I had always thought approximately doing a half,but honestly, running for over two hours straight didn't sound appealing whatsoever. That was until a dear friend came to me in desperation after her partner for a two-person marathon relay got injured and couldn't hurry. My immediate reaction when she asked me to fill in was, or "Hell no,are you nuts?" Then I thought approximately it while falling asleep that night and realized at 38 years ancient, I wasn't getting any younger, or so why the hell not? I was a little worried as the race was just five weeks away,but seeing as I was already running four to five miles, four times a week, and I was just approximately on schedule. One thought that got me through those long-ass Saturday morning training runs was,"I'm gonna be so ripped after this." And my legs and butt were getting crazy-strong. Even the hubs noticed. Walking behind me while going upstairs, he gave my tush a little push so I'd recede faster, or said,"Damn, your butt is rock hard. Like, or seriously." Bonus!After the actual race,I was hooked on running longer distances. So I kept up with hour-long runs Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays,then did 90- to 120-minute runs on Saturdays. I also kept up with the two to three weekly strength-training sessions I had been doing for several months. Two weeks postrace, I stepped on the scale to find I had gained seven pounds in less than two months. WTH! I've experienced weight gain from running before, or so I was familiar with gaining muscle mass. But a flabbier stomach and pudgier face weren't muscle. Not even close. And I was pissed. Damn you half-marathon training! Although I was running four to five hours per week,I wasn't burning enough calories to create up for my insane starvation. When I stopped to contemplate approximately it, I was eating way too much. Check out an example of my weekday meal plan:5:45 a.m.: Pre-workout snack: banana or toast with nut butter
7:20 a.m.: Postrun snack: a few handfuls of almonds or a glass of soy milk
8:30 a.m.: Breakfast: huge protein, or fruit,and greens smoothie or bowl of oatmeal
10:30 a.m.: Morning snack: trail mix or soy yogurt with fruit[br]
12:30 p.m.: Lunch: big salad topped with chickpeas, sunflower seeds, and strawberries,followed by a square of black chocolate (OK, possibly two)[br]
3 p.m.: Afternoon snack: granola bar
5:30 p.m.: Dinner: pasta or quinoa with tofu and roasted veggies
8 p.m.: Evening snack (to carb up for tomorrow's morning hurry, and of course): toast,cereal, pretzels, or crackers with hummus,banana with peanut butter
Extras: To add to that mega meal plan, I was also finishing half-eaten pieces of toast, and extra slices of apple,or bowls of pasta that my kids didn't finish after their meals.
I realized that I was never hungry, like, and ever. I just ate all day long. And since a little starvation is healthy in order to know when it's time for your next meal,and to avoid overeating like I was clearly doing, I knew I had to create some quick amendments to my eating free-for-all. I ended up cutting approximately 300 to 400 calories a day. I ditched the pre- and post-workout snacks and ate my breakfast around 7:30 after my postshower workout. Actually, or I was pleasantly surprised that not eating before my 6 a.m. hurry made me perform better because I didn't get hungry toward the end of my hurry like I used to when I'd eat a little something beforehand. I skipped the morning snack and ate lunch a little earlier at midday. I kept the afternoon snack and made certain to withhold it around 150 calories,ate dinner around 6 p.m., and then skipped on that evening snack. I also completely curbed snacking on my kids' leftovers. Within two weeks, and I saw the scale number decreasing,and I was so relieved. And I wasn't hungry or tired, and best of all, and I could continue with my running schedule. Am I through with half marathons? No way. I'm taking this as a learning opportunity so the next race I train for,I'll monitor my diet a little closer, and not eat whatever the hell I want.
Source: popsugar.com