8.86 miles with Emilee to start my morning.
And then a 20-minute upper body Peloton class. I have no idea when I should start tapering my strength training for the marathon, so I need your help in the comments.
They are just as happy as I am that it is finally shorts weather (don’t mind the snow on the mountains, we are calling this shorts weather).
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Time for some tangents!
*The other day on the run, my friend Jo said she thought it was clever that I did a ‘Tangents’ post each week because it is a running word. Ummmm after 11 years of writing Tuesday Tangent posts, I had never put that together. Tuesday Tangents now has a new meaning;)
*I had my legs cupped, massaged, and scraped the other day. They were feeling extremely tight, and I knew I needed to do something to help them out. Once again, I know the placebo effect is very real for me, but I couldn’t believe the difference this made for me afterward. My legs felt like I had taken a few days off when I left!
*Beck has transitioned down to one nap a day, and it is nice to plan the day around one nap instead of two again.
*Beretta has sure been getting more grey hair lately:(
*I think the Chipotle workers know when I am in marathon training because I come in way more often… their burritos actually fill me up.
*Our goal this summer is to have pruney hands and feet as much as possible…
*She came in telling us to call her Andrew;)
*It had been quite some time since I last had Mango Sticky Rice, and after one bite, I was reminded that it is most definitely on my list of top 5 favorite desserts.
*Maurten gels will be offered at three spots along the course in Boston, and a ton of my friends swear by this fuel for marathons. I will try them out on my last four double-digit runs to see if they work for me (I probably should have done this a few weeks ago;). Does anyone else love these?
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Strength training/running friends… at what point would you stop strength training before a marathon?
-This is new to me, but I was thinking of stopping strength training a week before Boston?
Do you ever go in for sports massages, cupping, scraping etc.? Do you notice a big difference afterward?
Have you tried Maurten? What are your thoughts on them?
Parents reading… when did your kid(s) stop napping?
-Brooke and Knox were 3 and Skye was 2 (almost 3).
41 comments
Kathy
I used Maurten for my fall marathon and holy buckets- it was great. The energy hit my system so fast that I was able to take a gel at 22 and feel it right away. When has taking a gel at 22 ever been reasonable or possible?! I love this stuff. Also, no cranky tummy. Pro tip- their caffeinated gels have lots of caffeine and that was a rough awakening for my GI track on the first run with them. And yes, I normally use caffeinated gels.
My 5 year old still naps 50% of the time. Of course, I would, too, if given the chance.
GOOD LUCK IN BOSTON! I’ll be finishing an hour behind you.
The Hungry Runner Girl
This is SO so good to hear. Thank you for sharing it with me and I can’t wait for that boost at mile 22 (because you are right… that never seems possible!). Thank you for that tip, I will have to try it a bunch before the race… I really appreciate you sharing this with me! Thank you friend and I would LOVE to see you there. Haha I would take 100% of naps if I could too:). Have a great day and happy tapering!
Susan
Napping – first child always took naps and long naps – 3 hour naps and would still sleep all night. She’s 26 and is still a champion napper! Second child – if he took a 30 minute nap his night sleep was shortened significantly. I think he had just turned 2 (maybe) and we cut the miniscule naps just so he would sleep at night. He’s 19 and (just like his mama) can’t take a nap to save his life – we just can’t sleep during the day!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Isn’t it crazy how our sleeping patterns kind of stick with us for life?! Andrew never slept as a child and still doesn’t and I could sleep 15 hours a day and be happy! Thanks for sharing and I love hearing about how your children have grown, I bet it is so fun to have adult children. Happy Tuesday, Susan!
Lindsey
Hello! Just a quick note on Maurten Gels – they don’t have much in the way of electrolytes (sodium/potassium) which a lot of other sports gels do. The Maurten 100 has 34g of sodium per gel while other brands like Powerbar or GU can have 100mg per gel. So to anyone who is a salty sweater (I am) and used to getting electrolytes with your gels, you may want to make sure you’re getting the difference in salt from another source whether that’s gatorade on course of carrying salt tablets or base salt if you decide to use Maurten. Hope you have a great race day! I’ll be cheering at the bottom of Heartbreak Hill.
The Hungry Runner Girl
THIS IS SO GOOD TO KNOW. I had no idea about this… thank you so much for this help! I will absolutely be guzzling the gatorade! See you in less than 3 weeks ahhhh. Have a great day, Lindsey!
