Hail Mary: 14 Mile Training Run (The Second)

Gooood afternoon!

I have to say, I love to travel, but it feels so good to be back in Michigan. My last night in NYC was good though! I went to Eatery NYC with Aaron and some of his friends and then we went to a martini bar, Vintage.

I really like Eatery despite the fact that I’ve seen one straight man in the two times that I’ve eaten there. Literally. One. And he was with a gay.

Saturday I was in the airport all day, and, despite my absolutely awful shuttle ride there, in which I went batshit on our driver (I’ve never actually really screamed at someone, but when you tell me it’s impossible to take me back to LGA, cause you’ve just missed my terminal, and you’ve already been a dick for the past hour, yeah….I screamed)….I made it home in one piece! And it felt great to get here! Everything felt so big and so clean. I love my friends and their amazing hospitality, but I went to bed at 10:30 because I was so tired and so very excited to sleep in my own bed. I slept like a rock, which was good, because Sunday it was back to the running schedule!

I’d been kind of putting off writing my post-trip running schedule in my planner, because, well, it scared me. This is when the NFA runs really start. A few 16s…a few 18s…like, no. Couldn’t think about it. But after chatting with Melissa, a marathoner, last week over dinner, I felt better about it. She reminded me of what I already know: your body will get where it needs to be. You can do this. You’ll be fine.

So I actually woke up feeling pretty calm about the long run and the upcoming month. I started carbing early on, because I didn’t eat much late Saturday night. For breakfast, I added extra oats to the pot, and then pimped them out: TJ’s cranberry apple butter, peanut butter, dates, banana, white chocolate chips, and cinnamon.

Way more intense than a normal day, but, well, 14 miles loomed ahead. And the oats were delicious! The cranberry apple butter was a new addition, but it kind of tastes like cranberry juice, which is a childhood fave of mine, and it put me in a holiday mood, which I haven’t been in yet. WIN! I also had coffee, which I haven’t had the entire time I was gone! Mmmm…welcome back, morning goodness!

Breakfast was good but kind of (really seriously) heavy, so I had a lazy Sunday morning, watching the “Mad Men” finale and catching up on all my mags! Then it was just time to eat again. Lunch was also carby, with some protein: an everything bagel with turkey and cheese, pickles, vegetable soup, and an apple.

I was just trying to keep it carby, healthy, not too fibery, and kinda salty. This worked! I drank a lot of water, and then it was time to go to the trails. The weather was really good for running: sunny and brisk! As soon as I got in the car, I knew it was going to be a good run. My body, though sore from the class at Ride the Zone, was just ready.

It was seriously a pretty blissful 14 miles. My book talks about achieving “flow,” and, well, I had it within the first minute. I was cruising the entire time, just loving shit. It was definitely just happier than my emo 10 miles in Central Park last week. My knees hurt a bit, but nothing major; the worst part about it was just getting a little bored. However, I had a new playlist (with, um, 46 songs!) and lots of new sexy thoughts, so I survived. The only downside was that when I had my energy gel with about four miles to go, it gave me a stomach ache/cramp. Not cool! I might try a different gel next week, just to see how it works for me.

When I finally finished, 2.5ish hours later (that’s a lot of sexy thoughts!), I headed straight home to refuel. I read this week that cereal with milk is a really good recovery snack, so I decided to have that! I had a half-cup of Total Blueberry Pomegranate (got a free sample in the mail; it was dece, not mindblowing), half-cup of Fiber one, and a cup of milk!

I feel like I don’t even taste my recovery snacks because I’m just trying to wolf them down so my body gets the protein and carbs it needs ASAP. I started to shiver from my sweaty hair, so I took a hot shower. And…then it was time to eat again. Seriously! That’s all I do on long run days!!!

For dinner, I made my current standard long-run meal: pasta with chickpeas, pesto, a little Parm, and a salmon burger. And since the run was over, I piled on the broccoli.

I also had an apple; seriously…getting enough calories on these long run days is kind of a joke. And then I had to have a big bedtime snack, cause, ya know, the carbs just don’t stop!

Whole-wheat English muffin with more cranberry apple butter and a 100-calorie portion of dry roasted almonds! Then I was out like a light, once again. For breakfast, I decided to keep it light, and had a pumpkin smoothie and two slices of Nature’s Pride bread with PB/Nutella. (Mmm…kinda sinful!)

I’m glad today is an off day. I’m definitely feeling the long run, and I also feel like a cold could be looming. But a long run is such a good way to start the week — knowing that it’s done is so nice! I have three more runs this week and I’m just like, Ehhh….bring it! This afternoon, I need to go for a little walk and do pilates, but that is all. And I can eat like a normal person again, not like I’m preparing for a coming famine.

Tagged as: carbs, Food, running, thinking about sex during long runs