Work your Weakness aka "Hey, Mike, STFU!" Challenge (Page 18)

I had a beautiful run this morning and it felt great.  I seem to be gaining on this thing. 

On the other hand my big dinners/late night eating has not gone as well as I would like, but it hasn't been terrible.  I need to do a better job of eating more calories during the day--especially when I'm training hard--so that I'm not ravenous when I get home.  I'm going to grocery shop a little differently this week trying to keep that in mind. 

November goals, hmmmm.

Keep running consistently.

Be more regular about my core and specific strength work.

Shift the bulk of my caloric consumption before 4 pm.

Try to decrease the things in my life that detract from overall wellbeing.

Awesome! So glad to hear that you are picking up on the running.

Are you just trying to keep your calories more spread out through the day or is there something actually wrong with eating later?

I would like to see what happens to my running with a bit of weight loss.  Race weight is a complicated idea, but I *think* my overall performance would improve if I were 7-10lbs lighter than I am now. 

There are a few factors that I think has played into my fear of them:
1) I've never been really great at longer distances when it comes to running.

2) I got injured after my first 18 mile run.  I thought it was a stress fracture, but it was just severe tendonitis.  Since then I've associated runs at that distance or longer with that pain.

3) You get "the wall" when it comes to longer runs. I'm not sure what it is about running longer distances, but you get a feeling (for me usually after about 1:40 into the run) like the world is out to get you.  I have thoughts like these creep up:

You're not going to hit your numbers.  Hell, you're not even going to finish this run.  It's over! You're not going to meet your goal on race day!  It's all too hard!  Look at your pace dropping! You're going to fail!  Quit now!  Stick to 5 and 10K's.  You're better at those anyway. 

I've read that the cause of this feeling of unease is partially nutrition related.  That "down" feeling is because you're body lacks fuel.  So making sure I eat enough before and during the workout is something I intend to work on. 

My goal is to get past being afraid of that wall.  If I want to be a strong and competitive runner and triathlete, I can't be held back by mental blocks like this.  The whole purpose of my marathon training is to make myself a stronger runner physically and mentally.  If I want to attain what it takes to qualify for ITU Worlds next year, this is where that path begins.

Yes, I am quoting myself.  Lame, I know.

Ok, so it occurs to me that in wanting to address my above weaknesses, I exposed another weakness, which is not having SMART goals.  They are kind of wishy washy and undefined so that I don't fail.  I was thinking about that for my HM this weekend.  I have a goal, but if I don't really put it out there, state it, I have an excuse when it all starts to hurt.  So, with that being said, my goal for the above:

Ice sore bits as they are sore.

Hip exercises 3x/week

Core 3x/week

Achilles exercises 3x/week

and for Sunday:

HM goal for this weekend 2:0X

Originally posted by switch

Originally posted by Asalzwed

Originally posted by switch

I had a beautiful run this morning and it felt great.  I seem to be gaining on this thing. 

On the other hand my big dinners/late night eating has not gone as well as I would like, but it hasn't been terrible.  I need to do a better job of eating more calories during the day--especially when I'm training hard--so that I'm not ravenous when I get home.  I'm going to grocery shop a little differently this week trying to keep that in mind. 

November goals, hmmmm.

Keep running consistently.

Be more regular about my core and specific strength work.

Shift the bulk of my caloric consumption before 4 pm.

Try to decrease the things in my life that detract from overall wellbeing.

 

Awesome! So glad to hear that you are picking up on the running.

Are you just trying to keep your calories more spread out through the day or is there something actually wrong with eating later?

Since I tend to train in the early am and over lunch, I should probably be eating the bulk of my calories around those times for fuel and recovery.  the problem that I think I have is that I don't eat enough during the day and then I get too hungry and over eat at night when I am making dinner and hanging out with my family with easy access to good food. The food at work is not that appealing, so it's rare for me to get out of control there

I would like to see what happens to my running with a bit of weight loss.  Race weight is a complicated idea, but I *think* my overall performance would improve if I were 7-10lbs lighter than I am now. 

