TRAINING:
Ok, so the plan today, being Monday, was to do a 40-min bike ride, which is perfect considering I am playing a little cautious still with my calf. My issue is that I am not very motivated to ride 40 mins on the bike on my own volition. I'll cheat at some point, get lazy and honestly, it won't be a very successful ride. Since my friend Brian (from last week's blog) did a spin class last week, I thought...WHY NOT? I signed up for an evening spin class that is about 50 mins long at my gym, West Loop Athletic Club.
I got to the gym...foam rolled...stretched and just warmed up for the ride. I was actually a little nervous as the last time I went to a spin class, it was 18 months ago, only 30 mins and I was sore as ever for a few days!
I got to class, had no idea how to adjust the bike, which the instructor (Amy), helped me out with. I didn't understand why some people had a plethora of towels all over their handlebars...I learned later why. So, as I am waiting for class to start, we are instructed to just start a soft ride on the lowest resistance setting on the bike. If you have never been on a spin bike, it's not computerized, there is a manual knob that you twist to adjust the resistance.
Anyhow, class starts, and we are rockin' out to Rihanna, Britney and Katy Perry, happily riding away. Amy went over what the resistance levels were, but the thing is that it's all based on when you feel the resistance...meaning that my 3 (easy) is someone else's 5 (intermediate)...and my 7 (hard) may be someone else's 5 (intermediate). Also, it's not like the resistance knob has markers or clicks where you know when you take something up or down...it's all by feel and quite honestly, I didn't know at some point if I turned down to a 3 or sitting at 5...and did I overshoot the 7 and end up at 9?? Also, what happened to 4,6, & 8? How do I know I wasn't sitting at a 6? Most of this confusion came when we were doing hills or jumps where the level changes were quick and in motion...other times I just enjoyed sprinting "downhill"...at least that level I knew!
Now, the towels...so...yeah...at some point I was sweating so much that I had to choose between wiping my face or my hands, as they were slipping off the handle bars. TOTALLY understand the multiple towel situation. WOW.
All in all, I actually liked the class, despite the learning curve and I'm sure next time I'll be just as confused!
SIDE NOTE: I burned close to 700 calories and loved how this workout worked my heart and not my CALF!
Tuesday...again I was training clients outside, so I wanted to work on my upper body while still engaging my legs. I didn't want to make the mistake of overworking my legs before my trial 3-mile run tomorrow. I decided to do an active upper body workout with resistance bands while engaging my legs in more of a static isolation. You got that, right? ;) In normal terms....squat rows, lunge press...etc. I did about 450 reps (6 exercises, 15 reps, 5 rounds). Called it a day.
Here we go...mid-week 3 miler on Wednesday...I ran again with Brian Ferber, who as I mentioned last week is training for the Chicago Triathlon! For those of you that are new...(CLICK here to check out the charity that Brian is racing for, every dollar counts! https://renewchicago.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=1180)
This time, I set the pace of the run not only for him, but also for my own cautiousness. We did well! Brian is improving significantly, and we made it through without much walking. My goal for him was to make sure he didn't run out of the gate and then lose momentum 2 miles in. He finished strong with a small walk in between, basically taking advantage of the hills and walking them as necessary. I will be running again with him next week. As for myself...I was loving my new shoes and NO PAIN IN MY CALF!!!
Thursday...I took a rest day since I knew my long run wasn't until Sunday. I figured I could do an interval run and strength workout on Friday and be ready for Sunday.
Friday...everything went as planned. I am still on the fence about wearing my other shoes for treadmill sprints as that's what they are better for...also not put on the miles on the new shoes so I can wear them on race day. I need to do more research on that one.
Saturday, I went to the zoo. I put in close to 22,000 steps in flip flops...ugh. I really set myself up well for Sunday's 8-mile run. UGH!
Sunday, HERE WE GO! 8-miler here I come! Luckily the weather wasn't too bad, so one factor eliminated. My heel hurt from walking around in flip flops but icing it that morning helped. At this point, I could make up 100 excuses, but I really don't need to.
I killed the first 4 miles and started to question whether I should have gone from 2 miles last week to 8 today, maybe I should have gone back to the 6 miles, and then just do the one 8-miler next week. I finished 6 and kept questioning 7, I decided to walk for a few just because I thought I felt my calf pull. I think most of this was in my head and I just was running out of a little fear still. Oddly enough, I finished that last mile strong and was really happy that I didn't feel much more than general fatigue. Can't wait for next week's 8!
NUTRITION:
Nutrition this week started with some meal prep as I knew my week was going to be busy. Here is what I prepped on Sunday.
1. Grilled Chicken with Turmeric, Cumin and Coriander
2. Breakfast Tri-Color Quinoa with Spinach and Feta
3. Muffuletta Hummus
4. Cucumber Tomato Salad with Lemon & Herbs
5. "Marathon Training" Dragon Well Green Tea with Fresh Turmeric, Ginger and Honey
6. Protein Packed, Carb Loading Red Rice
The other meals of the week included a Thai Chili Watermelon Gazpacho, Peanut Butter Raspberry English Muffin, Red Rice Paella with Corn and Shrimp and Breakfast Quinoa with Spinach, Feta and Eggs. (Some of which are pictured right!)
REMINDER ABOUT MY TEA:
My "Marathon Healing' tea is made of Dragon Well Green Tea (a natural diuretic), fresh turmeric root (a natural anti-inflammatory), fresh ginger (a natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, stomach aid) and a touch of local honey (a natural sweetener and because it's local, it's also helps with seasonal allergies!). I'll post the recipe soon, I SWEAR!
OVERALL:
Week 3 went so much better than Week 2! I was still cautious and had some fear, but I didn't let it dictate my week. I felt stronger mentally and physically, so I just attacked as I could. I spent some time on my nutrition this week, so I could get through the demands of the week. All my runs were successful, and I really couldn't have asked for a better post injury week. I loved getting my official race day singlet, it always seems so official! The only problem is that getting a white singlet 10 weeks out from the race...it may not be so white come race day...hmmm. Oh! I got my first donations this week, which always makes for a good omen! Scroll down below for more information about the charity I am running for and how to make a donation!
That's it for this week! See you guys next week after my Elite 8!
For those of you that are new to RB FIT and my blog, I am running the Chicago Marathon 2018 for the same charity as in previous years, The Chicago Diabetes Project - Cellmates on the Run Foundation! Click on the link below for more information, race updates and donations! Every dollar counts, help us find a cure!
https://www.crowdrise.com/team-cellmates-on-the-run-bank-of-america-chicago-marathon/fundraiser/monicasehgal
See you guys next week!
~Giz