Today’s Workout – Recovery

Total Mileage: 8.01 miles

Total Time: 1:16:05

Average Pace: 9:30 min/pace

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I am quite impressed I continued my early morning workout again this morning. Today was more of a recovery day than anything else, but since I stick to the treadmill in the wee hours of the morning I opted for a small progression run to keep interesting.

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Mile 1 – 9:41
Mile 2 – 9:31
Mile 3 – 9:23
Mile 4 – 9:05
Mile 5 – 8:57
Mile 6 – 8:49-8:41

Playing with the pace helps me keep my mind off the monotony of running on a treadmill and makes it go by much quicker.

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The treadmill I run on early in the morning is in our “study/office” and since we have two cats that like to drive me nuts for food in the morning, I have to shut the door.  After about 30 minutes it gets CRAZY hot in this room so every morning I get quite a good sweat session in.

I got home from work and decided to run 2 more miles SUPER easy and slow.  My legs had been hurting throughout the day and I wanted to make sure they were recovered for my speed workout tomorrow morning.

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I just ran an easy 2 miles at a 10:00 min pace followed by stretching and foam rolling.

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Today I have been thinking a lot about fueling for running. I have never talked about it previously on the blog but I have had a hard relationship with food. Running in some ways complicates it because it really causes my appetite to go through the roof at times.

I have had to learn the hard lesson (10 added lbs) that even though you run a lot that doesn’t mean you can eat everything you want.  The last time I ran a marathon I ate absolutely everything I felt like and when I felt like it, no second thoughts. I didn’t gain a whole lot of weight, but I didn’t get in the shape I needed to be in either.

This time around I am doing things differently. Yes, I give in some nights to foods that aren’t necessarily good for me – like last night I had a wonderful cup of frozen yogurt, my favorite food on the entire planet.

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I make choices on what and when I eat foods. I don’t just eat for the sake of eating anymore, I eat at the best times and mostly choose the better foods to fuel my runs. I eat to help my body be the best and perform the best it possibly can.

The most important thing I’ve learned is that food is a balance.  If you restrict everything you eat and never enjoy things you will be miserable and most likely you won’t perform optimally.  You need to focus on finding a HEALTHY BALANCE and letting yourself enjoy things at times.

These are the rules I try to follow:
1. Eat primarily for fuel.
2. Eat at the right times.
3. Pick healthy choices.
4. Let yourself have a treat now and then.
5. Don’t obsess.

They are simple rules, but they really help me find a great life balance when it comes to fueling and eating.

What is your favorite food to eat to fuel your runs?

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