Ah ha, yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Also, when your volume goes up. ESPECIALLY running volume, I think those numbers will drop quite naturally. 

Originally posted by ligersandtions

Originally posted by msteiner

Originally posted by drfoodlove Super excited this morning for a number of reasons. 1.) Made it through last night without having any Halloween candy (no trick-or-treaters, so the package didn't get opened). 2.) My training plan calls for a rest day! 3.) I just signed up for a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, which I will be doing with my sister (a marathoner), her husband, and two of their kids (all athletic and veteran 5K racers). After my October tri was cancelled due to the gov't shutdown, I was super bummed--this is getting me excited again. It will be my first official race (ever, if you don't count the 'fat-girl' relay one of my high school track meets used to have for the throwers). Hope everyone is having a good day!

Turkey trots are serious business.  All the serious runners come out for that event!  I'm racing the one in Memphis, where they give out pumpkin pies to everyone who places.  I really want to win one of those pies, but so does everyone else!

Originally posted by drfoodlove Anyone have November goals (in addition to the mini-challenge)? My Sept/Oct goal was to do something active every single day. I have a problem with consistency! Made it in Oct, would have made it in Sept, but for a 3 day illness near the end. November goal: Faithfully stick to my training plan, even rest days. May be difficult with the food and family events around the middle and end of the month, but I gotta try.

The main thing I want to tackle in November is my fear of long runs.  I've never been a fan of them, but I've got to get mentally tougher if I want to have a solid marathon.

I'm doing a Turkey Trot 5k as well....don't think there are pies at the end, but that's a super cool prize! Best of luck snagging one. And great work, Gretchen! Avoiding candy and staying consistent in your training are awesome achievements! Keep it up I'm going to continue to work on my running. I haven't any thoughts of PR'ing my Turkey Trot, but it'll be nice to have a new (post-accident) base line and work from there. Also super excited -- half day of work today (half day every Friday, so this isn't necessarily special), an appointment with my ART guy, and then 40 minutes of trail running! I love that you can trail run right in the middle of downtown Houston....super random, but I love it there. And the weather has taken a turn for the better....yesterday was hot and humid, today is cool and dry. My knee's been bugging me a little bit recently, and I think it's because my hamstring and hip flexor have tightened up on me a bit. Going to have my ART torture (magic?) done today and then may try to do it closer to weekly than bi-weekly. The maintenance is really what's keeping me going.

Your Friday sounds fantastic!!!! I've heard the term ART plenty, but now that I think of it, I don't exactly know what it is. Care to fill me in? 

I think it's a great idea to quantify goals if possible as a way to measure progress and be able to hit a specific target.  I'm a numbers person so I can't help but put everything into numbers.

And Good Luck on your HM this weekend.  I'll be thinking about you and sending speedy vibes your way.

Originally posted by switch

Originally posted by Asalzwed

Originally posted by switch

I had a beautiful run this morning and it felt great.  I seem to be gaining on this thing. 

On the other hand my big dinners/late night eating has not gone as well as I would like, but it hasn't been terrible.  I need to do a better job of eating more calories during the day--especially when I'm training hard--so that I'm not ravenous when I get home.  I'm going to grocery shop a little differently this week trying to keep that in mind. 

November goals, hmmmm.

Keep running consistently.

Be more regular about my core and specific strength work.

Shift the bulk of my caloric consumption before 4 pm.

Try to decrease the things in my life that detract from overall wellbeing.

 

Awesome! So glad to hear that you are picking up on the running.

Are you just trying to keep your calories more spread out through the day or is there something actually wrong with eating later?

