Half Way Heaven

Congratulations! My marathon training is 8 weeks down, 8 weeks to go. I have run 203 miles so far since starting on June 6. This is the half way mark, baby.

Last night's 17 mile run was good mental practice. I hurdled several "walls" in my quest to finish all 6 'out'n'back' treks around the Headlands. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't as hard as many of my other long runs have been.

• I had a general plan for my run, which included the out'n'backs, as well as a pit stop for water/food at my mom's house. I planned on keeping track of mileage on the GPS and just running till it added up.
  
• I fueled and hydrated well during the day - I ate granola w/ soy milk, a veggie frittata, several of the delicious protein cookies and oat bars I made on Thur., and a huge bowl of oatmeal with banana, blueberries, soy milk and walnuts about two hours prior.
• I started my period yesterday morning but wasn't feeling 100% shitty like I normally do. I determined to not let it get me down and to just wun/ralk until I finished. I ended up only walking two or three times, and taking a 4 minute walking break at the half way point to fuel and grab my waterbottle.
  
• This was my first long run following a step back week since I started my marathon training. I think it might have helped, and that step back weeks really serve a purpose during the last half of my training.
• I completed 6 total out'n'backs, but really didn't want to do that last one. I think I hit a wall when I looked up and saw that all my friends were at the high school track playing disc golf and soccer. I had wanted those last two miles on the track for peace of mind but didn't want to see them all after 15 miles. So I grudgingly headed back out to the headlands, which turned out to be fine. So I conquered a wall.
• I didn't ICE BATH! Gasp. I know, I should have. I have fallen off the ice bath wagon and need to get back on. My outdoor tub is so far away from our hot shower I'm not sure I could make it walking between the two with frozen legs!

That's all for now - I will post more than once this week.

Training. Running. Period.

I will have 5 period cycles during this upcoming 18 week training cycle. Not many bloggers (or runner's world articles for that matter -- I found one good one here) write about training, running and periods. I'm sure it's mentioned in passing, but it seems to have the potential to be really influential when deciding on a training plan, or even which race to run.

I'm sure many runners are on birth control and have some semblance of control over when they menstruate, whether it means skipping a period on race weekend, or designing an entire 18 week training plan so periods coincide with step-back weeks. But what happens when the race you really want to run falls on your "Red Tent" day, as I call it? How can you really be excited to run your favorite race, or even your weekend long run, when your joints ache, your migraine is in full swing and you're bleeding through tampons every two hours?

Luckily I have light periods. I can plan when they'll start (down to the hour) each month, and can count on them lasting less than 48 hours. I have had relative success with skipping periods a few times in my life, but wouldn't make it a regular event. I also notice that the more I run, the less premenstrual cramps I experience, and the more consistent my energy levels.

It occurred to me as I gaze at my newly printed training plan taped to my fridge that I'd better sit down with my calendar and redo the whole thing. Hal Higdon obviously didn't design this 18 week marathon plan (or any of his plans, as far as I can tell) with menstruation in mind. Or he thinks it should be ignored (?). I don't. I experience pre-menstrual joint pain and migraines, and definite low energy for at least two days. On Day 1, I usually feel light headed and my heart races when walking up the stairs. In short, I don't really feel like running.

I like the fact that running lessens all the potentially negative aspects of my period experience. I know that when runners talk about "going easy" or "taking time to rest" perhaps "period rest" falls under this umbrella. But I think it deserves special mention now and then because it's not something to ignore or sweep under the running rug.

Questions. Do tampons fit in the runner's belt everyone carries? Do aid stations stock tampons? Has anyone ever had a horrible race because they were bleeding out the entire contents of their uterus in one day? Has anyone ever seen a training plan adjusted around a 4 week cycle of step-up/step-down to accommodate periods? Skipped a period when it falls on race week? Why does no one talk about this?

Seriously Sore

I am so sore. Yesterday, determined not to let another stormy, rainy, windy day pass by without some kind of physical activity, E and I turned on P90X's Core Synergistics video - 59 minutes of hard work. E couldn't make it all the way through, but I persevered, and even did the 17 minute ab ripper video afterward. Seeing E's inability to make it through the videos made me realize that hot yoga and running have put me into pretty good shape. Granted, I'm so sore today I can only sit, stand and walk with pain and difficulty... And when we'd finished working out the sun decided to shine and the rain went away. I decided to put 4.5 miles away, and we drove north where I could run on dry pavement. All told, it was about 2 hours of working out and I felt beat.

I notice after especially hard workouts that I have trouble sleeping that night - the physical muscle and joint discomfort makes me toss and turn for hours. Also might be related to my monthly cycle?

Have also started drinking chocolate almond rice protein shake once daily. Probably best after working out.