February 2009 Archives

Dear Marathon,

I've gained 10 pounds since I started training for you. Ten. Pounds. In less than a month of training!

Every non-runner I've mentioned this to cheerfully says, "Oh, it's just muscle weight!"

Wrong. NOT muscle weight. Muffin top weight. The kind of weight that makes your pants tight, your face bloated and your self image very depressed.

I'm not placing all the blame on you, Marathon. Sure, when you do long runs, your body naturally retains more water (that by itself that can mean a 5 pound gain). And with the mileage increase, my metabolism is roaring, which leads to insatiable hunger. But how I deal with that hunger is all on me.

There seems to be a disconnect between what I know I should eat and what I actually eat. Ideally, I would be fueling my body with an abundance of whole foods (veggies, leafy greens, legumes, nuts, berries, quinoa, brown rice, lean proteins, et al) and eliminating the processed crap that causes inflammation and imbalanced blood-sugar levels (flours, sugar, and basically anything that comes in a box or is endorsed by a cartoon character).

Now, my brain knows that if I fuel well, I will recover faster, I will build muscle more easily and my body will maintain its ideal weight. But then this crazy hunger takes over all conscious reasoning and all of the sudden -- with no warning at all! -- I am wrist deep in a quart of cookie-dough ice cream.

It's easy to justify these kinds of decisions because of you, Marathon.  "Well, I'm training for a marathon. Of COURSE I can eat anything I want!"

That's just the thing. I *could* use an increase in activity to vindicate every terrible food decision I make, but so far that has left me feeling listless, heavy and weak. I would rather make my training an opportunity to be even more aware of what I'm putting in my body and how it affects my energy, health and moods.

Before things spiral too much further out of control, I'm establishing some regulations. No more ice cream (a food I can't ever seem to eat in moderation) and no more eating after 9 p.m. I've never had trouble with this before, but now it's like I'm eating nonstop right up until I fall asleep, lonely spoon dangling from my mouth.

I'm going to keep junk "food" out of my house (if I don't buy it, I won't eat it), and I hope that in time, Marathon, if I combine my training with wise nutrition, I may actually start loving you.

Tentatively yours,

Kaeti

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Have you dealt with this pesky marathon weight gain? What did you do?

(Photo by strausser of a muffin top. Get it? Muffin top? Like my tummy but more delicious!)

As I did with the half marathon and the TC 10 Mile, I am following a training plan to get ready for the Minneapolis Marathon. I base my weekly rewards and reminders around the clipart I find on my computer.

Here's what I'm doing (more or less):

I'm not sure what makes this Mediterranean, but I needed a name and I use olive oil to sauté -- what could be more Mediterranean than that?? I love this recipe because I can use what I have on hand and improvise as necessary.

Prep time: About 10 minutes

Ingredients
Fresh spinach (or frozen, just thaw a bit before you saute and squeeze any extra water out)
1 package of extra-firm organic tofu
1 can of cannellini beans (or any lighter beans you have on hand)
1 tsp. minced organic garlic (I often use the stuff right out of the jar to save time)
1/4 c of chopped mushrooms (optional)
2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Soy sauce (optional)
Rosemary, salt, red-pepper flakes and lemon for seasoning
 

Cut the tofu into thin rectangles (about 1/4-inch thick) and placed them on a bread towel to pat out extra moisture. Drizzle the tofu squares with soy sauce (you can use any seasoning you like or none at all) and DRY sauté the rectangles, chopping them up into smaller pieces with your spatula to make them easier to cook. Heat until they are browned on each side (about 3 minutes), then add the olive oil, garlic, beans and mushrooms to the pan. Cook a few more minutes, then add the spinach and stir until it just starts to darken. (If using frozen spinach, stir until completely heated.)

Remove from heat and add some spices. I like rosemary and red pepper flakes (to give it a little kick), and a squeeze of lemon juice adds a great flavor. If you eat dairy, you can sprinkle a freshly grated hard cheese like Parmesan on top.

Easy, fast and delicious. I always make more than enough so that I'll have leftovers for lunch the next day.

OK, my marathon training technically started yesterday.* So I only have a day's worth of perspective to offer. BUT, I have much to share after only one day!

It's hard.

No really, the phrase "run a marathon" may feel breezy and fun to say, but the actual practice of marathon running is rather unpleasant. And I've only done 15 percent of the distance at a time this week.

It's a strange phenomena to run for 30 minutes and then realize, when I'm running a marathon I will still have four. more. hours. (Insert involuntary whimper here.)

Despite the crippling fear that this inspires, I'm excited about this challenge. I'm cross-training, stretching, eating food that's actually made out of food and sleeping a decent amount. I thought I should record this particular moment in time for posterity's sake. In two months (or, heck, two days), I might be singing a very different tune.

*Stay tuned for my clip-art enhanced training program, which I will be posting in the next few days. I'm confident it will be as effective as these were.

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In the vein of goal setting and getting things done, I've decided to start my own 101 in 1001 project. You can read more about it here, but it is basically a list of concrete tasks that you want to accomplish in 1001 days (about 2.75 years).  I don't expect to finish all or even most of these, but just writing this list gives me a good idea of my vision and goals for the coming years.

Here are a few other great resources for setting attainable, realistic goals (and actually following through):

All Over It: How To Eliminate Goal-Blocking Obstacles for Good 

Envision This

Live Dynamite
"Personal-development program designed to help people discover what inspires them and to set goals and get good at living."

The Skillful Life
An action plan for assessing and building the skill sets that matter most to you right now.

(Photo by wallyg)