After running 9 miles twice so far this week, I'm starting to feel stronger and more confident that I can finish this thing. My lung strength is no longer an issue. For a while, I was struggling to breath in the last few miles. Now I'm keeping a consistent breathing pattern which allows me to push myself to finish the route with stamina. My previous training is definitely paying off.
All through my training process, I've been running with my dog Phoebe. Since she was a puppy I've been slowly training her to run distance. She's a very happy and high-energy dog, so she really makes a great running buddy. This past run Phoebe struggled. I kept trying to encourage her by using my "Phoebe voice" and clapping my hands to keep her attention.
I'm concerned that even though she's physically capable of running the distance with me, mentally she may not be ready. She's still young. She gets distracted by everything. It's hard to explain to a dog how to push through a tough mile or how to beat the hills. Running is just as much a mental sport as it is physical. I'm nervous she may not be mature enough yet for this. I definitely don't want to force her into something she can't handle.
Another issue I'm running into during my training is low blood sugar. Since I've been running so much, I've been consuming more calories, especially carbs, so I'll have enough energy to burn. There's nothing worse than running a long distance when your hungry. It starts a crazy downward cycle that's very hard to overcome. Therefore, I always make sure I eat a large meal a few hours before my run.
Even though I'm doing my best to keep my body fed, once I start running 9+ miles my body burns a lot of calories. I've used some tools in the past to measure the amount of calories I burn on my runs. I average about 100 calories per mile. That means I burned 900 calories on my run yesterday. That's a lot of energy I need to keep stored up. I'm finding that burning 600-700 calories at a time is not an issue for me. Anything higher than that starts to take a tole.
The thing about low blood sugar is you don't know it's low until it's too late. My grandfather was a diabetic. I watched him suffer through low blood sugar levels. I never understood why he'd feel so miserable when that happened. One minute he'd be sitting on the couch and the next he'd be pale and vomiting. It blew my mind. I'm now understanding this. Of course, my low blood sugar still doesn't even touch a diabetic's. I really feel for those people that live with that terrible disease.
After my runs I typically feel slightly fatigued but over all pretty good. I try to slowly cool down by walking a bit. Then I get in my car to drive home. Once I get in the car, I start to feel the energy being drained out of me. It's a very sudden and terrible process. I've been concerned at times that I won't make it home.
After putting myself through this torture on numerous occasions I finally found the cure: Gatorade. In high school and college I was never a big fan of the high calorie drink. I always got so peeved when I saw someone jog a half mile and then chug a large sports drink. That just seemed ridiculous and over-kill to me. After running for 75 minutes at a medium-fast pace, I'm all for Gatorade. That's when it makes since.
If I immediately drink half a Gatorade after my run, I don't have the sudden drop. It gives me just enough sugar to boost me to my next meal. If I don't eat within 30 minutes of the Gatorade though, things start going south again. The Gatorade is just a temporary fix. Complex carbs are really the best thing I could consume.
So week 1 is now complete. I'm still learning a lot as I go. Hopefully this journey will not only help me accomplish a bucket list goal, but will also help build confidence and character. Three more weeks to go! Wish me luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment