Down the Hatch

In these final days before the race, the running and training is mostly behind us (at least in theory) and our focus is shifting to nutrition. Liv and I are both living at the office right now with hefty workloads, and for me, that usually means eating whatever is the most convenient [read: the Halloween candy jar that is 20 feet from my office], rather than choosing healthier options.

But let's get real. Yes, maybe Halloween is one of my very favorite times of year. And maybe I do live for free candy in delicious bite-sized portions. But if I can't suck it up and be smart about nutrition for the 9 remaining days until the marathon, then I really need to reevaluate my relationship with food. (Gulp. Nice self-induced guilt trip, eh?)

Herein lies the bigger issue: I'm a little clueless about what I should be eating in these final days. Lately, I've been using the MyFitnessPal app on my iPhone to better understand my nutritional intake, and it has taught me that I eat entirely too much sugar and not nearly enough protein. Shocker, I know. To quote the brilliant Jack Donaghy, "Thanks for telling me what I already know. You should work for the Huffington Post."

So I'm taking some pointers from No Meat Athlete. According to Matt (and Lance Armstrong's coach, Chris Carmichael), "carbohydrates are most important, followed by protein, followed by fat, which is of little use before a race." So... I reckon he's telling me to cool it on the miniature Reese's until after the marathon.

I wish I could claim that I'll be making all of No Meat Athlete's delicious recipes to properly fuel before the marathon, but that just ain't happening with my current schedule at work. Even so, I'll be more than happy to chow down on whatever pasta, bagels, candy and nutrition bars I can get my hands on.

Oh, and sugar addiction aside, you better believe I have a date with a giant bag of Halloween candy after I cross that finish line. Judge away. 

Low Energy Runs: Fuel Replenishment

I already know that fuel replenishment is a huge problem for me, and it's more than likely a major part of why my mid-week runs simply aren't cutting it. Here's what Coach Jenny has to say (via Ask Coach Jenny)...

Fuel Replenishment. You are what you eat, and if you aren't fueling with enough calories after long runs, it can create an energy void. This is especially true when runners are trying to train for a race and lose weight at the same time. Keep a fuel log and track the calories going in and out to optimally balance your caloric energy. This will also help dial in the quality of fuel as well. I use a free log called Fitday.com because it allows you to evaluate your total energy expenditure (training, lifestyle, and what you need to breathe) with your caloric consumption. If you drop much below a 15% deficit it can reduce your metabolic efficiency and create a lot of problems including low energy. For example, if you burn 2800 calories but take in only 1600 during the day, this creates a 42% deficit in energy lost. This will negatively affect your body's ability to recovery from the demands of your workouts. (Disclosure: I have no affiliation with Fitday – I just believe it's a useful tool for runners.)

I feel certain that I'm putting in enough calories each day, but I'm probably not refueling with the best types of food. I'd much rather reward myself for a good workout with a delicious cupcake when I should really be slurping down a protein shake instead. Don't get me wrong, I've come a long way since my days of eating goldfish for dinner. I feel like I'm getting closer to eating like a real adult (with the exception of a few too many frozen pizza nights). But in the final days before this marathon, I could certainly afford to take nutrition more seriously. 

While I love the idea of using a tracking system like Fitday.com, I've never been very good at keeping daily logs. I have a graveyard of failed diaries with only one page completed where I vow to begin logging my every thought. So while I'm sure I'll give Fitday.com a try, I highly doubt that it's the best solution for me. I think I'll be better off paying more attention to what is going in my body and how it makes me feel. 

I made the HUGE mistake of not properly fueling [read: overindulging in red wine and ice cream] before my long run on Saturday and O.M. to the G... I've never felt closer to death in my life. I stopped three times for the loo, saw spots by mile 10 and zig-zagged all the way home until I finally plopped down next to a homeless man on a park bench, feeling entirely too exhausted to walk the final 100 yards to my apartment. It was a "learning moment" that I care not to repeat. 