Since I tend to train in the early am and over lunch, I should probably be eating the bulk of my calories around those times for fuel and recovery.  the problem that I think I have is that I don't eat enough during the day and then I get too hungry and over eat at night when I am making dinner and hanging out with my family with easy access to good food. The food at work is not that appealing, so it's rare for me to get out of control there

I would like to see what happens to my running with a bit of weight loss.  Race weight is a complicated idea, but I *think* my overall performance would improve if I were 7-10lbs lighter than I am now. 

This is my problem with eating as well and it is not good for weight management.  Throughout the day and early evening I am so busy that I don't eat much.  It is like my mind also supports that because I think I'm doing good by reducing my calories BUT it all comes crashing down later in the evening when I start grazing.  I even get up in the middle of the night which is very, very bad.  Last night I got up at 3:00am and ate a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate sauce.

It is easier said than done but yes, it is best to get calories in the morning and throughout the day for fuel and recovery.  One does not need the grazing at night.  In fact I read that the starve during the day and pig out at night can be used as a weight GAIN technique, if one has a need for such.

I also agree that race weight can make a big difference.  I dropped about five pounds last Spring when prepping for an HM and I felt more nimble and had an over 40 PR by a substantial amount of time.  I put most of the weight back on though I think half of it was muscle mass especially when I did some strength work as part of the core challenge.  I'm embarking on a personal challenge for November to go from 164 to 160 by the end of the month.  I think it will make a big difference in speed and also help mitigate some of the extra stress I am putting on myself with my current running plan. 

Do you think there is any chance that you are running your long training runs too fast?  I know you are a smart guy and know what you are doing so I'm just throwing this out there as food for thought.  I have talked to some pretty accomplished runners that do their long training runs at seemily ridiculously slow paces.  The adaptions that are accomplished through the long run can be had at fairly modest paces.  That said I have had a hard time backing off because I feel my form gets off and I feel more sore/tired below a certain pace.  Anyway, just a thought.

I have another tough run tomorrow morning as part of my speed challenge.  3 x 1.5 miles at T pace which is about 7:30 for me.  I'm hoping this will be a little easier than last weeks T run.  The plan keeps increasing distances (last week was a total of 4 miles) so you don't seem to get much of a break.  My first 5k of this mini-season is next Saturday.  Unfortunately it is the fastest course of the five races I have lined up.  I'm already getting butterflies thinking about it. Yikes.

It's definitely crossed my mind.  The pace zone I'm supposed to do the long run is PZI zone 3, which for me is 7:30-8:20, so Matt Fitzgerald probably wants me to aim for 7:50 as an average for my pace.  The problem with that is if you give me a range of paces, guess which end of the range I'll aim for.  I am going to try to back to more of a 7:45ish average and see if I hate life a little less. 

I know some very, VERY fast marathoners and just about all of them do their long run quite slow. Unless it's some sort of specific pace workout. Try to not let the ego get the best of you! Also and probably most important, do what you need to do to enjoy those long runs! 

You know me so well now

Well shoot, it's not easy letting the woman with her jogging stroller loaded with triplets and a soft drink in the cup holder pass you. But sometimes it's a necessary part of a successful marathon build-up

Originally posted by popsracer

Originally posted by switch

Originally posted by Asalzwed

Originally posted by switch

I had a beautiful run this morning and it felt great.  I seem to be gaining on this thing. 

On the other hand my big dinners/late night eating has not gone as well as I would like, but it hasn't been terrible.  I need to do a better job of eating more calories during the day--especially when I'm training hard--so that I'm not ravenous when I get home.  I'm going to grocery shop a little differently this week trying to keep that in mind. 

November goals, hmmmm.

Keep running consistently.

Be more regular about my core and specific strength work.

Shift the bulk of my caloric consumption before 4 pm.

Try to decrease the things in my life that detract from overall wellbeing.

 

Awesome! So glad to hear that you are picking up on the running.

Are you just trying to keep your calories more spread out through the day or is there something actually wrong with eating later?

