August 2008 Archives

I've been building up my distance each week to prepare for the TC 10 Mile on Oct. 5 -- a date that ominously creeps closer every day. This is the first time I've ever run further than 6.2 miles. 

On the plus side, each week it feels like I've run a PR.  Downside? Every Sunday after my long runs, all I want to do is eat and nap. And then eat and nap some more. Take this Sunday's long run. 

My running group did 7.5 miles around the lakes here in Minneapolis.  It was a perfect day for a run, and the first time I got to take my new Asics out for a spin (R.I.P. Mizunos). I felt strong and my heart rate stayed in the 140s for the entire run (it usually creeps up toward the end).

It's not the run itself that's the problem. It's what happens next. After the customary trip to the coffee shop with my group, I came home to eat and shower. But instead of feeling energized and ready to conquer the world like I usually do after a run (OK, that might be a slight exaggeration), I felt ready to crawl back into bed for another eight hours.

So I napped for an hour, got up at 11 a.m., and ate some more because I was ravenously hungry.  A little power nap -- no big deal, right? I made it a few more hours -- running errands, cleaning, eating -- but around 2 p.m. I crashed again.  And this wasn't a blood sugar glitch or Sunday afternoon inertia. It was a very insistent feeling of fatigue that took over my body and demanded, "You're going to sleep right now." I had no choice in the matter.

So I napped until 4 p.m., and when I finally rolled out of bed I was hungry again.  What's weird is that I feel like I am fueling enough while I run. And I'm eating immediately after the run, trying to stick to that 4-to-1 carb/protein ratio. And throughout the day, I'm eating a ton of nutrient-dense whole food.  I'm also sleeping pretty well, and regular hours to boot.

A quick Google search shows me that this scenario isn't uncommon. Even Paula Radcliffe takes a two hour nap every afternoon while she's in training. For my part, I've never felt better while training for an event, so I'm going to trust my body and the signals it's sending. And Sunday is a lovely day for napping, don't ya think?

 
(Photo by insk0r, licensed under Creative Commons.)

Oh, why hello there, blog!  You've been at the bottom of my to-do list for too long.  It's just so easy to get caught up in the fray and forget some of the details in the process. But those details can be pretty durn important.

In fact, when I look back at all the changes I've made in my life this year, it's the day-to-day, seemingly mundane details that really made the changes stick. As I'm sure all of you know, a complete lifestyle overhaul doesn't happen overnight.  It takes dedicated effort -- and the road is ripe with challenges, setbacks, small victories and frustration. Unfortunately, this winding and bumpy road makes it all too easy to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the "big picture," leaving you vulnerable to the crash and burn of tackling too much at once.

Before I started exercising or eating well, I would look at the sad state of affairs in my life and think things like "I need to GET FIT and EAT RIGHT."  But I was never sure what, exactly, those big-picture goals entailed. So rather than drowning in the ambiguity of enormous, undefined goals, I've found that it's helpful to narrow my scope. 

By focusing on small(er) daily habits, lasting change is not only possible -- it's easy. Or at least, easier. The 30-day challenge epitomizes this mindset. You choose one habit or change you would like to make, and focus on that one goal for 30 days.  Instead of "get fit," your 30-day goal might be something like "walk for 20 minutes everyday." Stick it out for 30 days, and you've got yourself a regular habit. Then you're ready to move on to the next challenge!

The small change I'm working on currently is bringing lunch to work every day.  So far, I've been doing pretty well -- and saving a hefty chunk of cash in the process. After I'm done with this challenge, I have a few others in mind (no TV for 30 days, stop checking email in the morning, regular yoga practice, etc.).

 Have any of you completed a 30-day challenge like this?  If you could choose one habit to change, what would it be?