Tag: recovery
With the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon I’m running this Sunday, I’m trying to eat wholesome meals and hydrate well (OK, I did indulge in an ice cream cone yesterday, oops!) and as I mentioned #trainwithgrains (I shared my savoury breakfast idea last week).
I’m looking to get healthy carbs and protein in my diet this week, and am sticking to foods I’m used to. This is not the time to be experimenting with new ingredients and new recipes (you don’t want to have stomach issues before or on race day, after all!).
Continuing with my #trainwithgrains routine, I made this refreshing edamame and corn salad (the Self recipe is from epicurious) as a side for the filet of salmon I roasted in the oven. The only change I made to the salad recipe is omitting the mayo (it’s just a small amount but I didn’t want a creaminess in the dressing). There’s a half-cup of edamame in the salad, which equals 7 grams of protein, so it’s a great side dish to have with your meal after a run to help with recovery. Oh, I also just used canned corn as I didn’t have time to roast cobs of corn. I think roasting would add loads of flavour, though, so if you have a grill and the time, then do that.
For more recipes using healthy grains such as barley, grain corn (including corn meal, flour or starch), oats, soybeans and wheat, be sure to visit the Grain Farmers of Ontario website Good In Every Grain.
October 14, 2015
I’ve got five days to go until my Summer of Sweat goal race, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday, October 18th. How am I feeling? Anxious as ever; and that’s nothing new. I always get stressed out before a race, but this time it’s different. I think I’l have to adjust my goal significantly. But sometimes you can surprise yourself on race day. Everything might fall together wonderfully, as it did for me last year at the Chicago Marathon.
I’ll fill in you in in my final blog post, my post-race wrap up, but today I wanted to talk about my new post-run hydration regimen.
The best part of this Summer of Sweat goal thus far is how it’s forced me to focus on hydration during and after my runs (I still struggle with hydrating regularly when not working out, doh!). I’ve already shared how I’ve been hydrating during my actual runs, but a brand new element to my training regimen is how I’m hydrating after my run. Usually, as I’m checking my overall time and pace on my app after a run, I finish drinking the sports drink I have with me in my fuel belt (it’s been Gatorade Thirst Quencher all summer) and then as soon as I get home, I grab a protein shake, like a Gatorade Protein Shake from my fridge.
Designed to help recovery, the Protein Shakes, when icy cold out of the refrigerator, are a welcome (after a sweaty run!), and easy way to get some protein and carbs consumed right away. The little tears in our muscles caused by exercise use protein to help rebuild so the sooner you can get some protein into your system, the sooner your muscles starts to repair themselves (Check out www.gatorade.ca for more information on protein’s role in recovery). Protein drinks like Gatorade Protein Shake have 45 grams of carbs (For a closer look at how carbs can help you recover following a workout, visit www.gatorade.ca) I prefer the chocolate shake over the vanilla (To me, it basically tastes like a slightly thicker chocolate milk), and after I down it, I hop into the shower (my Summer of Sweat training leaves me drenched in sweat!) and then put on something cozy to wear as I eat a proper meal (usually something fairly healthy — I sometimes feel too guilty to chow down on something crazy fatty and sugary when I feel so strong and accomplished post-run; don’t get me wrong, I’ve done it, but not all the time). Then, more often than not, I have a nap.
Stay tuned to my Twitter and Instagram for more sweaty updates this week leading up to and, of course, on race day, October 18th! I’ll have my race report up on the blog the week of October 19th.
Please send good energy my way, I could use as much as I can get for the race, and come out to cheer the thousands of runners that day if you’re in Toronto! Your support, funny signs and high fives really do make a big difference for us runners!
(sponsored)
I told you I sweat A LOT.
October 13, 2015
Sunday I ran the Sporting Life 10k race (I think it’s the fifth time I’ve run this race, I’ve lost track!).
I normally haven’t been very sore after running a marathon other than the first time I ran one, but after last week’s Toronto Marathon, I felt a little more achey than usual, which made stairs a little bit tough for a day or two. I normally would’ve fit in one or two short runs in the week following before this 10k race, but I had a busy day Wednesday and was out of town with a busy itinerary Thursday and Friday. So I ended up not running at all, but that didn’t really faze me. I could tell my body could probably benefit from the recovery time.
Because I was out of town, and perhaps because I’m still somewhat disappointed with my Toronto Marathon (although I got so many kind messages and congrats, which helped cheer me up), I didn’t focus very much on this 10k. I knew I hoped to PB but knew it was a long shot given the fact I’d essentially have to run the pace of my 5k time trial with Nike but maintain it for twice the distance, which I didn’t feel was likely. My heart felt like it was going to explode during that time trial. Just typing this and I can feel the sensation of it about to burst through my ribs.
Add to this that on Sunday, thankfully it wasn’t raining (there had been a 60 percent chance of rain) but the weather was very warm. 18C and humid.
My friend Sasha of SoSasha.com and I planned informally to run beside each other, even though I assured her she would be faster than me. We were together til about 4k and then I slowed down. I was already feeling wiped out and was so terribly hot and sweaty. And I just couldn’t push myself more. I didn’t want to feel that intense pounding of my heart in my chest, to be honest it was a scary feeling during that time trial.
At the halfway mark, if I were able to maintain the same pace, I believe that would’ve been a personal best time (I haven’t broken out a calculator to be sure, but I think it’d be sub 47 minutes)…but just like last week’s marathon, I was confident I would be unable to maintain the pace for the last half. Dripping in sweat, and not drinking very much water as I was trying not to stop running, I was very much defeated by the heat. And my splits reflect that.
I ended up finishing in 49:51, which is nearly the same time as in 2013. Last year, I finished in 47:51 so I was hoping to finish this year in 45 or 46 minutes. But I’m fine with my time. This year, I don’t really feel my body or mind was as ready as it has been in the past to race again. And after having attended a barre class Monday night, I can definitely tell that my legs at least a few days of rest now after this 10k — I pushed my body hard in the last 8 days. In fact, in the photo here where me and Sasha are jumping, when I landed, my legs were so worn out and exhausted that I actually collapsed to my knees when I landed (thankfully, I didn’t hurt myself, just scraped one knee slightly).
As for the race itself, it is much better organized in terms of starting in waves and the finish no longer becomes a bottleneck the way it used to when it ended in Fort York. However, I felt there were far too few water stations along the route. And after crossing the finish line, it was a significant walk until reaching water and Gatorade. I felt lightheaded and considered sitting on the grass until I felt more steady, but I was frightened I’d make it worse and would end up possibly needing EMS help, so I made the long trek to water and gulped down four tiny cups and several Gatorade cups and devoured two bananas. This rejuvenated me, thankfully, and I went to find my friends.
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I now have three weeks until my next race, the Run for Women 10k, and then the Nike Women’s 15k and then that’s it for racing this summer. As for the fall, right before this race, I was talking about likely racing the Detroit Marathon, but when I felt miserable during the 10k, and thought “I paid good money to put myself through this torture??” I started to reconsider a fall marathon…but I’ll probably soon forget all of this and my type A personality will have me kicking off marathon training in the next few weeks…
May 12, 2015
