A trip to Pennsylvania, Summer Karate Camps, and Marathon training have kept me unbelievably busy for the past several weeks. I have been still cooking healthy meals and trying new recipes and products, but just haven't gotten off my butt long enough to post any.
There are just 18 days left until the San Francisco Marathon! Last year, I struggled with the hills and motivation and cramps and finished in 5:56, a disappointing time. This year, I am MUCH stronger and MUCH faster, but still worried about hills. (Oh, yeah, and let's not forget about 40 pounds lighter, too). I am hoping to beat 5 hours, but I realize that shaving a whole hour off my previous time is a lot to ask for...so we'll see.
The SF Marathon sends out a monthly newsletter for all registered participants. This month's version included an article about tapering (reducing the mileage you run in the last 3 weeks before a marathon). You can read the article here:
I printed it out and brought it to karate with me last night. Reading it got me SO pumped up (and a little nervous) for the race! It has plenty of tips and tricks and also has a section at the end for tapering for shorter races.
This past Sunday, I did a 23.85 mile training run as my last long run before the start of my taper. It was quite adventurous. At mile 21.5, I stopped to help a disoriented cyclist with chest pain until paramedics arrived. At mile 23, I got chased by a dog. If any of you have ever run more than 20 miles, you know that at this point, you become emotional and aren't thinking quite clearly. The cyclist and the dog just completely drained me and I almost cried! Nothing a hot shower, a bowl of cold fruit salad and a Slurpee didn't fix, however! If you've never tried a Slurpee after a super hard workout, I highly recommend it!
Stay tuned for more marathon training posts and hopefully some yummy recipes. The pre-marathon nutrition plan is in full effect as I try to detox some of the junk out of my system!
Good luck!!!! I wish I could be there to cheer you on!
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