Running a Stupid 16- Miler

As you can tell from the title of this post, my 16- miler was miserable and I know exactly why.

I haven’t been weighing myself in a month, since I have been traveling.

I decided on the day I SHOULD have been paying attention to nutrition that I would weigh myself.  I was not happy with what I saw.

So, like a dummy, I didn’t eat for nutrition or fueling for the next days long run.

I ate like a dieter.

My husband was out-of-town, so it was easy to just grab low-calorie foods and eat very light for dinner.

I thought I could eat an egg on a 100 calorie sandwich thin for breakfast on the day of the run that it would be enough.

Yeah…no. I was also going on only 2 1/2 to 3 hours of sleep, since jet-lag was still lurking its ugly head…we had only been back from Shanghai for 4 days.

UPDATE: See how I try to combat insomnia.

I started out fine, the day was cold but not breezy so I warmed up quickly.

Raisins were the only easily portable carb I could find, even though I had decided from previous runs not to just take those!

The route I took was along a stretch of road that forced me to be in the street for a good part of it, both because of snow and ice and because there just weren’t any sidewalks.

There is a big bike lane so I never felt unsafe. I was climbing some hills and dreaded the way back when I would be running at the end of the mileage back over those hills!

Around mile 8 I really started crashing.

It was hard to turn my legs over, and those breaks to eat and drink every 2 miles was like finding water in the desert.

I knew I didn’t fuel correctly the day before, and it was mentally challenging to keep going.

I kept comparing the 14- miler the week before and what I did to prepare for that and was so mad at myself!

Those hills at the end seemed like mountains and I was never so glad to be done with a run.

I was traveling to NYC to visit my son that afternoon, so didn’t have the luxury of wallowing.

The other side effect of bad planning was that I was chilled to the bone when I was done.

It wasn’t even that cold, but I couldn’t get warm and my fingers didn’t work right for a long time after I was back. I vowed to do better, and to stop weighing myself the day before a long run!

Fuel Your Body for Performance

It is so important to fuel correctly before beating your body up with the extra training required for a marathon. I have to get better at throwing out completely the idea that a marathon is just another form of exercise for weight control.

IT IS NOT!

It is a test of endurance and perseverance and a personal win, but it is not a weight control tactic.

Many people find they actually gain weight during training, but look better and more fit.

Next week I have an 18-miler in Antigua, where the temps will be 40 degrees+ what I have been running in.  I have no choice but to plan accordingly for that or I could cause some serious damage.