3/13/06: 11 Fast Miles at Memorial Park!
Okay, maybe not SMOKIN’ fast, but quicker then I normally run my LSD. I averaged an 8:48/mile pace, with a very consistant clip throughout. I honestly don’t know ‘why’ I ran this fast either, other then the fact it just felt good (I sometimes like to call it ‘The Running Spirit Moves me!’) I never felt any fatigue and only stopped a few times for water and GU and a little stretching…could it have been the fact I was coming off the high of this past weekend? Could it have been the awesome and cool weather? Could it have been the fact I was very relaxed and simply enjoying ‘the motion of running?’ Hmm, I don’t know.
One thing I did start to wonder about as a factor related to my running (since Saturday’s efforts with the Bayou City Classic) is that I have been eating a lot lately. Okay, maybe not eating A LOT, but I mean-eating to where I am stuffed/really full. Usually when I eat, I try to eat slowly and eat 4-5 small meals a day. Lately, I have been eating 4-5 meals a day…and they are big. Like for example, here was yesterday’s bill: (in this order) 2 packets oatmeal, granola bar, juice box, lean gormet meal-rice, half a bagel, banana, fruit cup, 2 pieces small chocolate, applesauce cup, Balance bar, GU, 2 cups pretzels and two slices of cheese. BUT!! I ate all of that throughout the day and had (in my mind) a kick-ass run!! I don’t get it.
Is it possible that I haven’t been eating enough? That was about 2000 calories of food, or about what I used to eat before I got this idea in my head to cut my caloric intake. But, these last few days are making me think otherwise. Maybe I should leave my caloric intake where it was and just be concious of WHAT I am eating, (ie: eat more veggies and protein). Maybe I should start a food diary? I just don’t want to get all paranoid about all of this. I mean, I am taking vitamins daily (vitamins B, C, D, flaxseed, calcium, and a multi) and I try to avoid junk/fast food (my vice right now is chocolate! Yum!) and eat fresh, uncooked foods every day. I have also cut out a lot of processed foods (I use to loooove eating cans of soup and ravoli!) but of course I still have my TV dinners for lunch.
I guess I am just trying to be smart about things and fueling myself up right, as I think I am starting to see a correlation between eating smart and running faster?! Yes, I want to lose weight (about 10 pounds) by next January so I can run faster and stronger, but maybe I meant to be a fillie the rest of my life, lol-but I am being serious too! Sometimes I wish there was a magic formula to all of this but I guess that’s what makes it all so much fun. Feel free to leave any advice for me…especially if you have diet issues too…
The STATS:
11 miles
1:36.49 total running
ave 8:48/mile!!
mile1: 8:58
mile2: 9:04
mile3: 8:40
mile4: 8:21
mile5: 8:48
mile6: 8:49
mile7: 8:16
mile8: 8:58
mile9: 8:55
mile10: 8:18 (short)
mile11: 9:38 (long)
Heart-rate: 176 ave/232 max
Weather: beautiful, cool. Mid 60’s, low humidity.
Okay, maybe not SMOKIN’ fast, but quicker then I normally run my LSD. I averaged an 8:48/mile pace, with a very consistant clip throughout. I honestly don’t know ‘why’ I ran this fast either, other then the fact it just felt good (I sometimes like to call it ‘The Running Spirit Moves me!’) I never felt any fatigue and only stopped a few times for water and GU and a little stretching…could it have been the fact I was coming off the high of this past weekend? Could it have been the awesome and cool weather? Could it have been the fact I was very relaxed and simply enjoying ‘the motion of running?’ Hmm, I don’t know.
One thing I did start to wonder about as a factor related to my running (since Saturday’s efforts with the Bayou City Classic) is that I have been eating a lot lately. Okay, maybe not eating A LOT, but I mean-eating to where I am stuffed/really full. Usually when I eat, I try to eat slowly and eat 4-5 small meals a day. Lately, I have been eating 4-5 meals a day…and they are big. Like for example, here was yesterday’s bill: (in this order) 2 packets oatmeal, granola bar, juice box, lean gormet meal-rice, half a bagel, banana, fruit cup, 2 pieces small chocolate, applesauce cup, Balance bar, GU, 2 cups pretzels and two slices of cheese. BUT!! I ate all of that throughout the day and had (in my mind) a kick-ass run!! I don’t get it.
