Marathon Monday: Week 7 & mixing things up

Happy Monday, everyone!

Training recap:

• Week 1 (January 1-7)
• Week 2 (January 8-15)
• Week 3 (January 16-22)
• Week 4 (January 23-29)
• Week 5 (January 30-February 5)
• Week 6 (February 6-12)

I am in my bed resting my exhausted  and extremely sore body.  Even lifting my arm is a challenge.

Once normal activities such as going to the bathroom, getting out of the car, and getting up from my bed are now extremely challenging.  I look so pathetic hobbling around--it's quite hilarious, especially to a stranger.  All I can do is laugh along...except laughing makes my abs hurt even more!

Despite the soreness, this week was fantastic.  I finally made a conscious effort to do some cross-training!  Our routine was getting very monotonous so I decided to spice things up this week--jalapeño style!




Monday: rest day

Tuesday: My first 1-hr spinning class in over 6-months!  I painfully learned the necessity of bike shorts during this hour, but I got a great cardiovascular workout with some interval training.

Wednesday: rest day (I'll admit it.  I originally planned on working out but decided to go shoe shopping instead.  oops...)

Thursday: 4.3 miles before work and it felt fantastic.  morning runs=awesome.

Friday: A quick 6-mile run before heading out on our quadruple-date.  Felt strong during this run (for the first time in a few days!)

Saturday: 1-hour BODY PUMP class.  Oh my goodness gracious, this class kicked my butt.  Although I used small weights (2.5 and 5), we did multiple reps and did not stop for a break during the entire hour.  It's amazing how out of  shape you can feel despite training for a marathon!

Sunday: 13 miles.  I felt pretty strong during this run, but my stomach was growling during the last 6-miles.  Honestly, I could stuff my face right before these long runs and still be starving.  I'm working at finding a solution to this hunger issue (apparently Gu is not the answer.)

 GU is poo?

It should come at no surprise that my appetite has increased significantly since I started training.  For some very annoying reason, I am constantly hungry during the last 4-6 miles of my long runs.

It doesn't matter how much I eat before the run or how many packets of Gu I try to eat, my body doesn't want sugary liquid, it wants food.

For a long time, I struggled to find the perfect mid-workout snack.  I tried Power Gel (disgusting,) Power Bar Fruit Snacks (made me sick to my stomach and gave me gut-rut) and GU (lime flavored--gag me!)

So, what's a picky girl to do?  My  local running store recommended that I try Honey Stingers.

They are so delicious and organic (EVEN better!)  Although they are made for bikers and harder to eat while running, these little crackers are slices of heaven.

AND for the first time, I found a packet of GU that I actually like!  Dom bought about 10-lbs worth of Mint Chocolate GU on Saturday.  I ate one before my 13-mile run and was very pleasantly surprised!

For my 17-mile run coming up on Saturday, I'm planning on brining a bag of trail mix to munch on along the way.  Although GU and Honey Stingers are good for energy, my stomach needs a little somethin' to keep going.  Will let you know how it works out!

Hope you all have a fabulous rest of the week!