Racing Weight

In attepts to figure out why I've been feeling so flat, I've been reading a lot about fueling for long distance training. My coach has been telling me, "make sure you're eating right," which I always assume to mean eating enough calories which has never been a problem for me. But, I've been thinking about it more lately and wondering whether I've been getting enough protein in my diet. Plus, I've probably gained about 5 or so pounds (guessing based on how my clothes feel, haven't been brave enough to get on the scale). I've been attributing the weight gain to the fertility meds (we're now on our second round). D@mn drugs make me starving. Plus, I've been subconsciously thinking that eating more might help me get pregnant, but after reading this blog post about a runner that got pregnant with a BMI of 18.3 and running 60-80 MPW, I'm reconsidering. My ideal BMI is an 18.5-18.6 (i.e. the weight I like to be). I got pregnant last time with a BMI around 19.9.

Also, I've been reading "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald (is EVERYONE reading this book now??) and found the following excerpt to be very interesting:

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences sought to identify nutritional correlatios with menstrual irregularity in runners, with a special focus on vitamin E. Ten runners with menstrual irregularity and 10 runners with normal menstrual cycles submitted three-day dietary recalls. Analysis of these data revealed that women with menstrual irregularity consumed significantly less fat than the others. Both groups consumed inadequate amounts of vitamin E, but blood analysis revealed that the women with menstrual irregularity had low levels of vitamin E, while vitamin E levels in the others were normal. The authors of the study wrote, "Our results indicate that irregular menstrual function in athletes on a low-fat diet is associaed wth low concentrations of circulating [vitamin E], rending the red blood cells more susceptible to haemolysis in connction with physical activity.

Now, I know that this is a small sample size and not generalizable, but I wonder if there might be some truth to it. For the next seven weeks until Boston (eeeee!), I'm going to focus on eating more protein. I don't think I have a problem with consuming enough fat (hello, Mr. Peanut Butter, please stop calling my name). I'm going track (and report to you all) what I eat for 3 days to see how much I'm eating and the protein/carb/fat breakdown.

Weekly Mileage for the Past Two Weeks:

Monday, February 15, 2010: 6 miles
Tuesday, February 16, 2010: 8 miles ~1400 x 2, ~700 x 2
Wednesday, February 17, 2010: 11 miles
Thursday, February 18, 2010: 9 miles am // 30 min yoga PM
Friday, February 19, 2010: 2.5 miles WU, 5 miles @ 6:30 pace, 2.5 miles CD // 30 min yoga PM
Saturday, February 20, 2010: 10 miles
Sunday, February 21, 2010: 18 miles in 2:08:56 (7:09 min/mile pace)
Total: 72 miles

Monday, February 22, 2010: 6 miles
Tuesday, February 23, 2010: 9 miles am // 30 min yoga pm, 2 mile walk (hammie bugging me so I skipped the speed workout)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010: 12 miles am // 3 miles pm
Thursday, February 25, 2010: 10 miles am // 20 min Jillian's Shred workout (hard!! I'm out of shape!)
Friday, February 26, 2010: 3 mles WU, 5 miles @ 6:37 w/ 50 MPH winds!, 2 miles CD (felt DEAD:<)
Saturday, February 27, 2010: 10 miles am // 30 min yoga pm
Sunday, Feburary 28, 2010: 22 miles in 2:46:50 (8:02 min/mile pace) (whoops, only meant to run 20! my garmin died:<)
Total Mileage: 82 miles

Nine Weeks? FREAK OUT!

I guess I was really hoping that I would just get pregnant and wouldn't have to run the full Big Spring Marathon. Since it appears that isn't going to happen, I really need to focus on the training! I skipped an 18 mile long run last week hoping that it might help with the BFP...and because I was feeling tired...and now I find myself with only 9 more weeks to go. So, as MCM Mama would say...I put on my big girl panties and did my first 20 mile run yesterday...by myself...on the slippery streets...in the blustery winds...all within a 3 mile radius of my house. Needless to say, I ran up and down and down and up a lot of the same streets.

I was nervous going into the run that I wouldn't be able to keep the pace, but I did pretty well. Overall, my pace was 8:05, which I'll take given that many of the roads were still covered in ice and I frequently had to walk. I got in a few miles at 6:30 pace, so I'm feeling more confident. I still can't believe that the race is 9 weeks away!

Weekly Mileage:
Monday, February 8, 2010: 4 mile walk, 45 minutes yoga
Tuesday, February 9, 2010: 4 mile walk, 30 minutes yoga
Wednesday, February 10, 2010: 11 mile run
Thursday, February 11, 2010: 11 mile run
Friday, February 12, 2010: 9 mile run, 30 minutes yoga
Saturday, February 13, 2010: 10 mile run
Sunday, February 14, 2010: 20 mile run @ 8:05 pace, 4 miles @ 6:30 pace
Total Mileage: 61 miles

Happy (Early) Valentine's Day!

