along the way. Have a great day Kerri!

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I can’t wait to hear about how you do with Tailwind! I used it a couple of times on long runs and really liked it but I don’t like the idea of wearing my belt with water bottles in a race… just feels too bulky. It definitely was easier on my system than Gu, though!
I don’t really set super high goals for myself, to be honest. I did for my very first half because I wanted to finish in less than 2 hours, and since I did that, I more so just run these races to prove to myself that I can do them. Honestly, sticking to a training plan and following guidelines is part of the challenge (and part of the fun!) for me. I try to just enjoy the experiences when I do them. My goals tend to be more like “complete XX number of races this year” and less about time.
Meals for myself are simple meals, but I LOVE cooking for other people, and it gives me a chance to bust out my cooking skills to go more elaborate. Isn’t it funny how much cooking for others can bring so much joy?!

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SO good to hear that you love Tailwind. That’s what I’m trying to figure out though as far as getting it during a race… can Andrew just hand it to me along the way?! I LOVE your goals Rhiannon… I think that is an excellent way to do things. One of my good friends runs a bunch of races and people tell her she could be faster if she just focused on one a year but she says she doesn’t care because she finds joy in running the races… not running a specific time. I think that is great. Have a beautiful day and I agree… cooking for others is way more fun!

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My classic running dream: I want to sprint but my legs move in slow motion and my knees won’t get up! haha Not sure what my brain is trying to tell me there… :-) Wow this picture of you and Baby Brooke in the jogging stroller. Time flies! I eat gluten-free but it doesn’t affect my race day fueling… banana before a race, half a strawberry-banana flavoured Powergel every 30 minutes. I’ve had the same race-day routine for the past +15 years.

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Oh that would be such a frustrating dream!! So glad you have your race day nutrition figured out and you have been rocking it for over 15 years Mel, that is incredible. I hope your day is a great one!

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I love your goals on how your training is going to be different! For me, nutrition has always been an issue during long runs and races. I haven’t really found something that I love, that sits well with my stomach, and (probably most important) something that I can each while running. It’s funny, but I feel like my mouth forgets how to chew and swallow while I run.
My other big thing is the negative self talk. When I start to feel like the run is getting too hard, I say in my head, “this is too hard. I can’t keep doing this…” So, I too am going to really work on word replacement. Thank you for the reminders of this that you have shared this week.
And, now I’m off on a short easy run, so I am excited to listen to Ali’s podcast with Des! Thanks for sharing that too :)

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Thank you so much Wendy! My mouth does the exact same thing… why is eating so easy (and enjoyable) outside of running and then boom… you start running and it is so hard! You’ve got this and I hope you had a great short easy run this morning!

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Being wheat and dairy free can sometimes be challenging but there are a surprising amount of gluten free (which is wheat free) and dairy free choices available. I love Tailwind and I don’t usually need a gel if I sip that throughout my long run.

I met a functional movement correction specialist and she has me roll out my back, glutes, hamstrings, IT band, quads, calves and feet because the fascia runs from our feet up to our shoulders. I do this before I run and I am much less tight. If I am sore after a run, I roll out again.

I try to keep weeknight meals fairly easy. Our schedules are a little crazy some days and I just want things that are healthy, delicious, and cook up fast. With the warmer weather approaching the grill is such a time saver!

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How did you find a functional movement correction specialist? This sounds awesome!!

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Hi Toby, another runner pointed me towards her. I know she has distance clients that she works with if you aren’t in the NYC area. http://www.runpainfreenow.com.

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Thanks for the response Nina! I looked at the website. I’m slightly confused….what exactly do they do….chiropractor/PT type of stuff?

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It’s confusing when you first see it and I know she’s a bit intense. Having met her in person, she’s very passionate about changing the way you move and strengthening the weak areas. I would say it was more similar to PT in that you are rolling out and doing specific exercises that she gives you. It’s not a cookie cutter approach though, you are definitely getting exercises geared to where you are at that moment. There are also a lot of balance moves involved. (did I just confuse you more)? After working with her twice I was able to run 3 miles when I couldn’t even walk 2.

