The SPECIFICS! + Weekending.

(shoes, shorts, bra)

This run was quite adventurous.  There was everything from the rain pouring down while on the trails to goats running alongside us.   There was a mountain bike tire that somehow resembled a cougar which caused me to scream, and a perfect lesson learned about not wearing the Vaporflys on the trails (YOU WILL ROLL YOUR ANKLE).

All in all, another big workout checked off.  We also came across a race that was happening along the way too.

The workout is not your basic marathon training workout… our coach sure keeps things interesting:  18.11 miles @ 7:25 average… mostly roads and about 5 of those miles on trails.

We started with a 2.5-mile w/u and then did 5 miles @ a bit faster than marathon pace on half downhill, half flat roads (6:13 pace).  That tempo led straight into a 1.39-mile push up a trail with 469 ft of climbing.  The goal was to get to the rock at the top of the trail as quickly as possible, and my breathing was the heaviest it had been in quite some time.  It was the most challenging part of the workout for me.   We then did a few more miles (3.5ish?!) on the trails to get back on the roads and then 1-mile float, 1-mile fast x 2 (6:44, 5:52, 6:45, 5:54) on flat roads + 1-mile c/d.

Graham crackers before the run, maurten gels during, and 3.5 minutes of sitting on the rock before I could get back up and continue forward with the workout.   My coach forced me to get up and move again, ha.

Right after this picture, we got pounded with rain which felt heavenly and made us feel hardcore for running through the storm.

Once again, do not wear these shoes on trails.  They are my best friends on the roads but not the trails.  I decided to wear them because they were basically done mileage-wise, so I wasn’t worried if the trails wrecked them.  The high platform in the back is just asking for you to sprain your ankle when running over rocks.

I do not have curly hair, but the weather made it curly on Saturday.

The run forced me to wash my hair (but let’s be honest, I should have five days previously), and then we were off for a date.

You cannot go wrong with this combination —> fries and French toast at Cubby’s.

The rest of the weekend was spent with Andrew’s family, and then I flew to California to pick up Brookers on Sunday to bring her home.  It’s almost been a decade of flying back and forth!

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I thought I would talk about Mollie’s comment from the other day!  It’s fun to show the running part, but there is also a lot of stuff behind the scenes that is so important for training…

…Besides marathoning for the past 13 years and building up a solid base, here are more details about what I do:

-Let’s start with nutrition.  I have learned dozens of times that I get injured when I don’t eat enough calories.  I see it more clearly than I used to, and I’m grateful for that.  I can’t treat my body in any other way than giving it the fuel it needs.   I am not one to keep track of calories or detailed food logs on what I eat because those things are triggering for me with my past of having an eating disorder, but I’ll give a general idea of what I eat in a day  —> I finish a run and go straight for a Fairlife Core Power Protein drink.  I love their taste and they are an easy way to get in protein, carbs, and calories.  I’ll have an egg burrito (eggs, tortilla, cheese, avocado, peppers) a bit later with the kids when they eat breakfast.  I eat lunch around noon, which usually includes a carb, protein, fat, fruit, and veggie.  I snack with the kids in the afternoon (usually something like—> cheese, crackers, pretzels, chips/salsa, fruit, or a smoothie), and then we eat dinner around 5ish.  Dinner is the same where we include a carb, protein, fruit, veggie, and fat.  I’ll have Ben and Jerry’s lactose-free ice cream (regular ice cream hurts my stomach) or a bowl of cereal at night.  We also eat out often, so I choose whatever sounds delicious and filling when I am there… and if it is the night before a long run or big workout, I choose something low in fiber and high in carbs.  I don’t have any no foods (besides ice cream just because it hurts, ha), and I try to add in as much of the stuff that I know will make me feel good and stay healthy.

-I know I talk about this a lot, but Liquid IV is part of my daily habit with recovery.  I drink it every day, and besides looking forward to the flavors, I know it is helping me keep up with my hydration which is necessary for recovery.  Code HUNGRY-RUNNER-GIRL gets you 25% off here!

-Getting in the hot tub with Skye during Beck’s nap is a huge win because it is something we love to do together and feels so insanely good on my muscles.

-After school, we spend a lot of time at the soccer fields.  Both Brooke and Knox made the teams they wanted to make, which means they have a lot of practices, games, and scrimmages each week.  I might look like a crazy person, but I will bring my R8 recovery roller, massage gun, tiger tail, or foam roller while watching them play.

-I use my recovery boots a few nights each week while watching a show.

-I’m in the sweet spot as far as sleep goes, which makes this much training possible.  My kids are in bed by eight, and everyone sleeps through the night (and if Skye wakes up, it’s usually when Andrew is awake, too, so they hang out).  Andrew does most of his schooling at night, so by going to bed early, I’m not missing out on anything going to bed at 9ish.  It means I have to be disciplined with putting my book/phone away or turning off the tv even when I’m hooked on a show.  My running friends know that if they text about a change in plans after 8 pm, there is a good chance I won’t see it until the morning because I love putting my phone away at night so that it doesn’t keep me awake.   I’ve read that for every mile of training you do in a week, you should sleep that much extra in minutes each night.   If I’m running 70 miles that week, then I should sleep 70 extra minutes each day.  I have found that following that tip is beneficial for me.  I usually sleep 9 hours and then sneak a few naps each week for around 20 minutes.  Sleep is free, and it is such an amazing recovery tool!

-I think doing a portion of my miles on the dirt helps with my recovery.  I feel it in my lower body when I do too many miles on the roads.  There is more of an achy feeling if I’m doing too many miles on the roads, but if I am doing the right balance of roads and trails, my legs feel much better.

-My strength training has decreased lately as my mileage has increased, but I am still getting in some strength (5-20 minutes), 3-4 days a week.  I cannot believe how much it has made a difference in my running and recovery.

-This one might sound a little off my rocker, but I genuinely believe the alphaflys and vaporflys are huge in my training recovery now.  I don’t know if the foam is absorbing most of the impact or what, but when I do speed or races in them, it is shocking to me how good my body feels after–>  Night and day from previous racing flats that I used to use or other carbon plated shoes.  I don’t work with Nike, but I will try and sell any runner on these two shoes now because I see such a difference in my recovery when I use them.  It’s like they truly take on some of the work for me?!  Has anyone noticed this, or is this all a placebo effect?

It is my job to write about running and training, so PLEASE do not get down on yourself if you don’t have the time for all these things.  It’s a lot, but if you can find time to add in some of these things or sleep a bit more, it will make your running feel much better!  I’m cheering for you, and please let me know if you ever have questions or pointers; I love talking about it all!

Natalie is wondering if anyone has recommendations for speed shoes with wide options! She tried the Pro 2s, and they were too narrow!

Curly or straight hair?  If you have kids… do they have curly or straight hair?

Last place you flew to?

What are some of the most significant parts of recovery for you??