Glass City Marathon: Last Week of Training & The Expo

Well, the day has finally come. If you are reading this post on Sunday morning, I have left my house by now. Coach Kemp and I walked to the Glass City Marathon which starts and finishes at the University of Toledo campus - about a 20 minute walk from our front door!

Are you surprised that I practiced this? Well, if you read my Race Day Nutrition post, then this would not come as a surprise. Yes, I too walked from our house to the Savage Arena on Saturday to get an estimate of how long it would take for us to walk, plus I had to pick up my race packet.

Now, it really took me about 25 minutes since I got stopped by a few of my neighbors, so if we are in crunch-mode, which we will not be, we can get to the start line in 20 minutes!

My last week of training went well, I already mentioned my 7-mile run on Saturday, in my post yesterday, but let's also see what workouts were done previously.

April 20 - 26

Sunday
Rest Day

Monday
Renegade Strength
5 Miles

Tuesday
Renegade Metabolic

Wednesday
10 Miles

Thursday
Renegade Metabolic

Friday
Rest Day

I was somewhat reluctant to take a rest day on Friday, but with some reflection, glad that I did. I am really bad at taking rest days, even though they are written into many training plans. I really have to force myself to do nothing. With it being warm outside, Prince is getting longer walks, so I guess I technically still got in a 20 minute brisk walk.

Saturday
To read about my Saturday run, read this post.

Weeks Mileage: 22 Miles
Renegade Classes: 3

Overall, I really tried to listen to my body this week. Last Saturday I got a pre-marathon massage, read about it here, and believe that released lots of tension in my back and legs. On Friday morning I woke with a stiff back, and made a last minute decision to not go to Renegade. I do love those workouts, but know that that one workout was not going to impact my progress, but it could negatively impact my back and/or legs if I were to become more sore/tight.

Most training guides instruct you to run more runs but at shorter distances, and as you can see above, I did not follow those guides :) I am more concerned about the long mileage verse my pace, so felt it best to run one last long run. Plus, I wanted to run one last time on the University/Toledo Parks trail. I do believe today's race will be one of the last times I run on that trail. It has been good to me, so I had to get in one more before race day!

Saturday was also the expo, which was held at Savage Arena.

There was much commotion as they held the Children's races on Saturday! It was very cute to see all the kiddos excited for their race. When I left, most of them had finished and they were enjoying Chick-fil-A, yum!

I really like the race shirt, especially the color, which is showing as more of a red-tone than a dark coral.

And of course, I had to indulge in some race-related goodies!

I plan to wear the "i run" headband on race day, and love the light pink one with a crown! The teal one states: "Run Like a Diva," which will be cute with my new race shirt which has teal and purple, my favorite color. I also snagged a car decal that I am hoping Coach Kemp 'oks'.

Michelyn

Glass City Marathon: Race Day Nutrition

Its pre-race day Saturday! I am pretty set for tomorrow, well I think and hope at least! I have my clothes set aside, my alarm is set, and my breakfast is ready to be made! Well, I guess the last last 16 weeks (plus) have also prepared me for an endeavor of a lifetime, my first MARATHON!

I have mentioned in previous posts, my true goal is to start and finish alive, and I am fairly confident that will happen. My second goal would be to not walk; only to use the bathroom. And my third goal would be to have fun, while soaking in my last few days/weeks in Toledo.

Earlier this week, Chris at Renegade wrote a blog post about race day nutrition. I enjoyed his post, and after reading it was content that I had already been following many of his suggestions. Here are his three main points: (1) Do what you have practiced, (2) Supply your body with energy for competition, and (3) Don't eat foods that make you feel uncomfortable. Please read his post, but let's see how I have fared.

Do What You Have Practiced
Basically, Chris explained that to have peak performance one would want to practice and rehearse as if it were race day. He recommended waking up at the time you plan to race, run at the time of race (i.e., 7:00 am for the Glass City Marathon), and eat the foods/breakfast you plan to eat on Race Day!

Well, on a weekly basis, I arise at 5:00 am to workout at Renegade, and typically run in the evenings as my second workout. On my long run days, Sunday mornings, I eat oatmeal + protein and drink my BCAAs in my water pack while running. I plan to do this same routine tomorrow. I have a slightly sensitive stomach, and never really delved or experimented with the Gus and energy snacks. I, however, did find that the BCAAs provided a nice amount of energy. I also practiced drinking a little at each mile. I have a tendency of forgetting to drink. That is also expounded because of my frequent need to urinate. So mix that up, and I mistakenly try not to hydrate. I have, in the past, run 1/2 marathons without drinking any liquids, which has always backfired!

I also am stoked that I have run and/or driven on a good portion of the race route.

This morning I ran some of the Ottawa Hills (OH) portion that I have not covered before. I ended up running 7 miles, which is a little more than I had anticipated, but I got in a really nice groove. The only portion of the race that I am not familiar with is the Sylvania residential area. While running in OH, I saw a couple driving the course (I could see the female holding a print-out of the race course in her hand!) If I ever chose to do another full marathon, I think I will consider driving the course, especially if it is in an unfamiliar city. Overall, I am predicting about 4 miles of the race, I will be unable to really "know" where I am at. 

Supply Your Body With Energy for Competition

I am really glad that I joined the 7 Week Renegade Challenge as it was such an educational experience. I have completely yielded to the fact that nutrition plays a substantial part in having a "visible" fit body, and of course your insides. Ugh, I kind of detest this realization as I would much rather run 10 extra miles. I have always been a workout fanatic, but not always as strict with the foods that I put in my mouth. Now, I would still say that I am, or was, a "healthy" eater, but the training received by Chris and Jen transformed my definition of healthy.

Quick disclaimer - my post-race meals will certainly not fall within the "healthy" category. I am stating that now, so everyone knows that I am completely aware. However, I do believe people should chose their diet (defined as what you put in your mouth) consciously, and everything in moderation.

Don't Eat Foods that Make You Feel Uncomfortable

Basically, Chris was explaining that it is not in your best interest to try out some new food the day or even the week before a race. Last night I had shredded chicken (which I had boiled), quinoa pasta, steamed broccoli, and feta cheese; and I plan to have the same exact meal tonight!

I have been drinking lots of water, through the 7 Week Challenge, and even more the last few days. I am going to cut off my water intake at 8:00 am, and try to sleep at that time as well. Ha, I know that is super early, but I am at least going to wind down at that time. Coach Kemp will be arriving late tonight/early tomorrow morning so I am anticipating being woken in the middle of my slumber.

Question of the Day: When training for races do you follow the three suggestions above? What works for you?

Michelyn