Rachael
No help with when to taper strength training, but I downloaded the Pelton app just for strength training because of how much you said you love them and how convenient they are (I don’t have a bike), and I am obsessed already! I even got my husband to join in and he said he’s going to do the classes now too! I have never been consistent with strength, so hoping this gets me there. Already done 3 days of strength in the last week!! All thanks to you!
April
Join hardcore on the floor on either facebook or instagram. They plan out all your Peloton strength for the month and you just follow the program. So amazing.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I love this so much!! Once running calms down a bit, I want to try this out. Happy Wednesday, April!
The Hungry Runner Girl
THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY! It seriously is the first time I have truly enjoyed strength and stayed consistent, there is just something about it. Way to go Rachael, you and your husband are on fire. Keep me updated, PLEASE!
Tara
I don’t have any running answers for you but look forward to seeing the answers!
I’m in the thick of pregnancy and parenting right now so I’m curious about napping. Did your kids go from everyday naps to none, or did they slowly transition by dropping naps some days? My son starts preschool for three days a week when he is 2 1/2 years old so I’m wondering if he will skip naps those days but keep naps for the days he is home.
I’d prefer this to him falling asleep at 3PM once he gets home from preschool and then being up really late at night ?
The Hungry Runner Girl
Tara! I hope you are feeling well and I cannot wait for your little one to get here. Skye went completely cold turkey on naps but I think it is because we took her binky away. Once that was gone, she never took a nap again (unless sick ha). Brooke and Knox slowly tapered off and Beck tapered off with his second nap too. That will be interesting to see what your son does with preschool, I’m so excited for you! Hahah I can’t do the late night parenting either… I clock out at 8 pm and I know that will change with teenagers but for now I stick to it;). Happy Tuesday!
Tara
Thanks so much for your detailed reply! It’s interesting how kids are so different.
My son’s a bit wild, a bit like what Skye sounds like haha, so I’m not sure how long his naps will last. He’s always slept the absolute minimum amount experts say is needed for health and development but it’s never seemed to impact him negatively.
I’m also in bed every night at 8 and up at 5. Everyone talks about getting their alone or kid free time in the evenings but for me that has always been in the mornings. I’m a morning person so I love it this way!
Tara
Thanks so much for your detailed reply! It’s interesting how kids are so different. My son has never been much of a sleeper so we will see what the next baby is like.
I’m also in bed every night at 8 and up at 5. Everyone talks about getting their alone or kid free time in the evenings but for me that has always been in the mornings. I’m a morning person so I love it this way!
Mollie
One week! I don’t like to stop before that because the strength helps activate my muscles. I also did some light glute band work (just to activate, not to get sore) the week of the race for both my last marathons and I felt the difference!!
I was just thinking about mango sticky rice the other day and wondering if I could make it taste as good at home as it does coming from a restaurant. SO GOOD!!!
I don’t love Maurten, but I feel like I’m an outlier there. Haha.
The Hungry Runner Girl
That is so so true. I didn’t even think about the muscle activation, thank you Mollie. I will definitely be copying you with that the week of the race. I hope you get some mango sticky rice soon! I’ll let you know my thoughts on Maurten soon. Hope your day is a beautiful one!
Jan J
Is that Spicy Thai mango sticky rice?! THE BEST. Not all mango sticky rice is created equal. Thai food is my favorite and I haven’t found anywhere that I like as much. (So if it isn’t Spicy Thai I need to know where you got it!). I love how they put so much sauce ❤️❤️❤️
The Hungry Runner Girl
YOU KNOW YOUR MANGO STICKY RICE… it is 100% Spicy Thai. The best of the best for everything on the menu. Hope your day is a gorgeous one! Get over to Spicy Thai asap!
Megan
Napping: first daughter napped until 3. Son napped until 3 and my youngest naps one time every day she is 15 months All three of my kids are home all day with me and they still all have quiet time. They don’t have to nap but they have to be quiet for an 1.5 every day.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I really need to get going with quiet time for Skye! I need it as much as she does! Thanks for sharing and the motivation, happy Tuesday Megan and have a beautiful day with your kiddos.
Audrey Calkins
I teach LesMills BodyPump, and I drop down to body weight for squats and lunges the week before a half. But I also haven’t chased any goals in a loooooong time. That’s an option for you as well, to just do body weight instead of complete rest, but I think it depends on your goals for this race. You could also do body weight the second to last week before and then rest your legs from strength during the final week before the race.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I think that is what I will do then too… just do some body weight stuff along with more rest! THANK YOU for the help and I really wish I could come to one of your classes. Hope your day is off to a great start. Thanks, Audrey!