So with 2 months until race day (whoa!), I'm going to take nutrition a lot more seriously. What do you guys eat after a long run to replenish energy? I gnawed on an apple and tried to eat a bagel, but quite honestly, everything felt like sandpaper in my mouth. And what do you eat before a long run? I haven't quite mastered the fine line between eating enough to avoid seeing spots, but not eating so much that my long run turns into a bathroom crawl. Ideas????

Holy Guacamole

Happy Cinco de Mayo folks (as well as a Happy Birthday to my MIL)! Sal + Liv get to cut their work day a little short with a little happy hour complete with salsa y cervezas. Is it 4:30 yet?

In honor of national margarita day, have you tried Bethenny Frankel's Skinny Girl Margarita? She successfully turned your typical 700 calorie margarita into a hundred calorie version. To me it's the greatest thing since sliced bread and I was thrilled when I found out they carried it at my neighborhood wine store. No more beer bloatedness on the beach for me this summer. With the exception of this Mexican restaurant located in Arlington and Alexandria (which has the best margarita in the history of ever), I often find that restaurant margarita's are a touch too sweet or sour and leave a funky taste in my mouth. Not so with Skinny Girl. Reportedly she is coming out with a Skinny Girl Sangria but I can't find it, has anyone come across it or tried it yet?

If they are not carrying Skinny Girl at your local libation store, may I present the recipe for "knock you naked margaritas." With a name like that, how could they be anything but awesome?

1 corona

1 12 ounce can frozen limeade concentrate

1 can 7-up

tequila

lime slices for a squeeze and garnish

Pour the limeade into a pitcher. Use the limeade container and fill that baby up with the tequila, yep - all the way to the top. Pour in the tequila, can of 7-up and the Corona and mix together. Serve over ice with a squeeze of lime.

So easy, no? It's my favorite margarita recipe because the beer cuts the sweet and sourness, but if you didn't tell your guests the beer was in there - my guess is they would never know.

Now while that margarita isn't as "diet-friendly," you could lighten it up by using a Corona Light and Diet 7-Up.

!Permitanos el partido! [Editor's note from Sal: as a Spanish  major in college, let the record show that I had nothing to do with that translation]

GU Time?

So, I did it. This past weekend I completed my longest run to date - 10 miles. I was pretty proud of myself, and as promised...self-rewarded, accordingly. It was a perfect day for a long run in DC. Temperature in the 50s, not too windy and slightly overcast. Miles 1 through 8 felt fantastic and I was really in a rhythm. Miles 9 - 10...notsomuch. My run turned into something more like a shuffle and on the 10th mile I was basically willing my legs to finish. Any sort of hill or incline was out of the question.

This complete lack of energy and inability to finish strong like I normally can when running 5, 6, and even 8 miles got me thinking....is it GU time?

In my brief research, I've found varying times at which it is appropriate to refuel and replenish the glycogen store during long distances. Some sources say anything over 75 minutes is the magic number, others say the 90 minute mark is a good threshold. I guess it's time for me to begin experimenting with what works best for me.

So I ask you, what is your threshold? When do you find yourself needing to refuel? Also, what are your favorite forms of refueling: jelly beans, gels, sports drinks?

Along these same lines - Sal recently purchased wrist strap water bottle. I still haven't given way to running with water yet. What works for you? Do you like the belt that has multiple water bottles? I think that would annoy me. The wrist strap water bottle? The Camelbak? I imagine the straps of the Camelbak cause some chafing on the neck and shoulders?

Just full of questions today and ready to be enlightened,

Willpower...I Needs It

Conspiracy theory: my co-worker is trying to make me fat. No seriously, at most places of business it's typical to have to skirt around treats at certain times: Halloween, basically from the end of November through December, and maybe Valentine's as well. For me it is an on-going battle.

Conspiracy theory aside, my co-worker is an awesome baker. And I am pretty sure know her true motives are that she loves to bake, she's extremely giving, and well....who would stop her from bringing in yummy treats?

Let me just provide you with a sampling of what I'm faced with. It's like cruel and usual punishment, except without the punishment because I've never passed any of it up.

