Who knew eating right would improve your running performance? (Everyone)

You know what's crazy? I ran 19 miles yesterday over the serious hills around my house and I woke up today like it wasn't no big thing.

Look look SPRING

For once that smile isn't fake.

Now, don't get me wrong; it was a challenging run.  I was really pushing during that 19th mile, and those hills were not making my life any easier, let me tell you.

It was all downhill from there.  And then uphill.

But for once I wasn't completely destroyed the next day...my legs today felt amazingly...just fine.  In fact, I cleaned the entire house today without my legs feeling like stiff appendages that weren't really mine once.  And after cleaning I did 45 minutes of spin and about 35 minutes of lifting heavy things with my tiny dog as supervisor.

Tiny dog is unimpressed with my workouts.

Look out weights...here I come.

Tiny dog did helpfully clean my weights between each use.  Which is gross, actually, but we pretty much let tiny dog do what she wants because of the sheer magnitude of her tiny and cute.

Tiny dogs licking weights aside, some might attribute my new-found long-run recovery to me consistently running all the runs on my training plan, which I'm pretty sure has helped a ton.  But I actually think a lot of the credit for my new-found long-distance running strength is the whole "not eating crap" thing I've been doing for a few months.  In fact, I have even started meal prepping a bit.

Yummo alert.

So far I've just been doing lunch because that's what I don't have time to make in the morning (I *am* running 10-12 miles before work some days, remember), but it has completely helped with keeping my diet consistent and my portions under control.  And because this former biology teacher knows a few things about science and how cells work and stuff, I'm pretty sure my healthier options are giving my cells what they need to not only perform well but also recover well.  Case in point: my splits from yesterday's run, excluding mile 9 where I stopped at the house to go to the bathroom and forgot my watch wasn't set to auto-pause.

Kids, for me to be running 9:30s at the end of a run like that is amazing. And now I wonder why I didn't do this healthy eating and run all the runs stuff for my previous 33 marathons.  After all, being 12 pounds lighter is also probably doing a lot for my marathon goals as well..and I'm actually beginning to see that the weight is coming off.

I also see that this post is over, and it's now time for the learnings:

• I am not exaggerating about those hills, people.  They are some serious business.
• I am also not exaggerating about the convenience of meal prep. Those 5 lunches took me less than 20 minutes to make and prep.
• Those 5 lunches are also all the same...because I am the master of eating the same foods over and over again.  What can I say; it's a gift.
• We really do let tiny dog do whatever she wants, except be nasty to the cats or eat non-food things off the floor.
• We also need to stop typing now because large dog is trying to sleep, and he needs his recovery time just as much as I do.

Tomorrow's workout: My usual Monday speed...just some quick 200s though that for some reason will last 9 miles.

Four quick things about my new spin obsession

Today's workout was some spin, baby.  Specifically, it was Cathe's Cycle Sweat.

Spin (or indoor cycling....toeMAYto, toeMAHto) is quickly becoming my new obsession, especially since it's low impact but super duper cardio-intensive.  I am currently rotating between Cycle Sweat and three other Cathe spin DVDs: Pedal Power, Ride, and CycleMax.  Here's four quick things about spin that I have discovered in the past few weeks:

Thing #1: This is WAY better than just getting on the bike and pedaling in front of the depressing news we have these days.

I used to pull the bike in front of the TV and just pedal for however many minutes I had decided to pedal that day, grinding through the workout and the news.  No wonder I wasn't ever super excited about getting on the bike.  With these workouts, I have some sort of challenge to look forward to every time I pop in one of these workouts.


Thing #2: Speaking of challenge, holy dripping buckets of sweat, batman.

If you're using the proper resistance and not taking it easy sitting down when they're standing up, then you're going open up the sweat floodgates during these workouts.  I was completely taken by surprise at how many calories my watch said I burned when I did Cycle Sweat for the first time (400+).  I was also taken by surprise by how challenging the workout was, especially since I hadn't ever really ridden on a bike out of the saddle that much.


Thing #3: I'm pretty sure these workouts are going to keep me in riding shape for when the weather allows me to bust out the tri bike this spring.

The one thing I hate in the spring when I start dusting off the tri bike is that feeling like I'm starting over with my bike training.  I'm pretty sure with these workouts I will keep some of my riding legs over the winter so I can dominate my first duathlon in June.


Thing #4: Tiny dog is currently unimpressed by my spin workouts.

Seriously.  She just sleeps through them, mocking me with her slumber.

You can't please everyone, I guess.  But I'm pleased to present the learnings below:

• When the going gets tough during one of these workouts, I just think of how I will dominate my first duathlon because of it.  
• In other words, I lie to myself to push through.
• Tiny dog is new to the house, so she doesn't quite understand my workout obsessions yet.
• Tiny dog doesn't know what she's gotten herself into.
• And sometimes with my races, neither do I.

Upcoming workouts: 5 miler tomorrow with a "rest" day following....and by "rest" I mean "anything but running"