Shorter Runs and Food Introspection

The past 2 weeks since my practice mini have seemed odd...after carefully planning out my long runs for about 8 weeks, we're on the downhill. I'm only doing shorter runs until race day, so it almost seems like I'm slacking off! This past weekend I was in Cincinnati so I didn't do any running until Monday morning. Since, I was over on work hours from the week before, I didn't have to go in until 2pm on Monday afternoon. I slept in and did an 8-mile treadmill run trying to keep my speed higher than normal. Actually, when I say that, I mean I was trying to match my treadmill speed to the pace I've been averaging during all of my outdoor runs. I still can't explain why I run faster outside--it really baffles me and throws off all my old theories about treadmill running being eaiser. I made it a point to keep my speed between 6.3-6.5 mph for the 8 miles. It was a hard one! (P.S. I always wonder what people must think when they come into the gym with me mid-run, get in their own hour or so of a workout, leave, and I'm stillll running. Some people even witness me hit 6 miles, which is around the point where the treadmill cuts you off with time, then see me re-start the treadmill and keep going. I wonder if they are giving me looks of awe and admiration or looks of pure insanity.)

I didn't leave myself much time between finishing my run and the time I had to be at work--basically just enough time for a quick shower and to fill up my gas tank that was on "E". Normally after a hard/long run I come back up to the apartment and just lay on the floor sipping on some Powerade. In the middle of hurriedly rinsing conditioner out of my hair, I got the distinct feeling that I was going to pass out if I didn't do something QUICKLY. I stopped and sat on the edge of the tub, head between my knees. That did the trick, and I was fine for a few minutes, but had to resort to lying down with my feet up, while trying to munch on some pretzels for the carbs and salt replenishment. At the end of all of the cyling classes I lead, I preach about the importance of staying on the bike until you are fully recovered, heart rate is significantly lowered, and breathing is normal before hopping off the bike. Just like with water/dehydration, if anyone should know the importance of adequate cool-down time, it's me!

On another topic, I've been diligent about logging all of my food and exercise lately. I started 4 weeks before the mini, just to monitor everything going into my body and the types/amounts of exercise I was getting in besides my long runs. I wanted to avoid getting burned out in the last few days of being so gung-ho about exercise and health. We've had some special events at work lately that have required hours outside of my normal 9:30-6:30 schedule and also lot of mental planning. Our big thing for April was the Live Earth 6K Run/Walk (which I'll talk about in more detail), then in May we have a large-scale Health Expo that is rapidly approaching. June will be a big push on a corporate blood donation competition and in August we are putting on a full-fledged boot camp. :):) Some work has even already started for Corporate Challenge which is held in September. In other work updates, I am spending 2 days taking a certification to become a CPR instructor. This will allow me to assist our Occupational Health staff in leading CPR classes. I have a new intern starting in 2 weeks, so I've been organizing her projects and schedule. All in all, exciting events to look forward to that make my job enjoyable, but all require work that has to be fit in amongst personal training sessions and teaching group fitness. See where the burn-out comes in?!

The food/exercise log has been a great tool in keeping me on track. Even if I'm eating things that aren't considered healthy, I have a clear picture of what that day's eating entailed, and how my calories in versus calories out are balancing. Although, the fact that I'm doing shorter runs now instead of 10-13 miles at a time might be making me over-critical of my diet. I have to remind myself the runs are shortER, not short in terms of exercise. It's funny...Monday I had a brief freak-out when I realized I was eating non-light yogurt that had a "whopping" 170 calories as opposed to the 80-100 calories in the yogurt I normally eat. Then I said, "Mechelle. You ran 8 miles today and almost passed out afterwards. Who cares about the YOGURT?!" Same thing today: I went to Panda Express for lunch and as I sat there thrilled about the orange chicken and fried rice, I was simultaneously grossed out by the amount of food. I started berating myself for teaching a fun yoga class then heading straight to a big plate of MSG and fat, hoping that nobody I knew from the fitness center walked in to witness this. As I was trying to decide how I was going to compensate for this by eating a smaller dinner, I realized how ridiculous it all was. As of today, I am still weighing in at 3 pounds under what I call my "happy weight." To top it off, my day of exercise wasn't even over yet, since I teach twice on Thursdays. Once I allowed myself to just enjoy the meal, I ate to my content and threw the rest away--normally I would have eaten every last bite even if I was stuffed. But I listened to my body, and isn't that what eating healthfully is all about? I might be onto something here!

By the way, Chad, if you're reading this, my fortune cookie told me to "Be sure to handle financial affairs wisely."