I was super happy with my training last week. I reached my mileage goal – 75K and I hit some solid core workouts. I feel stronger already! But I know it’s early in my training and I am so much work ahead of me in the coming weeks and months. It’s nearly March, three months before my first 50K of the season.
First up is the Blackfoot 50K. It’s been four years since I ran this distance at this race. I remember this race for two reasons – I killed my iPhone (or the rain did) and it was my first 50K. What a great experience. I remember being scared to death about the race throughout all my training. I was so green with my training. Don’t get me wrong, I still feel completely overwhelmed. But at the end of the day, I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and I will get there.
I’m having fun with my gym workouts. I wish I had more time working out but it’s simply impossible with all my other commitments. I would never sleep. I’m slightly obsessed with core and glute exercises. I even asked some woman at the gym about an exercise she was doing. Goodlife Fitness is so big and there’s so many fun tools like the sled and some climbing apparatus. Never a boring moment.
Shedding the pounds
My weight is finally dropping. Right now I weigh 136/137 pounds. I would like to be around the 130-pound mark. It’s a lot of work trying to drop weight while training for races. You’d think I would have all my nutrition dialled in by now but I sadly do not.
My friend Carleigh told me about this Daily Dozen app. It’s not counting calories rather it tracks what you are putting into your body. I love it because I am figuring out what I am missing in my diet. (I hate to admit it but you can’t get all the nutrients your body needs by surviving on toast).
I realized that I am not eating enough fat and some days I do not get enough veggies. I know it may seem silly since I am a vegan but some days you just dial it in. This app has been a big help. Getting back to food prepping on the weekends has also given me a lens into what I am eating all week. (Follow me on Instagram if you want to see some of my food pictures.)
Long runs
My long runs are actually getting “long” now so I definitely need to get a handle on what I put in my body. After I ran on Saturday, I just wanted to nap. I’ve been using Skratch lately for my runs. So far, so good. But after the two-hour mark, I get a little hungry. This tells me I am not eating enough before I run. I stopped using gels many years ago. Now is the time for me to figure out what will fuel me.
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Are you trying to shed some pounds?
What do you take on your long runs?
I love Skratch! It doesn’t have a lot of calories though, so it definitely isn’t enough, at least for ultra distances. I have some homemade gels that I sometimes make, and they are super tasty, I also will randomly order some bars or things to try. Skratch also make a chew that’s really good. I’m an ambassador for race day fuel (https://www.racedayfuel.ca/) , if you want to try any of their stuff (including Skratch) you can get 10% off with terryt10 .
Lately though, I’ve been fueling long runs with Oreos, or random chocolate or snack bars lying around the house, Halloween and then Christmas treats have kept me going for the most part! haha.
Thanks for the suggestion and the code. I am looking at the website right now. I may try my hand at making some homemade bars.
So much fun watching your training progress! My longest run ever required no more than a granola bar. This tells you something lol!