Tag Archives: first marathon training

Day 129. Marathon Meal and Training Plan.

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Marathon Meal and Training Plan

No activities today … but check back in a few days. Physical therapy … take me away!

Morning weight = 172.

Today’s Meals:

MyFitnessPal Marathon Meal Plan

MyFitnessPal 10-16-2013

Today’s Activities:

  • No activities on the schedule

Wednesday, 10-16-2013

Day 127. My Longest Run

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My Longest Run

Coming off my personal best for a 10K at a 7:47 pace, I was feeling pretty good going into today. RunKeeper only has me going 15 miles, but nobody says I can’t add additional miles. What’s an extra mile amongst friends, right?

So after loading up on Herbalife24 and a banana, off I go.

Helpful tips for your longest run?

  1. Eat a high carb to protein ratio meal before you leave. A 12-1 carb to protein ratio is an excellent choice. Sorry, no Taco Bell or Egg McMuffins.
  2. Eat that pre-run meal at least 30-60 minutes before you leave.
  3. Don’t drink too much during your run. You’ll find yourself feeling like a washing machine and without all the gory details, you might see what you just drank.
  4. Listen to your body and then listen to your will. Now, I say this with a little hesitation. If you’re an Olympic athlete and the difference between gold and silver is hundredths of a second, listen to your will. But, for the 99.9% of us that will never step on a podium with our national anthem blaring as our theme song, don’t harm yourself. Walking is still moving. Or you can think of it as walking is just slower running.

Morning weight = 169.5. Post run weight 168.

I don’t really understand this … I’ve run 5 miles and lost 2-3 pounds. After 16 miles, I lost a total of 1.5 pounds. Don’t misunderstand … I’m not on a weight loss program. I am on a fitness and endurance program. But, I still like to think certain aspects of calories burned for weight loss are still constant. After burning nearly 2,100 calories, I would expect to see a 4 pound weight loss. (500 calorie deficit typically equals a pound). Let’s just say my scale was broken that day and it all washes out in the end.

Today’s Meals:

run262 myfitnesspal meal plan

MyFitnessPal 10-14-2013

Today’s Activities:

  • Wow. I ain’t going to lie. My longest run of 16 miles felt like the longest time I’ve ever been on my feet. I used all the tricks in the book — after the first 10K, reset my brain to say “just do another 10K” I tried telling myself to just keep shuffling my feet and that isn’t even going to tire me. Tried many things, but that was not easy.
  • Got to the point where I actually had to walk or I was going to die (insert the little girl’s voice from Despicable Me). You’ll notice at mile 15, that’s where I stopped by my local Chinese restaurant and asked for a cup of water. If I’m being accurate, it sounded more like, “water … water”
  • What did I learn? It’s okay to walk before you go into full shutdown mode. I came pretty close today at mile 13. My will was strong, but my body was saying my will is just plain stupid. Also, don’t drink too much during long runs. Swigs and swishes are recommended. I’m trying to hide this disgusting fact, but I threw up on 2nd Street. At least I did it in the plants and being that our town is so progressively organic, they’d probably approve and the city council would give me the keys to the city for thinking outside the box.
run262 runkeeper 16 miles

RunKeeper 16-mile steady

Day 124. Start Out Steady and Finish Strong

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Start Out Steady and Finish Strong

I’m not just days into my marathon training runs, not even weeks. I’m now many, many months into this training plan and here is what I’ve learned.

You obviously cannot run 26.2 miles every other day to prepare for 26.2 miles. Even running half-marathons of 13.1 miles per week as you get started could ultimately get you prematurely burned out and possibly injured. So, what happens when you see a scheduled training run of anything less than 8 miles?

These are the times you can improve your stamina and prepare for the longer distances. Start out steady and finish strong. Steady for me right now is around the 9-minute mile pace and each mile I do my best to shave seconds off per mile. Finish strong can mean you shave off nearly 1 minute per mile from your first.

Give your body a chance to get into “the groove” — the point where you don’t even realize you are running. A Forest Gumplike-state. If you come out of the gates too fast, you’ll definitely know you’re in for a battle, especially if you have another 10 miles or worse, 25 more miles to go. I’ve done both. When I first starting training, my machismo was in control and I wanted to run so fast. Now, with a little experience and my machismo in check, I’ve learned that a steady start is key to a strong finish.

