Today's Workout: 2.25 miles with BGR! Nashville(Post to come on my experience)
Heyyy Brickhouses!!
Today I decided I was going to start experimenting and researching what makes me tick on my runs. The last two days of running, I pushed through but I felt like I was struggling. I am dubbing January from here on out the "Diagnostic Month" where I will find what makes me tick, what methods allow me to run comfortably while still building endurance.
Here is my first experiment:
YESSSS!!! Peanut Butter & Choco GU on Ezekial Bread
Back when I ran/walked the Mayor's 5K in November, I had tried some Madarin Orange Gu. It was soooo nasty! Kind of like a combination of bread crumbs, orange marmalade, and rust! Absolutely disgusting! I don't spit stuff out unless my tongue burns so I swallowed it, and though I was extra thirsty (You're supposed to eat GU then hydrate), I had SO much endurance throughout the race.
I googled Chocolate Gu and the general agreement was that it tasted like a melted tootsie roll. I bought five pouches and this morning poured it on my pre-run breakfast. (Ezekial 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, Peter Pan Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter, and a banana)
It was sooooo good and I had SO much energy! If I didn't have to get to church by 11am I would have run four miles with the BGR Nashville group! This is definitely something I am going to try again this week to make sure it wasn't just a "placebo effect" and all in my head.
Do you have any special "fuel" foods you like to eat before a run? How do you feel about GU?
Today I am going to talk about the importance of hydrating when working out and then I'll practice what I preach!!
Today's running workout was 3x harder than the last three days. My legs felt like lead and I had to have stopped every 50 feet after I hit 1.5 miles. I even stopped to tweet a couple times, that's how slow I was going. If you look at my pace, I actually did better overall (11:17, yesterday 11:53) and finished four minutes sooner, but it sure didn't feel like it.
I kept asking myself while I was running what I was doing different today then I did yesterday. Same layers, same shoes, one less workout (today is my Supreme 90 rest day), same trail. In the back of my head I kept telling myself, "Boy I wish I had some water!, Dang I'm thirsty as hell!, Why don't they put water fountains on this trail? Don't they know people get thirsty?" After about 30 minutes and 2.5 miles of this I realized DUH!! I didn't drink nearly as much water this morning as I have done for the last three days.
My trusty 32 oz bottle
I didn't do Supreme 90 this morning and it recommends that you drink four cups of water IMMEDIATELY after you get out of bed and by days end I should have three liters (12 cups) of water. This morning I only had eight ounces because...
I left my 32oz water jug in the car overnight and when I came back it was frozen SOLID!! On the way to drop Mia off for school it loosened up a bit and I got a couple of sips, but not even an ounce worth!
After I finished my workout, I immediately went to the fridge and guzzled ALL the water that was in my Brita jug, and then had a wonderful chocolate banana peanut butter protein shake! Yummm!!
Soo tasty! NO LIE!!
Post-Workout Recovery Shake:
-1 cup of almond milk,
-1 tbsp of peanut butter
-1 frozen banana
-1 scoop chocolate protein powder
As I sat down to enjoy my uber-delicious shake, I did some research on why H2O is so important and got to the bottom of why my run sucked!!
Water is the most abundant ingredient in the human body through all phases of growth and development. Every system in your body depends on water to function.
Water is essential to your body's temperature regulation, keeping it cool through perspiration.
Water helps maintain a healthy weight.
Water is an important part of your daily bodily functions, so it is important to continually replenish it.
Each day, your body loses 2-3 quarts of water through sweat, urination, excretion and breathing. The body loses even more water if you exercise, live in hot or dry climates, consume high fiber diets, and consume caffeine or alcohol.
It is recommended to drink 8-10 cups of fluid a day, adding more water if any of the previously stated situations apply.
So there you have it, DRINK WATER! If you weren't a believer before I suggest you get with the program! Even though we hear about water's benefits ALL the time, this experience with running taught me a valuable lesson...HYDRATE!!
I am also thinking about investing in either a water backpack or a water belt as my runs will be getting longer as I get closer to marathon time.
Are you a huge water drinker? How much water do you drink or attempt to drink on average?