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I am SO glad that they have so many amazing options for you now Nina and for others that are wheat and dairy free. I want to go to your functional movement specialist, that sounds amazing! YAY FOR GRILLING SEASON!! I hope you have a wonderful day Nina.

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I LOVE grilling season, it’s one of the few times my husband cooks. ;-)

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Race nutrition is so hard to figure out! Every runner has their recommendations on what works and what doesn’t, but it is such a personal thing. I think the only way to find out what works for you is trial and error. Just keep experimenting with different fuel options until you find the right combo. Or at least that is what I’m doing. Right now, using Huma gels and alternating water/Gatorade at aid stations is working for me. Pre-race I just have water, one coffee and a plain bagel with honey.

You will definitely get your sub-3!! You have worked so hard over the years – it will happen!!

x Elise
http://www.thirtythoughtstoday.com

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You are right, it really is such a personal thing and a thing that I think can continue to change for an individual over time! I’m so glad you have such a good combo of what is working with you! THANK YOU so much and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day Elise.

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“Stop obsessing about the number” I really needed to hear this. I’ve been so caught up trying to regain speed and endurance after injury, that I totally missed the progress that I’ve made in the last few months.
I’ve also been thinking about nutrition during long runs and longer races. I think that might be something that is holding me back, especially during the summer when it’s so hot. I feel so drained after sweating for two (or more) hours.
I’m a big fan of simple meals. I could eat salad with steak or chicken every day. Also, I’ll eat something until I get sick of it. I’m glad I never get tired of eggs or sweet potatoes or grilled cheese!
Awesome info today Janae!!

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Hey Elizabeth! I am so glad you are back and running after injury. I struggle at times too feeling like I’m so far behind but we have to celebrate all of the progress we are making along the way. I never get sick of those things either. You are doing amazing Elizabeth and I hope you are having a great Wednesday.

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I am very lucky – I have IBD (ulcerative proctitis) but my problems are not with race-related foods, they’re with fiber and healthy stuff! So my nutrition leading up to a race isn’t always great, but plain white carbs are ALWAYS my friend, esp coming up to races.

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Meesh… IBD, that is so hard! I am so glad that your race day nutrition works and I’m right there with you on the plain white carbs:) Have a beautiful day Meesh!

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Mediterranean crunch salad from Costco is my all time fave. That and a Costco chicken are my lunch almost everyday. I am all about simple. I want flavor but I don’t love spending a ton of time cooking.

My last running dream was mostly a nightmare. I get lots of anxiety before races and I dreamed my friend was yelling at me on the bus ride up that I wasn’t prepared and was going to let everyone down. It just showed me that I need to work on my mental game and positivity. I tend to put way to much pressure on myself and just need to relax and enjoy.

Are you hinting at the AF half?

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Best lunch combo ever. For lunch especially I just want to feel full so I don’t really care about what it is but as long as it is healthy and I feel full, I’m happy haha! Oh that nightmare sounds awful! I totally get you on that pre-race anxiety. I THINK SO… PLEASE SAY you’ll come do it or is it too close to your half? Hope you are having a great day Alyse!

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I just have to say I admire the single parents so much; it’s SUCH hard work to parent alone! I definitely keep it simple when my husband travels for work which is not much at all! You and Andrew are troopers!

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ME TOO! I was just thinking that yesterday and feeling very lucky to have my biggest teammate now because it is hard. I hope you have a beautiful day Marie and I love hearing from you!

