Week 5

Running Through the ICE!!!!

Anna:

I can’t believe we are 5 weeks in! Having the training to look forward to has been an amazing stress reliever for me. Physically I am pushing myself more than I have in a long time! I’ve never been someone who isn’t working out – however, this training plan requires a lot of dedication to planning when the workouts will get done, what I am going to eat, and how I am going to allow my body to recover so I can keep training this hard. Due to the ever-changing work schedule of a Nurse Practitioner working in an ICU, my “rest” days end up being days that I work. I wouldn’t really call 13/14 hour days “rest” days but hey I’m not running…. too much. 

These next two weeks Jess and I share what we do to help our bodies recover while keeping up with training and our busy work schedules. 

Week 5’s workouts: 0-3 easy miles, 3-4 easy miles, 8-9 miles with intervals, 0-3 easy miles, 4 miles easy, 14 miles LSD (long slow distance)

Wednesday: As mentioned in last week’s post, it will be tough to get my workouts in. Today was my only day off during the week. I decided this would be my track workout day (8-9 miles with intervals). Well, mother nature had other things in store for me. I showed up to a track that could have doubled as an ice skating rink. After having a minor freak out in my car I pulled myself together, drove to Wawa, got a coffee and headed home to figure out what today’s workout was going to look like. The sun was coming out so I waited it out and later in the afternoon went for a 4-mile run. After my run, I did a 20-minute Peloton strength workout with Becs Gentry and a 10-minute yoga workout. As frustrating as the morning started out, my workout ended up being amazing and it felt good to do some mobility work with my strength and yoga workouts. 

A big part of recovery for any athlete is getting the right fuel. When schedules get busy it is so easy to slip into the habit of not eating enough – more importantly, not eating enough of the right foods. I have been doing lots of reading on this marathon journey about what and when I should be eating. In general (from my own research), you should be getting fuel back into your body within 30 minutes of your workout to help your muscles recover and to replace their glycogen stores. Fuel is a mix of carbohydrates and protein. 

Thursday: I teach a class at the hospital once a month so today was that day. When I am teaching it’s amazing how exhausted I am. When I got done teaching I wanted to get a workout in but the weather was gloomy and rainy. I didn’t have the strength to run in the rain so I opted for a Peloton 30-minute ride. Once I start moving my motivation is always renewed! I wrapped up the workout day with a 20-minute upper body strength workout. 

Friday: Today I work 11- midnight and (of course) I couldn’t sleep in so I took Beau for a 3-mile walk then did a 30-minute yoga flow. 

Saturday: I didn’t hydrate or eat enough at work so I just felt off all day. I made myself go for a slow 3 miles then did a really good stretch in preparation for my long run on Sunday. Saturday night was a very relaxing night at home with Steve and Beau. We made fish tacos (as in we…. meaning Steve) and watched a Netflix series. In preparation for Sunday’s long run, I drank lots of water and went to bed nice and early. Sleep is KEY to recovery! In our deep sleep cycles, we release growth hormones. Getting enough sleep when working is hard! I get home around 9 pm most nights and I am back up again at 4 am! Definitely not getting the recommended 8 hours – I get it in when I can. 

Sunday: 14 miles!!! I have never run 14 miles before and it didn’t feel awful – it actually felt pretty good! I went out around 7:30 am. It was chilly and the wind was whipping but once I warmed up I felt good. I attempted to hydrate and eat some of a gel pack every 45 minutes. The first time I went to eat my gel pack it was frozen so I just drank some of my water that had a nuun tablet in it. My second attempt at trying the gel pack now that it wasn’t frozen I realized it was awful tasting. I choked some of it down with my water and continued on my run. I  brought two gel packs with me. The second one I tried was one Jess had recommended and I liked it a lot better than the first one I tried – they’re still not my favorite. Post-run I refueled with leftover fish tacos and a nice long stretch. 

Jess:

“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, room for relief, for misery, for joy.” (excerpt from “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chodron)

The quote above is one of my favorites. I have a tattoo on my ribs that kind of summarizes that eloquent passage and it reminds me of the importance of struggle as well as healing:

 “In life we split the difference between grief and relief”

So this week we are talking about recovery. Both quotes above are basically telling us to create room for healing – space and time. As nurses/health care providers, we live through the scariest conflicts every day, almost minute to minute. We are so well equipped to deal with the struggles – we constantly work through chaos. So why not allow ourselves to recover in an equal fashion? We struggle with that (I STRUGGLE WITH THAT). But I’m slowly learning (especially in this training cycle) how to let my body heal when it’s been broken down and marathon training will do that to you physically as well as mentally. So here we go:

Week 5’s workouts: 0-3 easy miles, 8-9 mile workout, 0-3 easy miles, 4-6 easy miles, 5-6 hilly miles, 14 miles easy

This is a tough week for me – tapping on the door of 40 miles/week (woof)

Monday: I got stuck in Florida for an extra day which was actually lovely.  I did 4.5 easy miles along the water.  Saw a pelican.  Stopped and took pics.  It was so relaxing and honestly the trip really helped me mentally recover from the last few weeks of freezing cold.

