I feel like such a glutton and a sloth this week. I know I'm supposed to focus on resting and glycogen storage (i.e. carb loading) for the big race weekend coming up. As a result, I've only been running short distances with more days off for rest and eating more, this a complete 180 from what I'm used to doing. I also know that a couple of weeks ago I said something about being ready for all this crazy running to be over with and looking forward to my "running vacation" that will occur after the marathon on Sunday.
But like all good tapers, I am now eager to run longer. Now, on my four miler this afternoon in absolutely gorgeous weather, all I wanted to do was to run longer, to just keep going, but alas, my son as a mouthpiece of God, saw the park as we passed by and wanted to stop and play. That brought be back to my original goal for the week- rest, recovery, and nutritional preparation for the race.
There's a lot more to running over long distances than just running. There is a lot of research regarding nutrition during the race and glycogen storage and depletion in concert with hydration. The human body can only store enough glycogen in the body for 20 miles of running. Taper runs (easy short runs) prepare the muscles to receive and to store the necessary glycogen, but at 20 miles (the typical runner's wall) all that has been stored has been depleted. So, it is necessary to continue to refuel throughout the race periodically (the most common recommendation I've read is to take an energy gel or some other sort of nutrition every 40 minutes). It is also important that a distance runner is properly hydrated so that water gets through to the muscles. If the runner is properly hydrated and nutritionated (new word, I just made it up!) then he or she should get to 26.2 or more miles without cramping up and shuffling to the finish... a problem I know all too well. Basically, I have failed to properly do this 3 times... so, I've changed everything!
How does this apply to the reader who doesn't give a flip about distance running? There are two things you can learn. First, if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten. Second, every exercise you do and every piece of food you consume has a purpose.
First, if you have failed time and time again with a certain "diet and exercise program" (as I have done the same taper/carb load for 3 marathons and ended up shuffling to the finish in each one), then why would just keep trying the same thing. You know I don't recommend dieting in any way, but if you keep trying the same thing and keep failing, then you need to try something else. There is something that can and does work for you. Gradual change, as I have been recommending, over the course of time creates the healthy habits that stick with you. You have to train yourself to crave the good foods and to detest the bad ones. Food is fuel, it has a purpose to help you move through the day and function in a healthy manner. The more you exercise and the different types of exercises you do, demands specific caloric intakes and specific types of food. No one plan works for every person. Everyone's body is made up differently and we all process that energy differently.
Second, remember that everything you do and everything you eat has a purpose. Food is fuel to give the body energy to work. Since we don't plow fields and endurance hunt anymore, we get fat faster the more carbohydrates we eat. Carbohydrates that are not spent get stored as glycogen, which also holds onto water. This gets absorbed into fat cells. Therefore, if you consume a lot of carbohydrates and don't spend those carbohydrates, what you don't spend gets stored as fat. So, unless you going to run a marathon, don't eat like a marathoner :-) I run marathons, and I only eat like a marathoner the week before I run the marathon. All other times, I eat whole grains, whole food, whole whole whole... that I mostly make from scratch by my own hands.
In other words, while I may feel like a glutton for eating a typical American diet this week, and I may feel like a sloth because I am acting like a typical American this week; this is only temporary and it will pass. Well, after the marathon, I plan on eating a lot, but then it's back to the basics. Eventually, I'll even run again, but first I'll need to relearn how to walk.
Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps! God bless you on your journey!
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