The hunger games

I am feeling very generous today and normally when I feel that way, I'll host some sort of giveaway or contest. Not today, though. Today I give you a preview of a post I'm planning for next week. It is called: What I didn't eat Wednesday. And I promise that it will be the least read post ever because it will only include one thing: a doughnut, which I still have yet to eat this week despite strong cravings.

Yesterday, despite my best attempts, I could not stop eating. It wasn't emotional or stress. I wasn't particularly dehydrated nor had I imbibed too many Diet Cokes. The truth of the matter was that I was simply hungry.

The pangs I felt in my stomach were real and a bit alarming. This week is a cutback week on the "Train Like a Mother" plan, and I have ran just twice for a total of 8.5 miles. I've had some BODYPUMP rehearsing mixed in, as well, doing upper body tracks on Tuesday and lower body tracks on Wednesday. Yet, I found myself eating like I had ran 20 miles (though I'll save that for next weekend).

Here's the rundown:

A.M. I ate a granola bar from Aldi about 5 a.m. when I thought I would get a run in early. But I didn't. And while I waited for my run, I found myself hungry so I ate a chunk of banana with homemade coconut almond butter (+ chocolate sprinkles). After the run, I made a single-version of my Saturday Morning Pancakes. Once I got to work, I had half a plum, a few Triscuit Thin Crisps and a small piece of dark chocolate to tie me over to lunch.

Lunch. My work husband and I went to a very gourmet spot (read: the hospital cafeteria), and I had a black bean burger on a wheat bun, chicken noodle soup and a side of summer squash. On the way out, I grabbed a piece of pumpkin pie - oh, so weak - and ate just the filling when I got back to the office.

Afternoon. I felt like I was snacking all afternoon but when I look back, I see that it wasn't too bad. Another granola bar and an apple.

Dinner. Homemade chicken burrito and, horror of all horrors, packaged and prepared Mexican rice that was full of sodium and preservatives. Tasted so good and took only 7 minutes. Immediately following, I ate an Italian ice. Dairy free, for the win!

Evening. I think it was this that clinched it. After rehearsing BP, I found myself making a bowl of oatmeal at 8 p.m. WTF. I felt like I had eaten enough - about 1,600 or so calories - but there I was, hungry again.

No wonder people gain weight during marathon training.

I tried to figure out exactly why this happens but most of the advice centers around how not to gain weight during marathon training as opposed to why you want to eat everything in reach. A forum on RunnersWorld.com did have some interesting theories about taper hunger:

*Your body is used to eating a certain way and doesn't realize that you aren't training as hard.

*Your body is trying to recover and replenish thus requiring more food.

*Your body is storing fuel for a big effort.

All plausible. Very, very plausible.

The one thing I did notice when I was looking at the BodyMedia analysis of my diet was that I ate a crap ton of carbs (63 percent of my intake) and not a lot of protein (16 percent). I'm very conscious to include protein at every meal but it looks like bumping it up during snack time might help as well.

Could someone pass me some nuts? Better yet, nuts dipped in hummus. Mmkay, thanks.

10 things I hate about you, Wednesday

1. My alarm went off 4:55. Sure it was planned, the idea being that I would get up early, squeeze in a 6-mile hill run solo and get home before Mark went to school. But 4:55 is still pretty figgin' early.

2. Miles woke up at 5:10 as I made my last "just in case" visit to the bathroom. I made two unsuccessful attempts at putting him back down and called it a morning at 5:20 a.m.

3. As I drank not one but two cups of coffee from my new Keurig Vue, I bemoaned the fact that after 14 months, I'm still more than willing to play the martyr. If I had any sense, I still would have gone on my solo run and left Miles with Mark. Instead, I let Mark sleep as I entertained the little man.

4. While I entertained the idea of running after Miles' bed time, I acknowledged that didn't work out so well last week and should do a modified hill run at the very least. The run would be my seventh straight with the BOB, my last free outing being the Indianapolis Women's Half Marathon.

5. I lost any coolness that might have ever existed in my fibers by listening to Elmo radio on Pandora. However, I must thank Running Chronicles for the genius idea because Miles did not fuss one bit during our run.


6. Hills suck. They suck even more when you are pushing a stroller. And if they could get worse, a decidedly lethargic dog will make it so.

7. I really wanted an omelet with egg whites and Laughing Cow Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread but it violates my no-dairy rule. And then I was going to make Banana-Pineapple Pancakes, subbing coconut milk for almond milk, only to discover we were out of bananas.

8. The vending machine Diet Coke that cost me 75 cents was barely cold to the touch.

9. I'm not one to post things like this, very TMI things like this, but for the second time in two weeks I'm taking my purse to the bathroom ... if you get my drift. Despite being on medication to avoid these sorts of things.

10. I'm trying out a BodyMedia FIT for this here blog, and you would think I still had flashing red lights strapped to me the way people are talking to me. Unless you are bringing me a cold Diet Coke, a hot cup of coffee (yes, that would make three) or the doughnut I've been craving all week, you don't need to talk to me.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to spend what will likely be 20 minutes on hold so I can get Miles' shot records for day care. Too bad there wasn't a sequel called "11 Things I Hate About You" instead of that dumb TV show.

