Race Week and Meal Plan
It is race week and I'm getting really excited for the Hartford Half!
Last week I skipped most of my workouts (again). I ended up running 5 miles on Monday morning and then skipping every day until Saturday when I ran 10 miles. The same thing happened the week before that, too. It seems I have transformed into a lazy teenager lately, and you couldn't get me up before 6 AM if you waved a million dollar bill in front of my nose (is there such a thing as a million dollar bill?). As is the case with most Mommies, if my workouts don't happen before 6 AM, they tend not to happen at all.
However. I have not felt this rested in a looooong time. Sleep is a wonderful, amazing thing. It changes your whole perspective on life. And my running performance has improved too, despite the fact that I haven't done much running. I ran the fastest 10 miles I've ever run on Saturday: at a 10:05 pace. Most of the time I'm sustaining a 9:30 pace and it's feeling pretty comfortable. (That is incredibly fast for me!) So maybe the extra rest is just what my body needs. I'm in my "taper", right?
I'm never quite sure how to handle race week, workout-wise... I want to maintain my fitness level but not tire my legs out too much. This morning I did a 5K on the treadmill, and I think I might do one more short, easy run on Wendesday and then a pilates workout Thursday to get stretched and limbered up. Hopefully that will be just enough.
The only thing that I'm slightly worried about for Saturday's race is the course-- it's much more flat than I'm used to. Sounds like that should be a good thing, right? But when I've been training on the mountainous terrain that is our neighborhood, it might not be. Yes, the steep, tough uphill climbs will be missing, but so will the steep downhill recovery periods. My body is sort of used to working at maximum exertion and then having a downhill period to recover and catch my breath. I sometimes find that a flat course, and a more sustained effort, is more of a challenge for me. I felt that on my 10K last year, anyway. We shall see how things go with Hartford.
There are live bands scheduled on the race course and lots of runners registered, and probably lots of spectators, so mostly I'm just excited! It should be a really fun day! And that's really my goal, mostly-- not to obsess too much about my own running, but just enjoy the race experience.
And here comes the meal plan...
Sunday breakfast: Soaked baked oatmeal
Last week I skipped most of my workouts (again). I ended up running 5 miles on Monday morning and then skipping every day until Saturday when I ran 10 miles. The same thing happened the week before that, too. It seems I have transformed into a lazy teenager lately, and you couldn't get me up before 6 AM if you waved a million dollar bill in front of my nose (is there such a thing as a million dollar bill?). As is the case with most Mommies, if my workouts don't happen before 6 AM, they tend not to happen at all.
However. I have not felt this rested in a looooong time. Sleep is a wonderful, amazing thing. It changes your whole perspective on life. And my running performance has improved too, despite the fact that I haven't done much running. I ran the fastest 10 miles I've ever run on Saturday: at a 10:05 pace. Most of the time I'm sustaining a 9:30 pace and it's feeling pretty comfortable. (That is incredibly fast for me!) So maybe the extra rest is just what my body needs. I'm in my "taper", right?
I'm never quite sure how to handle race week, workout-wise... I want to maintain my fitness level but not tire my legs out too much. This morning I did a 5K on the treadmill, and I think I might do one more short, easy run on Wendesday and then a pilates workout Thursday to get stretched and limbered up. Hopefully that will be just enough.
The only thing that I'm slightly worried about for Saturday's race is the course-- it's much more flat than I'm used to. Sounds like that should be a good thing, right? But when I've been training on the mountainous terrain that is our neighborhood, it might not be. Yes, the steep, tough uphill climbs will be missing, but so will the steep downhill recovery periods. My body is sort of used to working at maximum exertion and then having a downhill period to recover and catch my breath. I sometimes find that a flat course, and a more sustained effort, is more of a challenge for me. I felt that on my 10K last year, anyway. We shall see how things go with Hartford.
There are live bands scheduled on the race course and lots of runners registered, and probably lots of spectators, so mostly I'm just excited! It should be a really fun day! And that's really my goal, mostly-- not to obsess too much about my own running, but just enjoy the race experience.
Lots of fun things happened last week... like the picture above... but will have to blog about them later! I'm late to start our school day!
And here comes the meal plan...
Sunday breakfast: Soaked baked oatmeal
Sunday lunch: PBJs in the car
Sunday Supper: Homemade Pizza on soaked crust
Monday Breakfast: Leftover baked oatmeal or PB Breakfast pudding (didn't get to that last week!)
Monday Lunch: Yogurt dip and fruit, soaked bread and cheese
Monday Supper: Broccoli soup
Tuesday Breakfast: CrockPot Pumpkin Pie steel cut oats
Tuesday lunch: cheese quesadillas, green salad for Mama
Tuesday supper: fish tacos
Wednesday Breakfast: leftover CrockPot oats
Wednesday Lunch: smoothies and caesar wraps
Wednesday Supper: leftovers
Thursday Breakfast: creamy quinoa porridge
Thursday Lunch: packed sandwiches for girls, green salad for Mama
Thursday Supper: Leftovers
Friday in CT
Saturday: Half Marathon Day!
I love baked oatmeal and fish tacos! Your menu sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteHave a great race!!
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