Not only does this build the needed stamina for those long runs of 10-plus miles, but it also helps build speed and that all-elusive “kick” we hear so much about as we approach the finish line instead of that painful grimace so many of us wear as we break the tape.

I’ll put this to the test tomorrow for a 10K race.

Morning weight = 172. Post run = 169.5

Today’s Meals:

run262 start out steady and finish strong

MyFitnessPal 10-11-2013

  • 3:10pm (Meal 2.1) — Corn Pops Cereal, Blue Diamond Almond Milk, and 2 scoops of Herbalife Personalized Protein Powder. There’s no reason why you can’t add your favorite protein powders to your favorite cereals to boost the nutritional value and the protein content. It doesn’t even change the flavor, well maybe a little, but the benefit of the added protein far outweighs any change of flavor. Just make you to add all the dry ingredients first, mix with your spoon, and then add your milk, soy milk, or almond milk. If you do it the other way around, you’ll be staring down at a bowl of cereal gu.
run262 corn pop cereal herbalife protein powder

Meal 2.1 — 3:10pm

Today’s Activities:

  • Today is a 5 mile easy run. RunKeeper basically says take it easy and there’s no need to push the pace. They do recommend running on soft surfaces and terrain similar to the event.
  • I start out slow and steadily “push the pace” but nothing too much. What I have learned … start out steady and finish strong. This will prepare you for long runs.
run262 start out steady and finish strong

RunKeeper 5 mile easy run

Friday, 10-11-2013

Day 116. What to do on an Off Day

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What to do on an off day?

run262 what to do on your off day

What to do on your off day?

So you’re training for a marathon. Maybe a half-marathon. Even a 5K, 10K, or a mud run. In our town, they host Color Runs. I best describe these as running a 5K while having a food fight.

Not sure about the shorter distances, but for marathon and half-marathon training, the good news is that you’re not running everyday. You’d quite frankly get burned out and feel like “mud.” People say you get what you pay for, but keeping in mind the RunKeeper App is free, you get a lot. There is a paid version of it, but from what I see, the free version handles all your basic needs. Today being an off-day, it even offers words of encouragement or a helpful tip. Today’s tip:

Empty carbs are the enemy! Delicious as they might be …

I signed up for the marathon training plan about 150 days away from the actual event and it has me running Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday up until the day of the race. I’m sure if you signed up 100 days away, there would be a different plan and I don’t envy the person that signs up for the marathon training plan 50 days away from the event. It will probably just say, “Are you kidding?” and tell you to think about next year as their helpful tip.

So what to do on your off days? Here are 5 tips.

  1. Celebrate your accomplishment. This will help maintain your passion, enthusiasm, and energy as you press on towards your goal.
  2. Change your routine. Doing anything repetitively can and most likely will cause damage. Running isn’t exempt from this. All that road-pounding has to do something to our knees, backs, and feet. Do some pushups which help strengthen your running posture. Even a short walk and some light stretching will be a helpful change to loosen you up for the next day’s activities.
  3. Reflect on your past activities. Reflecting offers a way of measuring progress. You don’t how far you’ve come if you don’t know where you’ve been. My Day 1 was at a 10:49 pace and I had to stop 3 times for a 4.91 mile run. My Day 115 was at a 9:08 pace with no stops for a 6 mile run. Reflecting allows you to celebrate your progress and address the areas that need improvement.
  4. Stay positive. Making a decision to get up and move was the hard part. Now that you have made the decision, do your best and forget the rest.
  5. Get some rest. Sleep is the best way to recover from the previous days activities and prepare for the upcoming activities. It can help prevent injury and you’ll just feel less fatigued. Now if I can only listen to my own advice.

Morning weight = 170

Today’s Meals:

run262 meal plan

MyFitnessPal 10-03-2013

When Did I Eat

  • 8:15am (Meal 1) — Herbalife Protein, Fruit, and Veggie Smoothie. Jamba Juice got nothing on me!
  • 10:15am (Meal 1.1) — Snack time. High in protein, low in calorie. My kind of snack.
run262 el monterey bean & cheese burrito

Meal 1.1 — 10:15am

  • 1pm (Meal 2) — Homemade Grilled Cheese. Actually, homemade gourmet grilled cheese. Nothing says gourmet like American Kraft Cheese Singles. For more protein, 4 slices of Morning Star Veggie Bacon and my favorite salty snack, Original Lays.
run262 marathon meal

