The Broad Running Broad

One of these days I will actually share a weekly recap on a Sunday.

Not today, though.

Last Monday was the start of spring training for the two half marathons coming up – Rock ‘n Roll Nashville and the Indy Mini. The races are exactly a week apart, and assuming the Nashville course doesn’t change, I already know where the big-ass hills are.

Those are the hill measurement units. In order, it’s: slight hill, then normal hill, to be dwarfed by a big-ass hill.

However, complicating things was the fresh snow fall that rolled in last week. I don’t mind the cold as long as the roads and sidewalks are dry. However, snow and especially the ice is my no-go. So I bundled up for the walk to my apartment gym, hoping one of the treadmills would be open.

Thankfully for me they were.

I’m not going to break down numbers and times since, frankly, I find numbers talk boring. So last week’s training went like this:

M – 3 miles in the morning.

T – 15 miles on the bike in the morning, followed by 3 miles of intervals in the evening (note to self: treadmill first, then biking second in the future).

W – rest day

TH – 3 struggle run miles in the evening.

F – morning ride for 14.8 miles (I know, I know. I already got to the gym late and had to leave at an hour sharp to be logged on to work.)

SA – rest day

SU – 6 miles in the morning. Later on I decided to go back and bike for 15.2 miles to even my weekly total up to 50.

The totals: 15 miles ran, and 50 on the bike, since that’s my cross training of choice this cycle.

The Week 1 Recap:

Week 1 started strong, then got wobbly in the middle on Wednesday night. I wasn’t feeling so hot on Wednesday and made a game time call that night to cancel my volunteering commitment at the 5k on New Year’s Day. Thursday morning brought a round of nausea that thankfully subsided over the course of the day enough for an evening struggle run.

The original plan was to go on a long run Saturday morning. That got pushed back to Sunday before church in favor of sleeping in. Turns out I needed the sleep more than I realized.

I also re-discovered something else about myself. Aside from needing sleep, some very specific cravings kicked in.

Specifically, cravings for meat, cheese ‘n taters.

However, I’m also making an effort to cut way back on fast food due to unforseen circumstances. Well okay, waist and wallet circumstances, which I guess aren’t that unforseen if you have a Taco Bell/Chick-fil-A/Wendy’s habit for a long enough time.

I decided that if I really wanted to honor my meat, cheese ‘n taters craving, I would have to pick up the ingredients during my weekly grocery trip. Then, if I was that hungry, I could always cook something that’s not only going to be healthier by virtue of the fact it’s homemade, but also cheaper and save me money in the long haul.

Reader-friends, I picked up two bags of frozen steak fries, ground beef, taco seasoning, cheese and a frozen pizza for New Year’s Day.

In the five days since my last grocery trip, guess how much of that is left?

The ground beef. Which has been a part of several soft tacos, beef and cheese only.

And in spite of the diet that could use a little TLC, physically I feel leaps and bounds better. I’m not bloated in my face or midsection, my digestion is regular and my training is sufficiently fueled.

If this is what meat, cheese ‘n taters could do, think about what fruits and vegetables could do for me.

Yes, I am currently amazed, like I’ve never eaten a salad before in my life. Which reminds me that I need to eat the bagged lettuce tomorrow for lunch.

So to sum up the lesson of Spring Training Week 1: do most of it by hand. Including but not limited to meat, cheese ‘n taters.

I hope you all have a blessed week ahead!

Yours in running and life,

Allison