Training has really been awesome this week! Yesterday I did my first mid-week run longer than 6 miles (it was 7). I can tell I'm still a bit out of shape--or maybe it was just the insane heat/humidity again, it was a pretty intense combo yesterday--but in spite of that I feel really really good. A little scared about the 14 that awaits me this Saturday, though.
So I've been thinking about two things:
1) Food. I'm fairly sure I've been doing a crappy job of eating well. Laziness, work stress, other stuff has been preventing me from sticking with my healthy breakfast routine.... which is bad because I think I haven't been taking in enough calories during the day, which leads to a mega-pigout at dinnertime. All I had yesterday before my 5pm run was a sweet potato saute I made around lunchtime (no beans added to it, no veggies... really pathetic). I was hungry hungry during my run, and when I got back I proceeded to have a whole box of coconut water, 1 soy yogurt, a clif bar, 4 black bean tacos with avocado on them, and 2 bags of popcorn (which I never eat--I don't even have a microwave, so this was consumed at a friend's house). This is pretty awful in terms of healthiness. I mean, the popcorn? Yikes. And if I'm feeling like I need to eat that much in the evening, I'm doing a lousy job of fueling my poor body during the day. I've also been a lot more active lately than I usually am. Usually runs are my only real activity during an otherwise sedentary day, but I've been swimming almost daily too... not laps and etc, but just lots of swimming around underwater for a couple hours at a time and that kind of thing. So maybe I'm using more energy than I'm used to? No idea. At any rate the increased activity has resulted in me being a much happier person so I'd like to keep it up.
Also I've been having tons of cravings for junky foods like chips. I gave in to the popcorn craving last night, but I've been trying to resist my massive craving for bags of potato chips. I don't know if something is lacking in my diet that would cause me to want potato chips this much or what (not like they have any important nutrients really... so it's probably just me being hungry hungry). I generally do not buy potato chips at all because I know if they're around my apartment I'll inhale an entire bag in one sitting, and I could just as easily be snacking on raw veggies... so I've been trying to re-route my cravings wherever possible.
2) Shoes. Yeah, still with the major shoe dissatisfaction. When my foot was hurting me I switched from my Pearl Izumi's back into the Sauconys I'd been wearing before them (they still have some miles left in them). Then yesterday I wore the Pearl Izumi's again and it was really quite bad. I don't know if it's the shoes themselves or if it's just that I've been switching footwear too much or what, but I feel like the PI's force me into a feet-slapping motion that makes my ankles hurt.
Also, the fits of these two pairs of shoes are different: the PI's are an 8.5, while the Sauconys are a 7.5 wide. The Sauconys give me a tiny bit of end-of-toe rub, but I have some pretty tough callouses there so it's generally ok. Other than that, they feel like they're a part of my feet, which I like... not a lot of foot motion inside the shoe. The PI's are a bigger size to compensate for the fact that they aren't a wide size. As a result I can feel my foot moving around inside the shoe a lot more, and I sometimes get black toenails from them. I think I've pretty much decided that I don't like having a shoe where I can feel my foot moving around inside it.
At some point I'm going to have to make a shoe commitment here because I need to be in the best shoe for the marathon. Both of these pairs are more than half-used-up, I'd say, so the timing for new shoes may be unfortunate right near the marathon date. The bad thing is if I like the Sauconys best, they changed the model this year and they fit/feel different (I tried some on awhile ago) so I'd have to adjust to that, and they may not end up being awesome. I'm going to keep wearing the Sauconys for now.
As for the vibrams, I've been doing the first .5 or .75 of every run in them and then putting on shoes for the rest. I'm trying to take it SO SO SLOWLY with them in case they were a factor in my foot pain.
Are you getting enough electrolytes during your runs? It's hard to imagine that any of us could be salt-deprived in this sodium infested world, but with humid weather and long runs you may well be. Your body may be craving salt, and therefore the salty snack cravings.
ReplyDeleteI wore Saucony for years, and generally loved them, but that didn't keep me from the "perfect shoe hunt." After I started dating my now husband (about 15 years ago), he was wearing Asics Kayanos. I told myself that I'd never spend that much on a running shoe, but before long, I tried them out and LOVED them.
If they are too stiff for you (or whatever you call shoes that are designed for extra stability), they obviously have shoes made for your kind of foot. I also love the DS Trainer, which is a lighter training shoe, but still has some support.
I know you said you don't like your foot floating around, but you really should have some room at the end of your toes (unless you really like that black/no-toenail look). They say to buy a half to whole size larger than your regular shoe size to accommodate for swelling that occurs when you run.
Good luck in your shoe hunt.
I know exactly how you feel! I get busy, busy, busy during the day and don't eat much at all. Then when dinner comes around I go crazy! I am also a night time snacker :( I bet if I refueled better during the day I'd be able to quit that! Hope it works out for the both of us! Debbie is probably right about the electrolytes. It's so important for us to refuel with sodium, potassium, etc after runs. Way to go with swimming...I'd love to start some cross training!
ReplyDeleteThanks Debbie! I didn't even think of the electrolytes thing causing a salt craving. That could very well be it. THanks for the shoe input too :)
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