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I don’t have any dietary restrictions, but many of my friends have allergies, are vegan have gluten intolerances – somehow they have found a way to make it work for themselves. I guess there is a lot of choice in the supermarkets these days :)

Hmm, I still have some specific goals for the roads – but my love of trails has meant road racing has taken a back seat. Having said that I know that my marathon pbs and half pbs could easily be bettered by solid training – I would love to break 3:20 for the marathon (really to run a 3:15 is what I want) and to break 1:30 for the half. Currently, my half pb sits at about 1:33 and my marathon pb at 3:24. I figure I just need to a want it and (b) put in the work. I think for me being realistic about my abilities but then also really mentally believing I could – everyone else seems to believe I have the ability and it comes down to how badly I want it, and also how much work I am willing to put in. For me, I ran some of my best races when I put in consistent training and then just trusted my body enough that the races took care of itself. The more I enjoyed myself the better I ran. Also, I have a stomach of steel so pretty lucky that nutrition isn’t too big of an issue …

Definitely all about the simple meals – rotissierie chicken is one of my go – tos. Definitely dreamed of races – mostly missing start lines haha.

Good luck with your sub 3 goal! You can totally do it.

Also random – I binge watched pretty much the entire season of the Good Doctor over the weekend – I can see why you guys love that show. Not too ashamed to admit that I cried!

Have a great day!

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“The more I enjoyed myself the better I ran” <--- I LOVE THAT so much! Thank you for sharing that Kristine. I am so happy that you are loving the trails so much, you are rocking it. I am SO glad you loved Good Doctor, it is the best (we cry too)! Thank you so much and enjoy the rest of your day!

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During a race I wouldn’t consume anything at all; I find my stomach does better this way! I know it’s not for everyone and mst people like the use of a gel.

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Sounds great Linda! Have an awesome day!

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OMG YES, YES YES. Nutrition and fueling has been my biggest issue for marathons! BUT I think I may have finally nailed it! My stomach is super sensitive and I have to be careful with my fueling. But this past wknd I NAILED it for my 22 miler. I felt great before, during, after. And my pace was really good throughout. My go-tos now: Huma gels and Tailwind. I use tailwind (and a gel) during the 1st half b/c I realized that during the 2nd half I always only want plain water. Can’t believe it took me 6 marathons to make this connection. Lol. The 2nd half I use gels only.
GL on your sub-3 this year! I’m going for sub 3:30 and I know how it feels when you are SO CLOSE!!

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GOOOOO ANNEMARIE for figuring out your marathon nutrition, this is awesome. Huge congrats on your 22 miler, I am so happy for you. I might try out your method about tailwind during the first half and water during the second because that seems perfect to me. Thank you and I can’t wait for you to get that sub 3:30. You’ve got this!

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I’m so glad you are enjoying the book and finding it useful! With all your hard training and fuelling knowledge, I have no doubt you will achieve all your running goals <3

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Thank you again Tara… If you have any other recommendations too let me know. You are the BEST!

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Love this!! I know you’re going to get your Sub-3 one day soon and I can’t wait to hear all about it!

I think these things that you mentioned are huge keys to success. I’m still experimenting with nutrition and figuring out what works best too. For my last marathon training cycle, my coach had me try to take less gels/ calories in during the runs in the beginning of the training cycle so that my body got better at not needing to run on as much sugar. And then we slowly incorporated more of that in the later training runs so my stomach would be able to handle it for the marathon. Worked pretty well except I don’t think I did as well as I could have introducing gels back in during my later runs. Definitely something to work on for next time!

Also- the mental stuff is huge! I saw a big change in my race times when I worked on my mental game and realized that it’s going to hurt during a race and that’s ok! And that we are strong and can get through discomfort in the moment and we will be so much happier afterwards that we gave it our all!

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Oh thank you so much Diana! That is very interesting about what your coach had you do! Keep me updated with how it all continues to go for you. Oh I love what you said about it being ok to hurt during a race… knowing it is coming makes it less scary when it happens and we remember that we can get through it. I love it. Have a wonderful day Diana.

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I have Celiac’s so definitely no gluten for me. It never effects my racing but afterwards WHY WHY WHY is there never anything GF?? Yes there is always fruit but a lot of my races there are crackers and granola bars and the finish and I crave that some times and I can’t have any of it. So I have learned to always bring stuff with me for afterwards in case I need it! I think eventually you just get use to your diet restrictions.