Most recently it was a butter cake. Yep, you read that right - a but-ter cake! As in, I'm pretty sure butter exists in almost all baked goods, however, this particular good just happens to be named after it. You know what else is in it? Cream cheese and powdered sugar. It's huh-mazing.

Liv: 0 Butter Cake: 2 (because I had to have two pieces...one for breakfast and the other after lunch. Don't look at me like that! It was sitting right behind me all day, that's why.)

Prior to that, it was Halloween Oreo Pumpkin cheesecakes.

Liv - 0 Oreo cheesecakes - 1

Several times it has been what we have affectionately dubbed "chip cookies." As in she makes your typical cookie, sometimes regular sometimes with an oatmeal base, and then throws in every sort of "chip" from her pantry: ie, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc. She even made me a holiday version with red and green M&Ms. And those, I'm proud to say, I did bring home to share with hubster. Because she's made these at least 3 times, I'm going to estimate: Liv - 0 Chip Cookies - 16

And that's not all, there has been a cheesecake, a red velvet cake, for my birthday she made a melted ice-cream cake.

Like I said, she's extremely giving and always shares. So even when she doesn't bring in a baked treat, if she goes to get herself a little chocolate she always asks if I want a square. Do I say no? Of course not. Who turns down chocolate?

Because of this my body now expects some sort of treat. Every. Day. Right after lunch. Like some sort of inalienable right.

And I'm not proud of what I'm about to tell you here, but two of those recipes....I sent her! Yes I did - because I know she loves to bake, and I don't bake because my husband doesn't love sweets as much as I do so 90% of all baked goods cooked in the Champion household would be eaten by yours truly. Therefore it was a Freudian slip me emailing her those recipes. I definitely didn't do it on purpose.

Something must be done, it has to stop. I'm researching ways to conjure up some willpower. Obi-Wan, Yoda - whomever - please grant me the force.

Until then, I'm off to tell my co-worker what kind of treats I want for V-day, because I kid you not....she. just. asked!

No Meat Athlete

I'm beyond excited about recently stumbling upon No Meat Athlete. I gave up on meat about 6 years ago for a variety of reasons, but the deciding factor was my high cholesterol. I felt way too young to already be battling my heart, so I cut out all most meat. Over time, it became rather difficult to live a nutritious meat-free lifestyle due to my limited budget, my refusal to spend more than a few minutes in the kitchen and the fact that I was living in the #1 Most Obese City in America (I'll always love you Memphis - just not your plethora of fast food chains and over abundance of delicious cheese fries). 

So, my vegetarianism evolved into more of a flexitarianism (and yes - that's an actual word. I think). I'm a fish-eating-non-meat-eater-except-when-the-only-thing-offered-is-meat-as-long-as-it's-not-chicken-unless-it's-a-Chick-fil-A-chicken-biscuit-but-will-always-prefer-non-meat-dishes-and-would-never-order-meat-off-a-menu. Did you follow that? Try to keep up. Moral of the story: I always prefer not to eat meat, but I really REALLY hate inconveniencing folks that are making me a free meal, so I make exceptions every now and then. 

Anyhoo... folks sometimes look at me like I have a 3rd eye when I tell them that I'm just not that into meat. And I don't necessarily blame them. Our food system is most certainly centered around meat, and most people operate under the misconception that meat provides essential nutrients that you can't find elsewhere (If only I had a carrot for every time I've heard, "But how do you get protein?"). Even so, while it is more than possible to live a well-balanced and nutritious lifestyle without meat, I don't always do that (hence the gallon of goldfish that disappears each week at my apartment). 

So, I kind of felt like I found my soul mate when I recently discovered No Meat Athlete - a vegetarian runner's guide to training for a marathon, complete with tasty (and simple) recipes and all kind of pointers on how to squeeze in dietary supplements, battle running boredom, unwind from a long run and so on and so forth. I'm super stoked to test out "The Perfect Smoothie Formula" because I was just this morning jonesing for some fruity goodness but feeling far too cheap to fork over $8+ at Smoothie King (not to mention, I would no doubt be over my craving by the time I walked back to the office and my smoothie was frozen solid).  

