I have been feeling really good on my runs this week! And on top of that, it is Friday—what could be better?!?
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 56:51
Average pace: 8:07 minutes/mile
Comments: A little slower today, but I took it easy in preparation for my long run tomorrow.
Love the glorious sunshine we have been having!
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I’m doing it again and giving up sweets/desserts and cleaning up my diet for this next training cycle.
You may remember, I gave up desserts for the Boston Marathon. During that time, I didn’t have desserts from the end of December until the Boston Marathon on April 15. It took some discipline, but it wasn’t impossible. I knew I had to go into it with the mentality that it was all or nothing. I found this easier than saying, “oh, I’ll just try to cut back on the sweets here and there.”
After the marathon, I enjoyed some sweet treats pretty regularly like this ice cream cone in Boston, but there have been second (and sometimes third) helpings of desserts at potlucks and picnics, which I want to eliminate. (I don’t dare keep anything in the house because I end up eating it when I shouldn’t.)
Honestly, the biggest reason I want to give up desserts again is to try and get down to my race weight for all the races I am running this summer. I know this is a touchy subject for some, so I apologize if this strikes a chord with anyone. I don’t want you to think I am trying to encourage you to do the same. I just want to share my experiences and keep myself accountable by posting this for others to see. As a disclaimer: I am not going to starve myself or do anything extreme. I will still be consuming plenty of calories.
I am also setting a few other goals for myself in order to optimize my training because I really want to achieve the goals I set for myself! Most of these goals are to optimize my training but a couple are for my pocketbook as well.
Goals
– Purchase only two decaf coffee beverages from the coffee shop each week. No caffeinated coffee at work (so I can sleep at night!) with the artificial creamers.
– Avoid artificial ingredients, added colors in foods, high fructose sweeteners, and other fake ingredients in my diet.
– Only one purchased lunch a week. I am usually very good at brown baggin’ it most days of the week, but I felt like I’ve been slipping these past few weeks.
– Be in bed by 9 p.m. (8:30 p.m. would be even better). This week I am ramping up the miles and definitely need to be up by 5 a.m. every morning in order to fit a run in before work, and I like my 8 hours of sleep.
– Complete two weight-lifting sessions each week. I really need to focus on getting my hamstring strong, so it does not flare up again. Plus, I would like some more definition to my upper body.
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Questions
What is a goal you have for yourself this month?
How often do you purchase your lunch during the work week?
hi there! long time reader here. Something you said struck a chord with me. Lifting + marathon training! this is something i struggled with a lot last year. Normally my policy is to just give up on my twice-weekly body pump classes during marathon training, but last year I made a concerted effort to keep going. I have to say, it really got the best of me. I realize part of training is to teach yourself to run on tired legs, but I had a really difficult time keeping up with my mileage when delayed onset soreness was happening 2x a week. How do you juggle these two things? would love to hear any advice you have on this topic since you’re such an awesome runner! This morning I literally heard my alarm, groaned, and rolled over in bed because i was so sore. Is it still beneficial to, say, cut down on the weight and lift much lighter?
It does seem like you are doing too much. My weight lifting sessions are no 60-minute body pump classes, so I think that makes a big difference. I will only lift weights for about 30 minutes each session, so an hour for the week. I might be a little sore the following day but within two days any soreness from lifting is gone. If you wanted to still do some lifting while training for a marathon, I would definitely cut back on the duration and tone down the intensity.
My goal for this month is to double my miles from May. So run a total of 54 miles this month! 🙂
My blog post for today was about my running goals, too! My goal for June is to increase my miles so that I’m no longer in recovery mode from my last marathon (in May). After that, I’ll start building miles up in order to be ready for the St. George Marathon. You’ve made some great goals!
My goal is to finish recovering from May so I can devote all my energy to the running vacation we’re taking in the Alps later this month.
I think racing weight can make a huge difference, sounds like you’re doing it the right way by just eliminating the junk food.
I’ve read blog posts on how others don’t think it makes a difference, but I, too, think being lighter will help with dropping my time.
Your goals sound really good… This month I have a few goals. Week 1 hasn’t been great… but I intend to finish my 20 mile/week, Ab Challenge, and bike to work challenge for the rest of the month.