I usually keep dinners simple during the week then on the weekend I love to spoil my hubs with a good elaborate home cooked meal!!!! I try to do a lot of stuff in the crock pot during the week so we can walk in after work and eat!! And I do lots of meal prep on the weekends!

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I have a LOT of food allergies: soy, beans, corn, eggplant, honey, coffee, and my body doesn’t tolerate yogurt very well. While not an outright intolerance, I have noticed an overwhelming difference in my body’s ability to function from not eating anything with flour or any sort of added sugars (my body is a total rockstar!!!) vs. when I eat these things (IMMEDIATE weight gain and if I am near a depressive or anxious spell, my head is a lot foggier…like, almost instantly…so no kodiak cakes for me :-(. Boo.).
When it’s JUST ME, I make food that is as simple as possible. And it often seems pretty random. Like–I’ll put so much weirdo stuff together, like a piece of chicken or 4 oz worth of turkey taco meat depending on what we made for meal prep earlier in the week, and a handful of grapes and a handful of cashews and maybe a couple of carrots cut up into sticks. I love cooking and am quite good at it; however, the more that I get into super elaborate meals and recipes instead of things that are quick, that fit the nutrition profile that’s best for me, and that take so LITTLE effort so I can focus the rest of my thoughts on all the other junk happening in life and all the papers I have to grade and students I need to email back, then I drill into my head more and more that food is flavorful fuel and not something to get emotional or dramatic about.

That said, don’t get me wrong–I love a super fancy date night meal at a fine restaurant, and if Tom and I go out even to just one of our “let’s grab a quick dinner” restaurants, I have NO PROBLEM having the burger + blue cheese + caramelized onions + bacon + + + + all the other ingredients. That just needs to be a “not what happens inside my kitchen” kind of a thing. Or else I open the flood gates to a super dramatic and emotional approach to food entering the picture. ANd that’s not good for me.

Have you ever had a “throw this stuff together” meal that just disappointed you or stuck out in your mind as being remarkably lackluster or even disappointing?

Oh–I thought of you the other day on a Costco run when I looked at the salad kits. Sadly, Costco only had this Asian salad kit in stock, and it had edimame and some other things I am allergic to. :( So I couldn’t be your salad twin. Oh the sadness!!!

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I love Matt Fitzgerald! Thanks for the recommendation! I grabbed it on Amazon!!! Thank you!

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A gel you might be interested in trying is Spring. I tried it last week for the first time and really liked it. It is a more ‘natural’ one like Huma, but I liked it even better than Huma. It based on basmati rice (all blended smooth – no rice grains!) and banana – kind of tastes like baby food bananas – in a good way!

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hi :) I have a random request… I live in Bangladesh (but, I’m American), with my 1.5 year old who was born in Bangkok and my Italian partner. We are considering moving back to the US at some point, probably when my daughter is Brooke’s age. We’re not super wealthy, and Utah seems like a fairly affordable place (from the super non-sleuthing I’ve done). Would you be interested in writing a post on the pros of living in Utah with your kids and maybe a bit of household budgeting? I would love to read a post like that… :)

Usually by mike 4-6 I’m dying for something salty and a cheeseburger! Why is that? It doesn’t matter what I ate that morning. It always happens. I know I need to do something different but I’m not sure what… I can’t wait to hear your experiences!

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so many good Qs~!

i have figured out my race day nutrition but i am going to play with it. this weekend i’m doing a long run and i’m going to bring a honey stinger waffle with me. the honey stinger chews don’t really do anything for me, but clif bars do. i tried the honey stinger waffle on a long run and i liked it but that was our only one and i couldn’t find them til recently. if it does well this time, i’ll switch to it. the clif bar is fine but it’s a little too chewy (uh it totally covers the inside of my mouth!) to eat while racing and needs something to wash it down.

the last dream i had was a nightmare! unrelated to running. just full on mom panic mode.

we make a lot of simple meals but occasionally do an elaborate one when we have the time.

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Tailwind is awesome, you’re gonna love it!

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That was THREE years ago? Holy crap! And look at how little Brooke was!

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