Recovery time

Running distances over about 8 miles, at least for me, is pretty hard on the legs. I've learned that it's a good idea to help your muscles recover by eating or drinking something with carbs and protein as soon as possible after running to help speed up the process. I have been experimenting with lots of different recovery drinks and foods, and I thought I'd share some of the things that I've tried and liked.

Chocolate milk - Chocolate milk is said to have the perfect balance of carbs, proteins and fluids to aid recovery, and it tastes really good!! New shelf stable boxes make it easy to take along, but let's face it, warm chocolate milk after a run doesn't sound all that appetizing. I find it's a great choice, but only if you have the means to keep it nice and icy cold while you're running. Running from home, super. Running out in the middle of nowhere, unless you have a cooler of ice, maybe not the best option.

Slim Fast Chocolate Shake - The balance of carbs to proteins is a little off from milk, but these shakes still serve up a solid helping of both, without a lot of added fat or sugar. Plus, it helps to take the edge off the hunger if you've been on a really long run and come in starving. It helps keep me from grabbing empty calories after a run and allows me time to put together something more healthy and satisfying than whatever happens to be close and easy. It tastes pretty good, but again, it's one of those things that needs to be kept cold. REALLY cold. Even slightly room temperature and this one's gross. Another one for the cooler if you're not running at home.

Luna Chocolate Cherry Almond protein bar - Highly portable and pretty palatable, this one can go anywhere. Also not perfect in the carb/protein ratio, but still a decent option. I liked the flavor a lot. I did not like that it got too warm and the chocolatey coating it's in melted all over the place. A cooler isn't necessarily necessary, but in warmer temps, don't leave it in the hot car or lying around in the sun or you'll have a gooey mess.

Pomegranate juice - The antioxidant properties of juices like blueberry, cherry and especially pomegranate juice have been shown in studies to reduce post workout soreness. I've tried POM Wonderful juice, and it did seem to help. It tastes pretty good, too, if you like the tartness. Better cold in the cooler, but works at room temp, too. A friend of mine turns hers into pomegranate tea by heating it up. A hot car would probably have the same effect!

Once you get home, you can whip together a good meal with a nice balance of carbs, protein and a little fat. Here are a couple I've tried and liked:

Huevos Rancheros (thanks to Active.com for this recipe!)
Serves 2

1 can non-fat refried beans
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
4 oz. can diced green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
Four eggs
Cooking spray
Two flour tortillas
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
Plain, non-fat yogurt or low-fat sour cream
Salsa
Chopped cilantro

Mix cans of beans, tomatoes, and chilies in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and bring to a simmer. Simmer for at least five minutes. Fry eggs to taste in a nonstick skillet using cooking spray. While the eggs are cooking, place half of the cheese on each tortilla and broil until melted. Set each tortilla on a plate. Spread about one-third to one-half of the bean mixture on each tortilla. Place eggs on bean layer, and top as desired with yogurt, salsa and chopped cilantro.


Favorite breakfast omelet (my own recipe!)
Serves 1


1 cup baby spinach
¼ cup chopped tomato
1 tablespoon feta cheese
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
In a bowl, scramble eggs, salt, pepper and feta. Set aside. In a non-stick pan over medium heat, add spinach and tomato. Pour egg mixture over the top. Cook slowly, solidifying the eggs but not browning them. It should take about 4-5 minutes. You can serve as an omelet, scramble, or in a tortilla for a breakfast taco! Have a banana with it and you've got a great recovery meal.

Twenty miles!!

Wow. I DID IT!! I'm kind of amazed that I'm not dead. Not only am I not dead, I am still walking. Not only am I still walking, I don't feel that bad. Yesterday I ran 20 miles!! TWENTY! I fully admit there was a tiny part of me that wasn't sure I could do it. I did it!!

The run was along the lower portion of the Santa Ana River Trail, which stretches from Yorba Linda (used to be up to Corona, but a large section of the trail in that direction is closed) all the way to the beach in Huntingon Beach. We used to live adjacent to the trail when we were in Huntingon Beach, and frequently walked the dogs back there. It's a great trail, but due to the standing water in many parts of the "river" (which mostly serves a a flood channel), gnats abound. I was covered, head to toe, in dead ones by the end of my run. (Quite a few made it into my mouth, too. Ick.)