Since I tend to train in the early am and over lunch, I should probably be eating the bulk of my calories around those times for fuel and recovery.  the problem that I think I have is that I don't eat enough during the day and then I get too hungry and over eat at night when I am making dinner and hanging out with my family with easy access to good food. The food at work is not that appealing, so it's rare for me to get out of control there

I would like to see what happens to my running with a bit of weight loss.  Race weight is a complicated idea, but I *think* my overall performance would improve if I were 7-10lbs lighter than I am now. 

This is my problem with eating as well and it is not good for weight management.  Throughout the day and early evening I am so busy that I don't eat much.  It is like my mind also supports that because I think I'm doing good by reducing my calories BUT it all comes crashing down later in the evening when I start grazing.  I even get up in the middle of the night which is very, very bad.  Last night I got up at 3:00am and ate a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate sauce.

It is easier said than done but yes, it is best to get calories in the morning and throughout the day for fuel and recovery.  One does not need the grazing at night.  In fact I read that the starve during the day and pig out at night can be used as a weight GAIN technique, if one has a need for such.

I also agree that race weight can make a big difference.  I dropped about five pounds last Spring when prepping for an HM and I felt more nimble and had an over 40 PR by a substantial amount of time.  I put most of the weight back on though I think half of it was muscle mass especially when I did some strength work as part of the core challenge.  I'm embarking on a personal challenge for November to go from 164 to 160 by the end of the month.  I think it will make a big difference in speed and also help mitigate some of the extra stress I am putting on myself with my current running plan. 

Steve, are you thinking of the Samammish Half again BTW? 

I had some similar food-related issues as you guys described. I handled the issues two ways. One being Breakfast. I committed to not only eating breakfast, but blocking out some time in the morning so that it didn't slip off the priority list. I asked my partner if she could also commit and we make it kind of our touch base time in the morning. It then serves two purposes because life gets busy and making time for your SO is one of those things that can be an issue when logging big training miles/hours.

Second was lunches. Buying lunch can be expensive, time-consuming (if you go off site or whatever) and you can't control the calories very well. I just started making double the amount of dinner and then bringing leftovers regularly. It also forced me to make dinner because no dinner = no lunches the next day.

These two things were difficult but life changing.

I purposely switched to a hydration pack as a way to take on more of the persona of a ultra type runner for my long runs.  I don't care if I'm slow, like hey, I'm supposed to be slow I got 20 more miles and you all should know that otherwise I wouldn't have this frick'n pack on my back.  In addition, it was a great way to carry my gel flasks and anything else I might need like cellphone, etc.

I'll be doing the Lake Sam HM again.  Can't wait.  I talked to the RD at a race a few weeks ago and they are going to add distance to the beginning of the race before it hits the trail in order to eliminate the back and forths through the parking lot at the end.  I just about killed myself tripping on a speedbump last year.

That would be pretty cool to meet up for beers afterwards with the gang.  We'll have to get something posted on the WA forum.

Hahaha!

And I suppose it keeps you from having to wear a fanny pack and lookin' like a REAL tool (like me!)

Originally posted by Asalzwed

Originally posted by popsracer

Originally posted by switch

Originally posted by Asalzwed

Originally posted by switch

I had a beautiful run this morning and it felt great.  I seem to be gaining on this thing. 

On the other hand my big dinners/late night eating has not gone as well as I would like, but it hasn't been terrible.  I need to do a better job of eating more calories during the day--especially when I'm training hard--so that I'm not ravenous when I get home.  I'm going to grocery shop a little differently this week trying to keep that in mind. 

November goals, hmmmm.

Keep running consistently.

Be more regular about my core and specific strength work.

Shift the bulk of my caloric consumption before 4 pm.

Try to decrease the things in my life that detract from overall wellbeing.

 

Awesome! So glad to hear that you are picking up on the running.

Are you just trying to keep your calories more spread out through the day or is there something actually wrong with eating later?

