My highest mileage week EVA!!

Happy Sunday Guys!

I am super proud to have hit a new milestone. This was my first 80 mile week in my life, ever! I did it with only one double too. I thought I would feel a little different than I do. In fact, I'm kinda annoyed. I expected something like this by Sunday:

But instead I feel like I haven't done a damn thing. I feel tapered. Ripped off. I didn't even take a nap this week. And I have been sick all week too. It makes no sense to me. I guess by doing all the "right things" I'm still feeling good. In addition to the running or to enhance the running I have been:

*strength training with obsessive stretching 5 days a week post run.
*Eating tons of protein. Keeping my diet very healthy and staying hydrated.
*Taking a ginger bath 1-2 times a week
*8pm bedtime
*still no refined sugar in my diet

PS who knows if those are the right things but for me they work....

It sounds restrictive or obsessive but it's really not. I love it all. I haven't slept-in in years. It doesn't appeal to me. Why the hell would I want to lay on my ass? That's for AFTER the run.

I'd have to say the single most problematic issue with running higher mileage is EATING, enough. I am so sick of being starving and needing food RIGHT NOW. My jaw hurts from chewing trail mix and protein bars. Its never enough. I just eat all day. I am 5'4" and 100 pounds. It's a freaking awesome problem though. I'm not gonna lie!

So this week went like this:

Monday: 8 miles @ 7:34 pace
Tuesday: 12 @ 7:22 pace
Wednesday: 8 @ 7:22 pace and pm run 5 miles @ 7:25 pace
Thursday: 12 @ 7:09 pace with middle miles: 6:15, 6:23, 6:19, 6:17, 6:24. 4 min recoveries.
Friday: 10 @ 7:36 pace recovery
Saturday: 9 miles @7:20
Sunday: 16 miles @ 7:37. Hills.
Total: 80!

Most of these run were in 25 degrees.

So that's about it. I'm itching for a double today but with the 16 earlier I should probably chill. Arg!!

Happy Running Everyone!
Laura

Strength Training and No Sugar

PRE strength training. CLEARLY!

Hello my Dears!

I am so pumped to go sub 3 at Boston that I have made some changes. Not just for Boston, but because I want to for me.

1. No more refined sugar. It's been 2.5 months and this former chocoholic has had no sweets, nothing refined. Only naturally occurring sugar. More on that later.

2. Strength training. I have a lifting schedule. Yes, it's great for me and my running but I am b-lineing for one thing: The gym self photo in the mirror with ripped up tri's! C'mon..isn't that what it's all about??!

NO REFINED SUGAR!

So, my friend Allison talked me into a sugar free September and I never stopped. I started out eating zero grams of refined sugar. To compensate I ate fruit. Lots of fruit. Like $10+ a day of raspberries, strawberries, blackberries. That mellowed out after a week. It was too expensive to keep eating so much.

Then it became stressful because everything has refined sugar. Pasta, bread, gu, sports nutrition, all cereal but shredded wheat. I looked at my kitchen and could not eat a damn thing. I had to have special stuff. Gluten free rice pasta, Think Thin protein bars...but I took the time and figured it out.

Now, it's easy. I just don't eat anything with refined sugar EXCEPT pita bread and pasta. They have 2 grams. I hated the rice pasta and I eat sandwiches daily so for my lifestyle this worked. In the end, I'm a runner and need carbs and pasta. I can't say for sure but I can guess my performance would drop without the carbs I get from pasta and bread. And I'm freakin' Italian! Mangia mangia!

 I would never in a million years think of a pastry. Initially, I bought sugar free candies but as time went on the sweetness was overwhelming and I stopped buying them.

No weight lose. I didn't want to lose weight but I'm surprised I didn't lose anything. In the end it's all about calories and I have been eating nuts and cheese like a crackhead locked in a Pepperidge Farm outlet store.

But I think I'm not as puffy. I rarely get food babies. It is slowly helping my abs. And moreover, I feel sooooo much better!!

STRENGTH TRAINING!:

So my super awesome coach Eric who trained me for my 3:02 is in agreement to PUMP IT UP! He gave me a lifting schedule that is done after I run a few days a week. It's a lot of fun and because I have twig arms I can already see results a week later. Woohoo!

Here are some pics:

in pursuit of the self pic at the gym

wasting time in the gym....I need to work on not slacking betw sets.

I'm going to do one more blog on FOOD! Stand by...

LaBella!