Meal 2 — 1pm

  • 2pm (Meal 2.1) — Herbalife Herbal Concentrate Tea. I use this as my secret fat burning weapon. If I didn’t make such a good choice, Herbalife Tea to the rescue. It’s my food superhero.
run262 Herbalife Herbal Concentrate Tea

Meal 2.1 — 2pm

  • 5:45pm (Meal 3) — Johnny Rockets boca burger (extra crispy) and some fries. A little known secret. They have bottomless fries! But like my friend Angela “Bon Qui Qui” Johnson says, “Don’t get crazy!” Now, the Apple Pie Shake is an entirely different story!
run262 johnny rocket boca burger

Meal 3 — 5:45pm

Today’s Activities:

  • Rest day.

Thursday, 10-03-2013

Day 115. Best Time to Run

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run262 marathon training

Best Time to Run

After my usual Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla Protein Smoothie with organic spinach and kale and fresh (frozen) fruits from Costco, it was a bit late for me to go for my early morning run. The crack of dawn run or the Rocky Balboa run was out of the question this morning. But not to fret because there’s always the mid-morning run to keep me on schedule.

I do prefer the 8am start, but today just wasn’t cooperating. The majority of the organized events start at 8am and I’ve found that my body wants to run at this time. Not too hot, but cold enough to keep me at a perfect temperature after the first couple of miles. Sometimes I find that I’m not even breaking a sweat when I technically should be after burning 800-1000 calories. Don’t get me wrong. You don’t burn 800-1000 calories by not working. I’m pushing, but the temperature pushes back.

Best Time to Run

I have no scientific proof other than the eyeball test. I feel stronger and lighter in the morning. In the evening, I feel heavier and sluggish. The 8am start appears to be good enough for the majority of the races so I’ll blindly follow.

If you’ve ever missed the morning or mid-morning run and attempted an afternoon to late afternoon start, you’ll know the difference. If you’ve ever had an evening or a late evening start, you’ll notice even more of a difference. For last year’s Tough Mudder, I did the majority of my run training in the late evening. I was trying to get use to the cold being that our event was in Lake Tahoe. Besides it being more dangerous. Man versus car … car wins. Plus, I don’t recommend watching Criminal Minds before a late night run because you’ll hear every creak and pop while you’re running. Who knows? That little extra adrenaline might be the difference of an 8 minute mile versus a 7 minute mile though.

Overall. The answer to the best time to run is whenever you can. But personally, the optimal time to run is early morning. You’ll won’t feel weighed down by the afternoon In-and-Out burger and shake. Plus, you’ll have the added bonus of knowing you’ve got your run out of the way and the rest of the day is yours to enjoy without the cloud of pavement time looming over you throughout the day.

Morning weight = 171.5 Post run weight = 170

Today’s Meals:

run262 meal plan

MyFitnessPal 10-02-2013

When Did I Eat?

  • 8:15am (Meal 1) — Herbalife Smoothie
  • 9:40am (Meal 1.1) — Pre run nutrition. Herbalife24 Prolong, Herbalife24 Prepare, Herbalife Niteworks
run262 Herbalife 24

Meal 1.1 — 9:40am

  • 11:20am (Meal 1.2) — Post run nutrition. Herbalife24 Rebuild Endurance, Herbalife24 Formula 1 Sport, Herbalife Instant Chocolate. I add the instant chocolate because I don’t particularly like the taste of the Rebuild Endurance, but I know the nutrition it provides is necessary to prepare me for my first marathon.
run262 post run nutrition

Meal 1.2 — 11:20am

  • 12:30pm (Meal 2) — Chinese leftovers and more protein courtesy of Odwalla Super Protein Chocolate.
run262 marathon nutrition

Meal 2 — 12:30pm

  • 5:30pm (Meal 3) — Vietnamese Veggie Bahn Mi and a slice of homemade pear pie.
run262 marathon meal

Meal 3 — 5:30pm

Today’s Activities:

  • RunKeeper 40 of 64 Marathon Training Plan. 6 mile slow/fast. This training involves 1 mile slow, 4 miles steady, and 1 mile slow. RunKeeper suggests a fast pace of 9:55/mile to 10:05/mile.
run262 RunKeeper

RunKeeper 10-02-2013 — 6 mile slow/fast

Wednesday, 10-02-2013