Aug 11, 2011

Ramblings on Running, Food

First things first, I think it's important to clear the air and make a confession. I, Meg, am simply obsessed with hip hop music. Yep, this little super white, super blondie loves Kanye, Drake, Cudi, ect.
I've gots moves, yo.
Needless to say I was counting down the minutes until Watch the Throne came out. I mean, Kanye AND Jay? And it sure didn't disappoint. Has anyone else listened? I think the first 4 songs + Welcome to the Jungle are my favs! If that's not your style, Mat Kearney (who I will marry one day) just came out with another album, Young Love, which is badass as well.

Now, music aside, let's get down to business.

Run, Run, Run.

As you may have gathered from my previous posts, I LOVE running. LOVE IT. I actually used to loathe it. When I played tennis for many a year, running was punishment. I'd rather do 100 pushups than run a suicide. [The fact that our coach's dog would chase us down, foaming at the mouth, may have had something to do with it. But that's besides the fact.] Now, I started running again 2 years ago. I started slow, only 1-3 miles at a time. And goodness, I was slow! Not that I'm a speed demon now by any means, but I've certainly made progress! So two years later, I can bust out 11 miles if I'm in the mood.

After the Pittsburgh Half! Don't mind the fact I was absolutely drenched.
This is where things get complicated. Recently, my legs have been absolutely dead. Usually they'll loosen up after a mile or two, but they feel like they're cinder blocks even after the first two miles. I have no idea what's changed, but it's kind of sucking the joy out of running. I was seriously considering running another half in October, but honestly, I don't know if that's a logical possibility.

I really don't want to give up something I've grown to rely on for stress release, sanity, and fitness, but I don't know if I can mentally handle having to throw in the towel anymore [dramaqueen? a little...]. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I don't really eat meat, and I forget to take vitamins. I've been taking my vits with iron for the past week, and noticed a slight improvement, but nothing groundbreaking.

I hate to say it, but I think part of my reluctance to give up has to do with calorie burn as well. I can eat a lot when I run, and I kind of don't want to give that up... Plus, I've been maintaining my weight running this much...what would happen if I stopped?! I'm not saying these are necessarily logical concerns, just sort of what's going on in my noggin.

Anyways, if anyone's been through anything like this in the past I'd love to hear how you fixed the sitch because it's frustrating and annoying.

Eat, Eat, Eat.
I'm having trouble finding something that sits well in my stomach before a long workout. I used to not eat anything, but clearly, that's a silly move. I'd be tired, oh, about 50 seconds into my workout!

I've tried cereal...ow cramps! Bagel thin with laughing cow? Even worse...Recently I've been eating a plain, toasted english muffin with butter. But that's kinda boring, let's be real.
Could this look any more depressing?
Do you guys have any go-to, snacks that you eat before a workout? I'd prefer not to eat breakfast, because a completely full tummy doesn't sit well, either. Wow, I'm needy.

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So, I want to know!
-Have you ever encountered obstacles with your current fitness regime? How did you overcome them?
-What's your favorite pre-workout snack?
-And for kicks, what's your favorite way to eat Greek yogurt? (I need some inspo!)

Have a glorious day!

8 comments:

  1. I have so been there with the dead legs. I have taken two week cross training breaks before and that really helps refresh my legs and I don't lose much fitness at all. Otherwise I train through it and usually my legs come back... but that's usually when I don't have any other choice because I'm in the middle of the season.

    My favorite preworkout snacks depend on how hungry I am. Tried and true is banana with peanut butter or toast and fruit. If I'm not that hungry and I'm not doing an intense workout I'll just eat some fruit. During the season when I run in the afternoon I eat luna bars. I can pretty much handle anything as long as it's not too heavy.

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  2. I think I may do the cross training thang, I was thinking about it whenever I get back to school. I'm glad to hear that someone else has been there too and I'm not just a freak of nature!!

    I might have to try out the banana with pb mmm sounds yummy

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  3. I've definitely gone through days like that when I was running more. If I started to notice that I was having a LOT of days like that, then I'd take time off from running and do something else... that pretty much always worked. Otherwise I think it came down to not eating/sleeping/drinking enough, so I'd try to improve on those areas and see if it helped. As for pre-workout snacks, my favorites right now are a banana with nut butter, or a rice cake with nut butter and jam/honey.

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  4. The more I was running (aka, OVER-exercising and not taking rest days) and the less I ate, the more I encountered the "dead legs"... It usually takes just one or two rest days for my legs to get back to their normal selves, but obviously, it would help if I ate more too to nourish my poor muscles!

    And I find something light but with lots of potassium being a great pre-workout snack. Oranges, bananas... for me though, my best workouts are done in the morning about 30 minutes after breakfast, which is an egg white omelet and toast with some cottage cheese! So the fruit would be eaten if I did the workout an hour or two after breakfast.

    And I'm not a huge fan of Greek yogurt... but I do think it goes well with fruit and granola!

    -Nikki

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  5. buy frozen fruit at trader Joes! You can keep it in the freezer and they don't go bad! I for one love the strawberries and rasperries and there is a phenomenal berry medley too. sooo good in greek yogurt. you should also consider buying the tubs from Trader Joes (0%) - cheap too! happy eating.

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  6. I have been there with the dead legs too! If you would like to, look at this post and my reflections on the issue as well. A lot of people made great comments to help me!
    http://amazingasset.com/2011/05/27/to-run-or-not-to-run-that-is-the-question/
    I would definitely give your legs a break and focus more on cross-training, strength, biking and swimming perhaps if you are into that

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  7. Hey I just found your blog :)! - it's nice to know I'm not the only tiny white girl obsessed with rap and hiphop haha

    I've definitely had the dead legs thing - truthfully the best cure for me was to a) up my protein intake and b) take a few days off .. I know it's hard but if you really feel THAT tempted to still workout maybe do some ab or arm excercises.. but stay off them legs for a few days or maybe even a week!

    I love greek yogurt with honey and berries :) perfect for any time of day really haha

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  8. Try hot/bikram yoga! I was having exactly the same problem as a serious runner, and I promise you it's such a wonderful and different workout than running, but with all of the same glorious benefits! (and some new ones haha)

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