I headed out from the start at mile 21.5 (going backwards, since the mile markers start at the beach!) at Yorba Park around 6am. It was overcast and cool, perfect weather for a run. Mentally breaking the run into 4 5-mile sections, I hoped to maintain a pace of 12:00 and finish in 4 hours. That's a bit on the slow side for me for my shorter runs, but for 20 miles, I figured on needing to take it slow. Instead, I screamed through the first 6 miles, going much faster than my usual pace, even though I kept telling myself to slow down and conserve. I ran into one of our early-start walkers then, and walked with her for just a brief few minutes. I slurped down a gel and some water and kicked off again. Around mile 8, I passed the Honda Center and Angel Stadium in Anaheim. That was pretty neat. I kept going past that, all the way past the 22 freeway to the 5. At that point I was at mile marker 11.5, 10 miles out from my start, so I washed down another gel and turned to head back, still feeling really good.

All the way to mile 13, I was still moving pretty quick...much quicker than I anticipated. At 14 I still felt great, and that's when the OC Tri Team came cycling by, with cheers of "GO TEAM!" That lifted my spirits a lot, and inspired me to keep up the pace. Around my 15, though, I started to flag. My calves and quads were burning and tired. I pushed myself to 16, where there was a water stop. I stopped for a few moments for gel and water, took a deep breath, and pushed on. Mentally, those last four miles were probably the toughest. I knew I was on the home stretch, but the finish still seemed far and I was getting pretty tired. My pace slowed to probably 13:00 at several places, but I kept moving forward. The Tri Team passed me going the other direction, running this time, and lots of cheers helped boost my mental state again for a few minutes. Finally, there was the bridge ahead that took me to the other side of the river, meaning the finish was only about a mile away. I dug deep and pushed myself to make that last mile in 11:30, finishing the whole 20 miles in just a few minutes over 4 hours, exactly as I'd hoped!

I still can't believe I did it, but now that I have, I feel confident that I can hang in there for the marathon. I might not be the fastest, but I will finish. And it's going to be awesome!

Here are a few pictures from the run.







 

Hip hip...huh??

Saturday was a cut-back week for our long run. After a series of weeks that call for longer and longer runs, we cut back on the mileage to give our muscles a chance to rest and recover. We only went 13 miles this week. Only!! It was actually a really nice run largely along the Gage Canal in Riverside. The canal was built in the late 1800's, and pretty much is the reason why the citrus industry was able to flourish in Riverside...it brought water for irrigation. Today it still winds through citrus groves and green house nurseries, with the sound of flowing water to keep you company through the miles. The surface is packed dirt, with some brief areas of gravel, so generally it's softer on the joints than running on pavement. Or so you'd think.

While I felt okay on the run, almost as soon as I finished, I started feeling a twinge in my right hip and down my right leg. This is the same issue that gave me trouble when I was training for my first half marathon. I'm told it's an inflammation/spasm of the piriformis muscle...which puts some pressure on the sciatic nerve. Oddly, it doesn't hurt at all when I run, only after I stop or after sitting for very long. What I found really strange is that it didn't flair up until a cut-back week, when I was running less than usual!! I followed the prescribed treatment that I got the last time this problem presented itself: NSAID's and stretching. I took my runs a little easier this week, and so far, it seems to be feeling a bit better. I sincerely hope it is, because this Saturday, I'll be tackling my first ever 20 mile run. The longest run I've done to date. I admit I'm a bit nervous, but I'm excited, too. We'll be running along the Santa Ana River Trail, all the way out past Angel Stadium in Anaheim! Now THAT is going out for a run. I'll check in afterwards to let you know how things went...thinking positive and not letting those negative thoughts get to me. I was inspired this week by a Nike ad I saw and loved. Check it out!

If it doesn't kill me...