Since I tend to train in the early am and over lunch, I should probably be eating the bulk of my calories around those times for fuel and recovery.  the problem that I think I have is that I don't eat enough during the day and then I get too hungry and over eat at night when I am making dinner and hanging out with my family with easy access to good food. The food at work is not that appealing, so it's rare for me to get out of control there

I would like to see what happens to my running with a bit of weight loss.  Race weight is a complicated idea, but I *think* my overall performance would improve if I were 7-10lbs lighter than I am now. 

This is my problem with eating as well and it is not good for weight management.  Throughout the day and early evening I am so busy that I don't eat much.  It is like my mind also supports that because I think I'm doing good by reducing my calories BUT it all comes crashing down later in the evening when I start grazing.  I even get up in the middle of the night which is very, very bad.  Last night I got up at 3:00am and ate a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate sauce.

It is easier said than done but yes, it is best to get calories in the morning and throughout the day for fuel and recovery.  One does not need the grazing at night.  In fact I read that the starve during the day and pig out at night can be used as a weight GAIN technique, if one has a need for such.

I also agree that race weight can make a big difference.  I dropped about five pounds last Spring when prepping for an HM and I felt more nimble and had an over 40 PR by a substantial amount of time.  I put most of the weight back on though I think half of it was muscle mass especially when I did some strength work as part of the core challenge.  I'm embarking on a personal challenge for November to go from 164 to 160 by the end of the month.  I think it will make a big difference in speed and also help mitigate some of the extra stress I am putting on myself with my current running plan. 

Steve, are you thinking of the Samammish Half again BTW? 

I had some similar food-related issues as you guys described. I handled the issues two ways. One being Breakfast. I committed to not only eating breakfast, but blocking out some time in the morning so that it didn't slip off the priority list. I asked my partner if she could also commit and we make it kind of our touch base time in the morning. It then serves two purposes because life gets busy and making time for your SO is one of those things that can be an issue when logging big training miles/hours.

Second was lunches. Buying lunch can be expensive, time-consuming (if you go off site or whatever) and you can't control the calories very well. I just started making double the amount of dinner and then bringing leftovers regularly. It also forced me to make dinner because no dinner = no lunches the next day.

 

These two things were difficult but life changing.

I'm in the same boat as Elesa...I do probably 50% of my workout volume before 7:30 a.m., and another 40% during the lunch time period.  Fortunately, I work out of the house so I can control what I eat during the day, but sometimes the easy access has me munching on stuff I shouldn't. 

And x2 on Salty's advice of focusing on breakfast, and eating leftovers for lunch.  I eat an egg sandwich and fruit every morning (unless I don't train that morning AND have and mid-morning workout planned or something).  I also try to replicate that diet when I travel, subject to what the hotel has available (and the two primary things I look for at a hotel are the gym and how good the breakfast is). We cook dinner and I'm the garbage disposal the next day (or several days, depending on what we make).  It can be tough sometimes not to go out for lunch, 1) because sometimes I get stir crazy here and need some human interaction, and 2) I have a gajillion chain and local restaurants near me, many within walking distance (including Five Guys, which is crack awesome).

Dinners can be all over the place...sometimes I eat healthfully and sometimes I shove my pie hole with a cheesesteak.  We all gotta live, right?  My weight has stayed pretty consistent around 200 for about a year now.  My body composition changes a bit (like right now I have pipe cleaners for arms because I'm not swimming or strength training), but the weight doesn't fluctuate much.  Heading into next season I'm going to try to get down to about 193 or so for my A race, but that's seven months away so I'm not worried about.

And watch out, kids, Eatin' Season is coming!!! 

Yes!  It's about 6 weeks out from Boston this year which I think will be a little better suited to the build up. 

And maaaaan that back and forth crap was nonsense! Glad it's going to be resolved. 

Originally posted by Asalzwed

Originally posted by popsracer

Originally posted by switch

Originally posted by Asalzwed

Originally posted by switch

I had a beautiful run this morning and it felt great.  I seem to be gaining on this thing. 