Tuesday: REALITY CHECK. Planned to do my track workout. Just like Anna I got iced out (literally). The track was almost fully covered in snow. I did a 2 mile warm up that felt like shit. My goal workout was [1×1600, 1×800, 1×400]  times two. Yeah right. Got through it once and by the 800 my shoes were soaked with snow and I was slipping everywhere. I went home and stretched.  Honestly my legs hurt worse than they have this whole training cycle so it must have been a tough one.

Wednesday: Bad one. This week sucks (me and Anna are on the same wavelength). Shift was long and my brain was off. Got out of work late and got on the treadmill and totally shut down. I was so unmotivated and I couldn’t get my legs or brain to work. Stopped after 2 miles. Got home, ate some dinner, drank tea, and laid in the dark for 15 minutes. I know it sounds weird but the sensory deprivation worked! I got my head right and got some decent sleep.

Thursday: Rest day

Friday: Since my track workout really was not successful, I signed up for a HIIT class with some friends and got an awesome treadmill workout in. I love sneaking in a little workout class here and there during training. The strength was super tough and I felt challenged! When I got home I did a 3.5 easy mile run to finish up the 5-6 miles I was supposed to do.  FREEZING. Rain turned to ice and I turned into a mud covered icicle. My boyfriend Alex and I celebrated the week with pizza and beer and I hydrated well in preparation for the long run in the AM.

Saturday: 16 miles! I don’t know if I was just anxious about the long run but I slept poorly. Super chilly and hilly. My friend Samantha joined me and this was one of the most challenging long runs I have had in a while.  I brought a water pack with me but the bladder spout froze!! Out of water, Samantha met me with two bottles of water and was my life saver. She ran 8 with me and then I ran home and let’s just say it was a challenge. I live on the top of a hill so no matter where I go, hills are everywhere. Brooklyn Marathon is pretty flat so I know this will be helpful but I had to stop a few times on the final 2 mile climb uphill home. I walked into the house and the first thing I wanted to do was sit down. This is a bad idea if you want to be recovered and rested the next day. Your legs will cramp if you don’t eat and refuel right away. Women need way more protein than men and need to replenish stores quicker than men after a run. It is actually proven in the lab. I highly recommend this nutrition book that a friend of mine recently gave to me: https://www.amazon.com/ROAR-Fitness-Physiology-Optimum-Performance/dp/1623366860/ref=asc_df_1623366860/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312089933244&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7878494236598817757&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007243&hvtargid=pla-417622043463&psc=1

This is a book geared toward fueling the female body and it is INCREDIBLE. This is my “to do” recovery list after my long runs:

1. Take off any clothing that’s wet or, if you are cold, find a quick way to get warm
2. Big glass of water/hydrating drink – I like OSMO hydration: https://osmonutrition.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiA9aKQBhBREiwAyGP5lctQ0vU7HnkycxgUgu6gSvPPpjW1YX-pShW2Q_l6ZN1a-evEfKU15hoCrcEQAvD_BwE It is super balanced and has less of that sugar bolus up front that other sports drinks have.
3. Protein within 30 minutes – I go to Costco and buy chocolate milk boxes in bulk. It sounds stupid but it’s protein dense and super easy to get down right when you get back from your run. https://www.target.com/p/horizon-organic-1-chocolate-milk-6pk-8-fl-oz-boxes/-/A-53204545?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012732781&CPNG=PLA_Grocery%2BShopping_Local%7CGrocery_Ecomm_Food_Bev&adgroup=SC_Grocery&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=c&location=9007243&targetid=aud-1453399007936:pla-122594422609&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&gclid=CjwKCAiA9aKQBhBREiwAyGP5lXStGNnYTN37rUN6brWW0ks_iPs6tXE2vXYKF9mE0DAR_rHm_okRwxoCf8gQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
4. Shower/Stretch – SO IMPORTANT. DO NOT SKIP. I skip the stretch all of the time (I am a nurse – I often do not practice what I preach!!). Build it into your run just like you build in time before you go out for your run. 
5. Hit of caffeine (a small one). This keeps me going for the day. I need it to not be super fatigued after some of the tough ones. I recommend green tea or a quarter/half cup of coffee. Sometimes I use NUUN tabs with caffeine in them or jelly beans with caffeine.

I also foam rolled and stretched for another 20 minutes later in the day after the long run. Foam rolling is essential. Think about foam rolling as breaking up the uneven parts to make your body smooth. Just like stretching elongates your muscles when they’re tight. The smoother and more mobile your muscles are, the more they’ll perform and the less pain you’ll be in later. (Anna talks about foam rolling at length next week).

Sunday: Recovery 4 miles with Alex. Beautiful day and a nice flat run to shake out the miles