I had a pretty simple week in terms of training. I had one basketball game and 2 runs totaling 12 miles. I feel recovered and I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. I used this week to reflect on the race and start working on the take aways. Viewing the Leadville course, picking Tim F's brain, and the result of CPTR were invaluable.
I have just over 100 days until Leadville. This race is too big not be prepared and I'll be damned if I don't finish because I didn't give it my all. Take aways from last week are:
1) Daily Diet
My diet is pretty good but I have some bad habits. I'm committing to cutting out the fast food, eating a lot of fruits, nuts, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy carbs and cutting out some sugar. I'm giving myself 1 cheat day a week. I have a weakness when it comes to Ben & Jerry's and I don't want to get discouraged if I give in one day.
I am also going to have some post-run protein available in my car to eat immediately after my runs. I need to do a better job with recovery.
2) Race Day Diet
I was cleaning out my race gear and discovered I only ate 5 gels during CPTR. I thought I was eating about 1 an hour. Nope! At the turnaround I ate some food but I forgot to drink my Ensure. I'll make sure my crew is forcing me to eat at each stop for Leadville but I need to do a better job deliberately taking in calories and carbs during my runs. No more crashes due to nutrition!
Tim and I have been talking about alternatives to gel. This is going to be a side project this summer. I need to find something I don't despise eating. The criteria is it has to be easy to chew and process, taste ok and won't go bad after 2 hours in the heat. I tried some dried Mango today and was happy with it. I'm thinking of going with some some dried blueberries, dried mango and ensure on my next long run and see how it goes.
3) Stretching
I have to do it every day before and after my runs. No exceptions.
4) Roll
I ordered the Trigger Point. It is a torturous device that rolls out all the knots and promotes muscle healing. It hurts like hell but the benefits are worth it
5) Core training
I picked a core training plan I will do a minimum of 4 times a week.
I am hanging a picture of Hope Pass on my computer at work, on the fridge, the mirror in my bathroom, the back of the remote, the visor of my car and on my water bottle. I will not lose focus. 100 days to commit 100%. If I can wear that race buckle it will all be worth it.
Fueling is the hardest part. Definitely experiment with different types of food. Graham cracker work for me or PB and crackers which I found the extra intake of salt on them helps. Good Luck!! let me know if you find soemthing that works. Oh, I have a few ultra friends and they say pineapple juice works.
ReplyDeletePB is good. When my mouth is dry it's hard for me to put down. Pineapple juice is a good idea. I'll give that a shot next time I have a cache on my run. The more options I have the more likely I'll eat. Anything but gels all day!
ReplyDeleteDo a quick google search of hip flexor exercises and start doing planks (side planks as well). Remember to roll the IT band alot and pick up a cheap pair of ankle weights. Don't forget on long runs over 2 hours you have 30 minute window to restore glycogen levels and get a good carb to protein ration either 4:1 or 3:1, protein is important in the rebuilding of muscle fibers after the look runs, almond butter on break with banana, is great, I do the quinoa with beans (kidney, black, garbanzo) in a wrap with salsa immediately after long runs over 2 hours.
ReplyDeleteAlso coconut water the Vita One is great, better than electrolyte drinks.
roller arrived yesterday. My core workout consists of mostly planks. Yesterday was day 1. I used to be all core when I went to the gym. I canceled my membership a year ago. How far I have fallen! I am going to steal your wrap idea. I'm going to give the coconut water a shot but I'm not sure I can put it down as easy as you. Overall I'm feeling pretty fresh. Stretching every night is helping.
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