On the other hand my big dinners/late night eating has not gone as well as I would like, but it hasn't been terrible.  I need to do a better job of eating more calories during the day--especially when I'm training hard--so that I'm not ravenous when I get home.  I'm going to grocery shop a little differently this week trying to keep that in mind. 

November goals, hmmmm.

Keep running consistently.

Be more regular about my core and specific strength work.

Shift the bulk of my caloric consumption before 4 pm.

Try to decrease the things in my life that detract from overall wellbeing.

 

Awesome! So glad to hear that you are picking up on the running.

Are you just trying to keep your calories more spread out through the day or is there something actually wrong with eating later?

Since I tend to train in the early am and over lunch, I should probably be eating the bulk of my calories around those times for fuel and recovery.  the problem that I think I have is that I don't eat enough during the day and then I get too hungry and over eat at night when I am making dinner and hanging out with my family with easy access to good food. The food at work is not that appealing, so it's rare for me to get out of control there

I would like to see what happens to my running with a bit of weight loss.  Race weight is a complicated idea, but I *think* my overall performance would improve if I were 7-10lbs lighter than I am now. 

This is my problem with eating as well and it is not good for weight management.  Throughout the day and early evening I am so busy that I don't eat much.  It is like my mind also supports that because I think I'm doing good by reducing my calories BUT it all comes crashing down later in the evening when I start grazing.  I even get up in the middle of the night which is very, very bad.  Last night I got up at 3:00am and ate a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate sauce.

It is easier said than done but yes, it is best to get calories in the morning and throughout the day for fuel and recovery.  One does not need the grazing at night.  In fact I read that the starve during the day and pig out at night can be used as a weight GAIN technique, if one has a need for such.

I also agree that race weight can make a big difference.  I dropped about five pounds last Spring when prepping for an HM and I felt more nimble and had an over 40 PR by a substantial amount of time.  I put most of the weight back on though I think half of it was muscle mass especially when I did some strength work as part of the core challenge.  I'm embarking on a personal challenge for November to go from 164 to 160 by the end of the month.  I think it will make a big difference in speed and also help mitigate some of the extra stress I am putting on myself with my current running plan. 

Steve, are you thinking of the Samammish Half again BTW? 

I had some similar food-related issues as you guys described. I handled the issues two ways. One being Breakfast. I committed to not only eating breakfast, but blocking out some time in the morning so that it didn't slip off the priority list. I asked my partner if she could also commit and we make it kind of our touch base time in the morning. It then serves two purposes because life gets busy and making time for your SO is one of those things that can be an issue when logging big training miles/hours.

Second was lunches. Buying lunch can be expensive, time-consuming (if you go off site or whatever) and you can't control the calories very well. I just started making double the amount of dinner and then bringing leftovers regularly. It also forced me to make dinner because no dinner = no lunches the next day.

 These two things were difficult but life changing.

Is it ok to jump into this challenge even though I won't technically be working my weakest area? Really don't want to work on transitions right now (seriously, it's terrible). Swimming is still the weakest of the 3 sports (going heavy there) and bike splits were atrocious compared to what I could do before.

Anyway, some thoughts overlap here. I bring lunch all the time. Buying is too expensive and too time-consuming. Lunch either takes longer or I spend too much waiting in line. We even have on-site cafeteria and it's too much. I don't like much of it and it's not what I need. I can burn off the calories, but I need the energy and building materials due to a good size volume of training. I need to go to the store anyway and it doesn't take 5 minutes more to pick out everything for the week. I also need too much food daily to only have meals. So I make sure to pack in snacks as well, morning and afternoon. I make sure to fit in time to have all of this during the day. Usually about the same time for each. Kind of a habit then. I have it down so things are pretty regular and can tell with the workload if I'll need more or less, but usually I'll adjust eating outside of work a little more first.