I just signed up for the The Vegetarian Endurance Advantage: The Essentials of Plant-Based Training, a free e-course that provides training tips and nutritional advice to endurance athletes (I enjoy pretending like I actually fit in that category right now). I haven't received my first installment yet, so until then, I'll be making my way through this oh-so-helpful list of "63 Ways to Shake Up Your Running Routine." It's probably not a good sign that I'm already needing these tips before I've actually begun our 10-miler training. 

Curious about starting a more veggie-based lifestyle? I highly recommend this helpful starter kit from Vegetarian Times. 

Happy Trails,

Coffee (and Tea) Talk

I’ve been trying to kick the coffee habit for a while now by switching to green tea. Coffee has always had a stigma in my mind ever since I was a little girl - I remember one Christmas morning when all 6’4” of my great uncle hovered over me and told me never to drink coffee because it would stunt my growth. It was hard not to believe him considering his height, and yet, life’s chaos settled in as I grew up, and coffee somehow found its way into my mug. But one morning when I was really craving a cup of joe/majorly dragging at work and feeling guilty about it, it occurred to me that I’m not really sure why I’m depriving myself because I’ve never bothered to look up any actual research defending one against the other. So I decided to do a little digging...

A) of all, I’ve never been a huge coffee drinker to begin with. Every now and then, I may overly indulge, but for the most part, I’ll have a cup of coffee maybe 3-4 times a week. Ever since trying to switch to tea though, I’ve upped my intake a bit because I’ll use a cup in the AM as a caffeine kick, and a decaf (okay, fine. It’s usually caffeinated too) cup in the afternoon to stave off hunger/prevent me from attacking our secretary’s secret candy stash. [pause...um Liv here. Our secretary has a secret candy stash?! You've been holding out on me. Oh - and yes, Sal + Liv work together, share a cube wall actually - but more on that later.] So am I really any better off? Well, let’s see…

Black coffee (which is how I like it) can ward off diabetes, Parkinson’s, heart disease and possibly some types of cancer – but in order for me to reap any of those benefits, I’d need to slurp back at least 3-4 cups a day. Eww. Stained teeth and bad breath aside, I’m pretty sure that much java in any given day would make my insides feel like mush. 

Tea also has some pretty bad a$$ benefits – preventing Alzheimer’s, certain types of cancer and osteoporosis, fighting cavities, speeding up your metabolism, etc, etc. But supposedly, I may have to drink a lot more than 1 – 2 cups to get any of these benefits, too. 

Hmmm. After several weeks of research, I've yet to find a conclusive answer. Which leads me to believe that there is no real answer. I think we have to listen to our bodies and determine what makes us feel our best. For me, that means sticking to tea whenever possible, but not beating myself up over the occasional coffee indulgence - after all, I need something to dunk my donut in, right?

Any helpful insight out there? What makes you feel your best – particularly when preparing for a long run? Talk amongst yourselves – gotta go grab a cup of joe I mean tea.

Gobble Gobble

Happy Turkey Day, folks! We've migrated south for the holiday, so we'll be hitting the pavement in our hometown.

As Thanksgiving officially kicks off the holiday season (read: non-stop eating, drinking and being merry and/or stressed), here's the ever present dilemma: 

How do we enjoy the holidays, while not putting our selves into food comas (thus, less likely to go out for a nice 4 mile run), and not succumb to the holiday weight gain? Especially when all of our favorite holiday traditions revolve around food!

Popular answers might include but are not limited to:

• Self-discipline (Ha! Easier said than done)
• Portion control (Again - not exactly one of our strong suits)
• Run a holiday themed race (i.e. Turkey Trot, Jingle Bell Dash)
• Run/workout more so we can eat more (but it's so much easier to hibernate and store up for winter)
• Don't go to a party every night (enough with the tacky Christmas sweater parties, people)

We'll be developing our plan....just as soon as we wake up from our post-turkey naps! 

Gobble Gobble,