Sue
Hmmm…I didn’t taper on strength training, did it up to Wednesdays before Sundays’ marathon; Fridays for rest of distance.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Good to know! Thanks Sue for the help! Hope your day is off to a great start!
Janet
Good Morning, I strength train with a personal trainer and run with a coach and my personal trainer will usually go to light body weight workouts only with me the week prior to races, so that’s what I’d suggest here. Keeps your legs “fresh” but doesn’t generate fatigue. :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS. This seems like the perfect approach, I’m going to try it out. Have a beautiful day, Janet and thanks for sharing.
Alyssa
My 5 year old still naps about an hour and a half on weekends even though they don’t nap at school during the week. Luckily my 3 year old naps like 2-3 hours still. I need that time as much as they do :)
I love rice pudding but have never tried the mango kind! We make rice pudding with raspberries for all our holiday meals.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hahaha really nap time is just as much for us as them! So glad your 5-year-old will still nap on the weekends. Now I need rice pudding with raspberries, that sounds dreamy. Have a great day, Alyssa!
~ R
Strength taper: I stop leg workouts a week ahead, upper body/core 3-4 days ahead. UNLESS you need that extra strength time for sleep/other recovery needs the last week, then stop it a bit earlier. Listen to your body – the week before the marathon is when you say “yes” to your body’s complaint of “I need more sleep”, “I’m too tired to lift”, etc instead of arguing with it and lifting anyway.
The Hungry Runner Girl
It really is so true that we need to just focus on what our body is telling us… I love this perspective and I think my body will be asking for more sleep instead. Have a great day and thanks for the help!
Stacey
I stop with leg work a week out and usually core and arms 3ish days out. My house stops napping at two; it’s HARD, but then they sleep 12+ hours at night, which is AMAZING! And, I feel like a lady with new legs after a chiro or massage appt, especially a massage. Call me a tree hugger–I’m all in for it!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you so much for helping, Stacey! I appreciate it. 12+ hours at night is just the way to go:). I get so jealous of kids! I’m part of your tree hugger club, it makes the biggest difference. Hope your day is off to a great start, Stacey!
Elizabeth
I was running a race and came up on two girls who were aiming for the same goal time as me. I ran tangents, they did not. I passed them doing a tangent and finished under my goal time. They did not. Go tangents!
Beth
I too thought that Tangents was a clever play on the running term LOL xD
I always loved when my kids dropped down to one nap a day, it made things so much easier. Mine both dropped naps all together around 3.
Loving all this spring weather so much. I always try to love winter but I feel so much better when spring arrives!
Melissa
My oldest is 2.5 years old and still naps 2-3 hours per day. I fear the day he stops napping!
Adam
Where do you go to get your legs cupped, massaged and scraped? A chiro?
The Hungry Runner Girl
Total Muscle Therapy in pleasant grove! They are the best!
Taylor
My 3 year old twins still nap or else they would fall asleep by dinner time ha! I usually stop strength training about 10 days before a big race but that’s just what has worked for me!
I have a pregnant running question for you! I’m 20 weeks and the bladder pressure during runs is crazy even with a belly band! How did you deal with this when you were running pregnant?
Amber
I liked Maurten for Boston, but did NOT like the caffeine gels! Super gross!
Carrie
On my virtual coaching group they suggest you start going lighter with weights when you also start tapering your run. My last big race was my trail run in Sept (hello 4 hours climbing boulders and running over top of downed trees..). So the week before the race I did 2 very light training sessions, think 10 min easy core work out and a 10 minute tricep workout with a light weight.
Maurten.. I have a love, hate relationship with them. The texture is just yuck. You sort of have to still chew them but not really. I am not a big caffeine fan so I don’t use their caffeinated stuff but I do use the other and it definitely works and sits very well with my stomach. But gagging it down sometimes isn’t fun. It isn’t something you eat in one step!
Gilly
Maurten are amazing!!! I used them for a marathon in Feb (summer here in Australia) and it was sooooooooooooo hot and they were amazing. They go down so cleanly and you just feel the impact so quickly. I took 6 over a 3.07 marathon, two of which were caffeine which are like rocket fuel. I usually get so sick of gels by the end of a race and really have to force them down by these are not like that. You’ll love them :)