Fist pump

Too legit. Too legit to quit.

Hey, hey!

That there, my friends, is my little certificate that verifies that I am an official BODYPUMP certificate.

After 6+ weeks of waiting and wondering, I received the email on Friday with the results of my video assessment. I was a bit hesitant to open it as I wasn't 100 percent confident in the DVD I sent. The overall process was rushed (partly my fault, partly not), and there was no chance for revision. The single time I was able to review it, I couldn't bear to watch it. I had to speed it up by 1.5, which made it look like a PSA for DARE, and I found myself nit-picking the entire thing.  I felt like my form was lacking on the propulsion lunges, and I didn't engage the class enough. I was sure that if I was seeing those thing than an assessor would see more.

Well, he did. But not enough to ask me to re-submit a video or have my gym manager sign a waiver. I was legit. And ecstatic. I passed. The girl who felt like the weak link at trying. The one who ended the weekend crying and doubting whether I could do it. The girl who it took countless team teachings to nail the tracks. Yeah, that girl had passed. Issues and all.

The notice came with feedback and a game plan, neither of it surprising. The areas I need to work on most are timing and fitness magic. Yeah. I said it. Fitness magic.

Fitness magic is a Les Mills experience, you could say, that occurs when an instructor is able to bring the elements of the program together to create a fun environment for the participants. It's the goal of every instructor to make that happen. However, I was so worried about timing and choreography for taping that I didn't make it an emphasis, even when I had tried so hard in training. The key for me will be letting go of the fear of what people think and just having a good time with it. To quote my assessment, "Take what you do seriously - not yourself."

The news and information couldn't have come at a better time as I'm busy rehearsing Release 83 and preparing for our launch next weekend. Just as a new release invigorates participants, it's energizing to learn new material and I find myself recommitting to the program with each round of biceps - even if they aren't so enthusiastic to get a bit stronger.

As a side note, if you attend BODYPUMP classes, I give you this: 83 rocks! I never received 82 but I love this release far more than 81.

Marathon Monday: A miss

I am training for the Columbus Marathon and following a schedule based on the "Train Like A Mother" finish it plan. These posts document my training.

The week, in running:
Monday: 4 miles, easy (+stroller)
Wednesday: 4.43 miles, strides (+stroller)
Friday: 8 miles, w/mid-4 at RP (+stroller for 6)
Sunday: 19 miles, long run (+stroller for 6.75 - a PDR with the BOB!)

◊ ◊ ◊

I'm sure you didn't notice - most people wouldn't - but there's a workout missing in that tally. A big workout. A quality workout. 

I had a 6-mile hill workout on tap last week. My original plan was to tackle it Wednesday as part of my effort to not push quality workouts to the end of the week but my stomach got the best of me. I had to divert the route to hit the park bathrooms and by that point, I'd missed the hills and decided to do my strides workout. No big deal, I thought. I could do hills on Thursday. Thursday came and Miles slept, in and the opportunity to run slipped by. I was determined, though, and planned to hit the treadmill after Miles went down for the night.

At 7:30, the house was quiet and I gently stepped down the basement stairs. The familiar boop-boop sounded as I turned on the treadmill, and I draped a towel over the rails for the sweatfest that was to come.  The start was gentle, just a 3.0 walk for a minute. I brought the speed up a bit, to 5.0, and began to run. 

Fifteen seconds later, I stopped. 

I composed myself, took a deep breath and began again.

Fifteen seconds later, I hit the red button again.

Things were just not right. While I had mentally talked myself out of this workout a million times that evening, I was committed when I got on that treadmill. Yet, as I tried to follow through, it seemed my body was failing me. My left shoulder was unbelievably tight and it pained me as I swung my arm. My mid-section, specifically my upper core, was tense and locked. With each step I took, I was overcome with discomfort. It wasn't like a stitch or cramping -- it was as if my muscles were seizing.

I tried once more but the pain seemed to grow with each step. After 2 minutes total on the treadmill, I stepped off. I grabbed a sweater from my winter clothes bin, thew it on over my sports bra and headed upstairs defeated. For the first time this cycle, and quite possibly ever, I was not going to complete a training run. I've cut runs short or changed efforts but I can't remember missing a run and definitely not for those reasons. With 8 miles on Friday and BODYPUMP Saturday, there would be no way to make it up.

I fretted about the missed run during a peak training week for about an hour when I had to remind myself that a) it was just one workout; and b)of the importance of listening to your body. It's one thing to run through soreness and another thing to run through pain. My problems more than likely stemmed from a serious rehearsal session of BODYPUMP and not injury but it was obvious that my body was crying out - quite literally - for rest. So I sat on the couch and read "The Messenger" as I ate a mango fruit bar.

My hill run ... well, it will get in this week. Or it won't. I'll let my body (and my sore crotch biscuits) decide.