We SURVIVED Snowmaggedan 2010! Only 7 days of being stuck inside 95% of the day with full-time baby duty. Honestly, I kind of loved it. I had a nice little routine going. I'd sleep in until 8/9 when hubby had to start working, play with Nugget, eat lunch, put him down for a nap and go on a walk/run on the beloved treadmill, play with Nugget for a couple more hours, make and eat dinner, put Nugget down, maybe do a little yoga or watch TV and go to bed. I was getting 8-9-10 hours of sleep! It was AWESOME! Plus, I *finally* finished Nugget's babybook! Woohoo!

In (early) celebration of Valentine's Day, I made some yummy vegan chocolate cupcakes (thanks for the recipe, Abbie!) that I have been jonesing for since July with cream cheese icing. I may or may not have eaten 4 in one day (does it count as a whole cupcake if I eat the remains of my small child's???). They were delish! And, Nugget, being my son, loved the icing the best!

In other news, I had hoped to have a BFP pregnancy test for my hubby for Valentine's Day, but no such luck. I'm trying to be positive about it, but we knew it probably wouldn't work. Looks like we're headed back down the IVF path.

Pick your title: Get a Grip (or) Discipline Post

I've been showing a lot of discipline the past few days...am on my 3rd day of no running, even though I sorely want to. Every muscle in my body is twitching and aching to get out there and beat my pent up stress and frustration into the pavement/treadmill/whatever. We just had 2 feet of snow dumped on us, which is beautiful, but let's just say that my husband and I haven't been hitting our stride lately. He can spend two hours shoveling the snow and I'll focus on the one plate that he didn't load after eating his lunch. He can get up and take care of Nugget in the morning and I'll come downstairs grumpy because toys are strewn everywhere. Hmph. Sounds like I'm the one not hitting my stride. I don't know whether it is the lack of running, all the hormones, or the lack of sleep that is making me crazy. Maybe a combination of all three? To top it off, I tried to walk for a bit on the treadmill today and my quad seized up...it felt similar to the way it did back in August when I was sidelined for 6 weeks. Arg? How can one get injured WHILE taking a break from running? It had felt fine the day prior. What is going on??

I'm already thinking this means that I'm going to be unable to run for weeks on end and was sadly eyeing the "Shape" and "Self" magazines at the grocery store, thinking, why bother....it's not like I'm a physically active person anymore. I mean, SERIOUSLY, three days of no running and I'm no longer "in-shape" or "active?" Get a grip.

My insanity hit an apex today when Nugget started sticking his finger down his throat while we were eating dinner. He was fascinated with it. He'd stick his finger down, choke a little, and then I would pull it out and tell him "no!" He kept doing it. My husband and I thought it would be better for us to ignore him and that maybe he just wanted attention. Well, Nugget kept doing it until he puked his entire dinner down the front of his clothes. I gagged at the rank-sweet smell of puke for the first time in months.

Crazy lady made yet again another appearance: "Bad boy!" I yelled.

How could he throw-up the whole meal that I had made lovingly FOR HIM (sweet potato fries, black bean sliders, green beans)? Why did he ignore us?

I picked him up, carried him upstairs, and plopped him in the tub. Tore off his clothes. Washed him abruptly with not quite warm enough water. Put his pajamas on and set him in his crib with no binkie, no blanket, no bottle. He was crying.

My internal monologue told me to calm down: he didn't know what he was doing, it probably frightened him and his throat is hurting. I took deep breaths. Moments passed as I stood outside his room, looking at him in his bed, crying. I felt awful.

I went in and wrapped him in his blanket and rocked him. How easily he will forgive me now for my temper. But, I really have to get it under control.

How do you discipline a 15 month old??

I find myself falling back on my parents' authoritarian model, but know that this isn't the way I want to raise my children. This is going to be harder than I thought.

Forced Time Off...

They're calling for 1-2 ft of snow and I'm contemplating using it as a forced vacation from running. I've been feeling flat in speed workouts the past few weeks and struggled to maintain below a 6:30 pace at the tempo today. Went to the doctor last week to see if I was anemic, but turns out that I just have low iron stores. I am wondering if maybe all the hormones are affecting me, but I could just be burned out. I ran more than I should have last week and am definitely feeling a few niggly little aches and pains. Part of me wonders if I am just being lazy and don't want to run 18 miles on the treadmill (which will be my likely only recourse if the snow actualizes). Coach suggested I take 3-4 days off and that it was early enough in my marathon training that it wouldn't be a big deal if I missed a long run. I've already run 50 miles this week! Maybe I'll take tomorrow off and just run 4-6 miles on Sunday.

(BTW, just found *the best* distractor for Nugget: my ipod! Unlike the cell phone, he can push buttons without any negative effects. Plus, he loves music!)