There are only 12 days that stand between me and my first Half-Marathon. I am so excited but also a little nervous. This past Sunday my running partner and I ran 11.5 miles. OMG! it was hard as hell but not impossible. This weekend, I won't be doing a long run because the race is next week. Amen! I am so ready to do this ya'll. I have that nervous excitement...called anxiety. Anyways as my miles are increasing, a lot of people seem to be interested in how I am doing what I am doing. This post is dedicated to the "How" of the "What." (because there is definitely a science to this). Now, I don't claim to be an expert, what I am going to share is my own personal schedule.
I must be honest, I haven't lost as much weight as I had hoped but I my endurance and body strength is great. Here are some pictures of me. The difference is slight...but I can see it.
In preparation for the race, my partner and I decided to eat clean for 30 days. There are ton of blogs and websites devoted to eating clean, but to be honest it's kind of hard to determine what is clean and what is not. Simpy put, the goal of clean eating is to eat whole foods and to stay away from anything processed. I have found that the easiest why to determine if what you are about to eat is clean or not, is to ask yourself two questions: (1) Did it have a mommy? Or (2) did it grow in the ground? If the answer is no, chances are what you are eating is not real food. This includes sauces like ketchup and mustard and miracle whip (tear). However, if you do have to have something processed said item should have 5 ingredients or less and those ingredients should fall into the category of having a mommy or being grown in the ground. Makes sense? Below I have posted a few pictures of what my meals look like. Oh and be sure to eat 5 times day. On a typical day my food schedule looks like this.
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| 10.11 |
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| 2.12 |
I must be honest, I haven't lost as much weight as I had hoped but I my endurance and body strength is great. Here are some pictures of me. The difference is slight...but I can see it.
Keep reading for a detailed account of how I have been eating and training. Post ya comments!
Did Skittles have a Mommy?
In preparation for the race, my partner and I decided to eat clean for 30 days. There are ton of blogs and websites devoted to eating clean, but to be honest it's kind of hard to determine what is clean and what is not. Simpy put, the goal of clean eating is to eat whole foods and to stay away from anything processed. I have found that the easiest why to determine if what you are about to eat is clean or not, is to ask yourself two questions: (1) Did it have a mommy? Or (2) did it grow in the ground? If the answer is no, chances are what you are eating is not real food. This includes sauces like ketchup and mustard and miracle whip (tear). However, if you do have to have something processed said item should have 5 ingredients or less and those ingredients should fall into the category of having a mommy or being grown in the ground. Makes sense? Below I have posted a few pictures of what my meals look like. Oh and be sure to eat 5 times day. On a typical day my food schedule looks like this.
- 9:00a: "165" juice
- 11:00a: Snack (usually a sandwich on whole GRAIN bread, not whole WHEAT)
- 1:00p: Lunch
- 4:00p: Snack (an orange)
- 7:00p: Dinner
- **Throughout the day, I make sure to drink at least 50 oz of water**
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| Meal 1: 9 AM 4 handfuls of Kale, 4 oranges, 3 apples, 4 carrots, I cucumber Before the juicer. |
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| This will make 2 14 oz cups of juice. |
SNACK 1: 11 AM
Turkey Sandwich
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| Meal 2: 1 PM Protein: Grilled Chicken Starch/Carbs (on the days that I run) Potatoes and Fennel Veggies: Grilled Asparagus |
SNACK : 4 pm:
Orange or a banana
( I try to steer clear of the bananas because they are a "binder" and
with all the fiber I am eating, it can constipate me. TMI...I know.. but it's true.
( I try to steer clear of the bananas because they are a "binder" and
with all the fiber I am eating, it can constipate me. TMI...I know.. but it's true.
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| Meal 3: 7 PM (or whenever I am done working out) Salad Left Salad: Romaine lettuce, strawberries, walnuts, and onions Right Salad: Romaine Lettuce, broccoli, onions and tomatoes Homemade dressing of oil, vinegar and German herbs Grilled Chicken for protein Meal Prep I should mention that 99% of my meals are prepared and packaged by Citrus Catering and Events. Chef Michelle, our resident food blogger is the owner/operator of Citrus. There are links to printable recipes on her site. She is also available to for personal chef and menu planning. I mention this because having her prepare my food makes it so much easier for me to stay on task. I never have to worry about what I am eating and I know that my meals are balanced and healthy. I juice my breakfast, pack my lunch , and pack my workout bag every night before I go to bed. Preparing everything ahead of time makes my daily routine much easier. |
Plan for Success
In addition to planning my meals, I also plan my workout. A half marathon is not only a goal, it a process. So it's necessary for me be diligent and disciplined about how I approach my workout. I have been doing Hal Higdon's plan since November but last week, I took Coach Kourtney's advice and wrote down my own personal workout schedule.
Monday: Rest and Stretch
Tuesday: 1 hour and 45 minutes.
45 minutes of cardio and a 1 hour yoga class
Tuesday: 1 hour and 45 minutes.
45 minutes of cardio and a 1 hour yoga class
Wednesday: 1 hour
4 to 5 mile run (this is my fun run, I do not keep my pace)
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 45 minutes
4 to 5 mile run for speed (pace between 11:30 and 12 minutes)
Saturday: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Weights and Abs (no running)
Sunday: 2+ hours
long run, between 8 and 12 miles (pace under 13 minutes for the duration of the run)
The Long Run
Since my long runs are so hard on my body there are a few enhancements I take to make things easier. In addition to 1,000 mg of Acetaminophen, I also take:
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| Multivitamin Take daily |
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| Gatorade Prime Before my workout |
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| My favorite energy chew! Take 3 every 45 minutes. |
Thanks for the plug Kenya! You def help a lot with the prep part of all of our food, so Thank YOU! :-)
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