So...Monday...bad news struck early...that beautiful woman above passed away in India. She was one of the strongest women I have ever known. Nani spent her life taking care of everyone in her family and then some. She taught me so much about life, family and selflessness. She had a heart bigger than I can even describe. She was beyond amazing in the kitchen and I learned to be a better chef because of her. She had this devilish smile that was so contagious and gave the best hugs. I will miss her in every way. Love you so much, Nani.
TRAINING:
Needless to say, I didn't work out on Monday and I am perfectly ok with that.
Tuesday...back in the gym, had to crank out strength training. Ended up doing 600 reps...5 dumbbell exercises, superset with 5 push-ups/core/bodyweight...12 reps, 5 rounds...equals 300 of each! I love math.
Here we go...mid-week 3 miler on Wednesday...I ran with Brian again as he in a month out from his Chicago Triathlon debut!
We ran the whole 3 miles! I was so proud of him for pushing through it! As a matter of fact, we sprinted the last 1/2 mile! It was a great run physically and mentally...Brian has come a long way in just 3 weeks! He knows he is almost ready to tackle this in August!
Thursday...I took a rest day, I had appointments with both Jack, my massage therapist and Dr. Louis, my chiropractor. I had a few issues in my feet and got an adjustment on my knee joints....just some routine maintenance :)
Friday...I did a whole lotta core work and did a quick tempo run! Legs felt great and I am getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable which comes in handy when you find yourself in a 2 mile stretch without too many runners around you!
Saturday, I had Jack tape my leg to avoid any calf issues, we are still testing out some theories on why I feel this tug on my lower calf late in my long runs. Fingers crossed!
Sunday, another 8 miles on deck! Unfortunately, it was already close to 80 degrees at 6:30am, 100% humidity and a heat index of 86 degrees! Not the best running weather for me AT ALL...I'd take 30 degrees and snow over heat and humidity.
Regardless of the weather, the run went swimmingly! I felt great running, didn't have any calf issues at the end...think we figured out how to tape my leg to PREVENT injuries instead of trying to figure out how to run DESPITE the injury! YES!!
I stopped for water when needed, I decided to run smart, not fast. It was great to talk to people on the Lakefront running their training miles. The Chicago running community is really awesome and supportive.
I did find myself questioning my pace, which is something I really wanted to veer from focusing on, but hey, it happens. I did like the quality of this run and have been using my tempo runs to have some great stretches where I was able to sprint for longer distances than I have before. Guess some of that training stuff really does work...hmmm ;) Next week, I finally hit the double digits with 10 miles...YIKES!!
Oh, electrolyte tip...I always finish a long run with a shot of pickle juice!
NUTRITION:
I ate SO WELL this week! I carb loaded well and knowing that the weather for my long run was going to be hot, my electrolyte loading was on point!
Meals of the week included and pictured are:
1. BBQ Chicken with Grilled Corn and Lemon Parmesan Potato Salad
2. BBQ Chicken Salad (yes, I made extra to re-purpose for lunch!)
3. Cookies and Cream Ice Cream (it was July 31st...I had to!)
4. Spicy White Bean and Charred Corn Gazpacho with Crab & Cucumber Relish
5. Indonesian Chicken Salad (also, eaten for lunch the next day!)
6. Bucatini with Slow-Baked Salmon and Fresh Made Basil-Walnut Pesto
Saturday Lunch...my fave carb loading, pre-long run sandwich from my fave sandwich spot in the city....The American from J.P Graziano's in the West Loop! (Check them out here! http://jpgraziano.com/)
Saturday Night...I felt a little homesick, maybe because of Nani's passing...I wanted to eat comfort food...which for me is INDIAN FOOD! I wanted it protein heavy with some carbs...so I marinated meat, soaked some dal and made some brown basmati rice!
Check out my Indian feast below!
Yeah...I'm hungry again and will be eating some more of that for lunch today :)
OVERALL:
Week 4 was definitely a mixed bag on all levels. Emotionally, it was rough on Monday...and I think I carried it most of the week even if I didn't show it externally.
My runs went well, I am happy with how I am able to apply what I am doing during the week to my long runs and can see the positive results!
I am extremely relieved that my calf issue has subsided for the most part and even today, I am not feeling anything bad either...fingers crossed!
I cooked ALOT this week and ate it ALL! My meal plan this week was perfect and balanced and really YUMMY! This was emotionally driven, I'm sure of it, but at least it was healthy!
I have to get that pesky pace issue out of my head and just focus on the run quality, especially as I hit the double digits...this is where the mental strength becomes more important than the physical.
Well, that's it for this week! Talk to you guys next week after my first double digit run!
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