Is it possible that I haven’t been eating enough? That was about 2000 calories of food, or about what I used to eat before I got this idea in my head to cut my caloric intake. But, these last few days are making me think otherwise. Maybe I should leave my caloric intake where it was and just be concious of WHAT I am eating, (ie: eat more veggies and protein). Maybe I should start a food diary? I just don’t want to get all paranoid about all of this. I mean, I am taking vitamins daily (vitamins B, C, D, flaxseed, calcium, and a multi) and I try to avoid junk/fast food (my vice right now is chocolate! Yum!) and eat fresh, uncooked foods every day. I have also cut out a lot of processed foods (I use to loooove eating cans of soup and ravoli!) but of course I still have my TV dinners for lunch.
I guess I am just trying to be smart about things and fueling myself up right, as I think I am starting to see a correlation between eating smart and running faster?! Yes, I want to lose weight (about 10 pounds) by next January so I can run faster and stronger, but maybe I meant to be a fillie the rest of my life, lol-but I am being serious too! Sometimes I wish there was a magic formula to all of this but I guess that’s what makes it all so much fun. Feel free to leave any advice for me…especially if you have diet issues too…
The STATS:
11 miles
1:36.49 total running
ave 8:48/mile!!
mile1: 8:58
mile2: 9:04
mile3: 8:40
mile4: 8:21
mile5: 8:48
mile6: 8:49
mile7: 8:16
mile8: 8:58
mile9: 8:55
mile10: 8:18 (short)
mile11: 9:38 (long)
Heart-rate: 176 ave/232 max
Weather: beautiful, cool. Mid 60’s, low humidity.
posted by Jessica, a Austin Runner AND triathlete at
11:44 AM
6 Comments:
Hey Jessica, if you know your approximate body fat %, then I would suggest using either the Katch-McArdle or Harris-Benedict formulas to get a good idea of your caloric needs. There are also some out there based on total body weight, but both of these are really geared toward your lean mass (burn fat, feed the muscle). They'll both give you a base metabolic rate (what you burn every day doing nothing) as well as the total calories needed based on that plus an activity factor. From there, the general rule of thumb is to take that higher number and subtract ~ 500 per day to get an idea of what your daily calories should be.
I use those formulas (and split the difference) in-between visits where I have it done with a more accurate test.
By
Anonymous, at Tue Mar 14, 01:18:00 PM
Congrats on the time. I know what you mean - sometimes I have those runs as well, where everything just "clicks" and you go faster than normal. Those are the runs to savor.
By
Garou, at Tue Mar 14, 11:26:00 PM
cut Most if not ALL sugars...cola, even diet, is 11 spoonfuls of sugar...
sugar causes you to store everything, good and bad, rather than use it...
BTW- gu is sugar, drop it...the closer you get to the front, the less it is used...
if u feed your body correctly, it WILL perform
By
Anonymous, at Wed Mar 15, 03:17:00 PM
Wow, you are getting Faaast!
By
David, at Wed Mar 15, 11:53:00 PM
anon: what do you suggest as a replacement for GU?
i have tried honey and it works, but makes me gag (and it too, is sugar).
i like gummy bears too but, same deal.
By
Jessica, a Austin Runner AND triathlete, at Thu Mar 16, 09:43:00 AM
try nothing!!...gu is overpriced sugar sold to the masses (much like starbux coffee!), which uses fear of "the wall" to sell itself...1) NOONE at the front uses GU's 2) people seemed to run well enough before it was introduced roughly 10 yrs ago.
"the wall" cannot be overcome by some packet you buy at the store, it can only be surpassed by long hard training.
get on yahoo and look up sugar and fat on a search engine...your body has to work quickly to burn that sugar quickly, so that it then stores the very fat that it needs to burn, rather than continuing to use it...
It is what you feed yourself between runs, rather than during, that will determine your body's ability to perform...
flip a loaf of bread and all dietary questions can be answered there...you can get healthier sugars by eating 3-5 fruit/day. 2-3 serv/ protein/ day...dont skimp on fat- the good kinds bc that is a much more important fuel source than sugar...and yes LIMIT SUGAR
do not limit how much you eat, only what you choose to eat...
finally, self explanatory, yet bears repeating- stay hydrated...
By
Anonymous, at Thu Mar 16, 10:53:00 AM
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