Today I ran my longest run yet. Eighteen miles. It was...hard. Because I'm not able, for a variety of reasons, to make it to Team practice tomorrow, I ran the miles at home near my house. I'm very grateful that my friend and fellow Teammate needed to get in an 11-mile run, so she kept me company for a large part of the run. The first 11-miles were not bad at all. It was nice to have company!! We had some killer hills, because that's what happens to be near my house, but overall we had a good time and it didn't feel like it was an extreme effort. My last 7-miles, however, were a different story. I had to head back out and back up one of the bigger hills of our previous route. I think that mentally tackled me before I even got to it. Halfway up, and about 13 miles in to the whole distance, I had to walk. I walked for probably a half mile at that point, and I walked for short stretches through the remainder of the run.

In addition to the hills and long distance, I had to run later in the day than I'm used to running, and it was starting to get warm. So warm, in fact, that by mile 15, my feet had started to swell so much that I had to stop and loosen my shoelaces. I drank well over 64 ounces of fluids, and was still feeling dry. My legs were starting to feel like they were swelling, too. Maybe it was all in my head, but I actually felt like my thighs might burst through my shorts! By the end of the run, almost every one of my toes had a blister on the end, my legs felt like lead weights and I was chafed in brand new places. But I finished deliriously happy because I did finish. It was hard, and it will get harder, but I know if I didn't die, I must be getting stronger!

BIG THANKS!!

I just reached the $2000 mark on fundraising, making me meet my latest challenge of $2000 by the 20 mile training run, which will be on May 15th. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! My support team rocks, and I couldn't do it without you! Touching lives and helping to fund research to find CURES!

Free Powerbar Gel Blasts!

Just a note for my blog pals...Powerbar is giving away free samples of their new Gel Blasts. Check it out and get yours at http://www.powerbar.com/freesample/. Get them while they last!

So much to say, so much to say...

Last Saturday was my 16 mile run. That's the farthest I've ever gone before!! It took me just over 3 hours to do it, so I had plenty of time to think about what to write about. I came up with so many things, I will probably have to split them all into two posts!

First of all, WOOOHOOO!!! I finished 16 miles!! It felt pretty good. My knee and right hip started giving some trouble about mile 14.5, and my quads are still really sore, but overall, I was pleased to find that I didn't bonk and I didn't die. It was a long run. I have even longer ones coming up and they scare me a little. But it's good to be a little scared. If it was easy it wouldn't be a marathon, right?

I have decided that running any distance more than about 10 miles is sort of like getting a tattoo. You know it's going to hurt before you start, but once you do start, you eventually become a bit numb to the pain. In a weird way, at least for me, during the long miles I start to feel the tiredness and the things that are beginning to hurt, and I do register them, but it's as if those things exist in a part of my mind that I can "file away." Sure, if I dwell on them, they start to drag me down, but if I just notice them and push the thoughts into the "file for later use" box, I can let my thoughts go elsewhere and my body just keeps moving. Getting into the longer and longer runs has sometimes felt surreal to me. I know I'm consciously making a choice to keep running, but it does almost begin to become subconscious...like breathing. My legs just keep going. I'm not thinking, "I just have to run one more mile," or "I just have to run to that tree" because I often have so much farther to go I can't even fathom it rationally. I just think, "keep going," and somehow, I do. There is a point during almost every run over 13 miles when I eventually hit a wall. The stuff in the "file for later use" box falls out all over the place and it is tough to pick it all up, cram it back in there and keep going. But I'm learning how to do it. Right about mile 15 on Saturday, the box started to throw-up everything I'd crammed in with the knee and the hip and the aching quads. I stopped for two or three minutes, had a drink and stretched, and kept going. I sure hope I can keep being able to do that as we add even more miles!

Next, I was reading an article a while back...and I can't remember WHERE I read it or who wrote it, darn it...but the writer was a runner and said he really liked running to Japanese Taiko drums. I thought that was interesting, and checked out a few tracks just to see what it was like. I REALLY like a song by Kodo called Strobe's Nanafushi. If my head had a soundtrack when I'm running a long run, this is what it would be. Lots of loud drums and yelling. Cool. There are a couple of other fun songs on the album, too. Check it out if you want something new and adventurous to listen to. I also had a new Podrunner mix on my last run, and it contained some running cadences. Something else interesting to try if you're bored with your current playlist. Find the Podrunner mix for FREE on iTunes: Power Play.

More to come soon...