kaqphin (Super Cat's) Mentor group - CLOSED (Page 19)

AHHH!!!! I just realized I'm about 8.5 days from my 8.5km race! Nothing compared to your half marathon Brit, but since its my first race ever, I just hit with a shiver of nerves.

and scanning logs... what does "strides" mean?

such as in a run where you do a set of

5x30 sec. strides 30 sec. rec. 

So, I'm adjusting my workouts a little as I want to make sure I really do taper for this marathon next week.  I'm starting to get a little anxious--not bad anxious if you will, but more of "oh my" I'm really going to do this! So, that is my focus for this next week.  I need to:

a. Eat healthy carbs
b. Get decent rest
c. Keep the blood flowing
d. TAPER

So, my mantra for this week is "I will taper, I will taper, I will taper." I won't lie...I'm excited about this race, and while a year ago I would never believe what I'm about to say--I don't just "want to finish." I've trained so hard, for so long, and seen such dramatic improvement, that I really do want to get a 3:40 or better and Boston qualify.  I think I have the basis to do it...Now, I won't be devestated if I don't get BQ on my first marathon--not at all, but still--I'm goal driven (sometime to a fault)...anyhow, there are my thoughts for the day! Happy Weekend all!

Ok, Britt- you and I will be Taper buddies next week!!

And I know I for one need someone or a whole mentor group to tell me to rest. Today is my scheduled rest day and although many muscle groups are sore... I am sitting at my desk with my legs bouncing wanting to put into practice the running advice from my challenge team- basically to run more Bad idea with a long ride tomorrow. I am trying to remember last Saturday when I rested for a day an half and somehow- although I don't trust the calculations- pulled out a 9 minute mile average for the first 5k of my run. Rest is good, taper is good, diet is good and you'll be great in your  Marathon!!!

Ive experienced a few people go taper nutty... especially for a marathon... look at it this way... all the work is done... you cannot improve your fitness for this race...

All this week is about is staying sharp, keeping your body loose and being in tip top shape for your race (this applies to the 8.5k race too) ... obviously the longer the race, the longer the taper but you will not change a thing in this final week!

So rest up, eat well and enjoy!  

As for me... I seem to have finally shaped this bug and did a bike session today... it almost killed me! So I loved it!

Plan for tomorrow... if I wake up early, another ride session otherwise some strength work and maybe a balance class 

And... now Ive said it I have to do it! 

your sandwich choice wasn't bad... it was the muffin and chips that killed ya!  Muffin's are basically cake without frosting!  mmm, yum.. so tasty!  And now a days they are HUGE too!!

Watching my mom (the WW leader) in a restaurant is pretty interesting.  Sometimes it's like watching Sally, in Harry Met Sally, where she grills the waitress and never hesitates to make requests. If you're nice they usually don't mind.  Just complement the food when it arrives.

1)go for salads and always request dressing on the side

2) as for grilled veggies instead of that side of roasted potatoes

3)keep that bread basket out of your reach

4) no sauce on the meats, ect.

5) red sauce over white always for pasta

6)she gets a coffee or tea when everone orders dessert

Generally asking for dressings and sauces on the side are the easiest ways to cut down on calories without sacrificing flavor. And there's a technique to this... Dip your empty fork in the dressing BEFORE you pick up that piece of food. It adds almost the perfect amount. I thought she was crazy until I tried it, but it WORKS!!! Eating this way you will have the exact same flavor experience with 1/4 of the amount of sauce.

More eating tips....

1) If you know you are eating out and want something yummy make that your 'meal off' for the week (with the training you are doing you should be fine with a naughty meal a week... its what you do 80% of the time that matters)

2) If the meals is bigger than what you would normally at (WATCH SERVING SIZES) automatically cut it in half and ask them to box up the other half for you to take home

3) If you are having more than one course have a starter and main or main and dessert, not all three

4) Order entree sized main meals if available

5) All the stuff already been mentioned - tomato based sauces, dressing on the side, grilled food (but ask if they grill it with oil or butter as this will affect the meal)

6) If you are going to eat out (and dont do it more than once a week) make sure you order something you WANT to eat

7) Make eating out an occassional treat and ENJOY! 

ONE WEEK TILL GAME TIME! I'm getting so excited y'all...and I'm proud to report that for my run today I DID NOT go out to fast, I did not push hard, and in fact, it was nice to just run it and enjoy it and stretch the legs.  The Austin Mary posted a YouTube video of the course, so I've watched that, and probably will again--it's nice, I get to see the course without worrying about driving it myself.  The way they did it is drive and record it and it shows you what mileage marker it is, etc.

Pam- how'd dinner go??

Aaw thats so cool about your little one Lyssa!!!

Congrats on the weight loss too!!!! (I like shiny things)

Wow nice job on the dinner that was really healthy! There is nothing wrong with bread... just make sure you dont eat that AS WELL as a full meal...

With a LONG ride yuo probably needed the extra carbs anyway

LOL Lyssa - Im sure your sister will be relieved you arent going to eat him either!

Very cute!

So you know those days when you just feel blah... Not quite sure how to explain it but I'm having one of those days.

Woke up really stiff from running yesterday (this is pretty normal) and feeling pretty lethargic and kept debating my swim all day.  Terrible drizzly rain today isn't helping either. Common sense and experience tells me that generally once I go and start a workout or go out and be active I'll feel much better (mentally and physically) but its one of those days where you just don't feel like it. does that make any sense?  do you know what I'm talking about? I guess today I am trying to see what happens if I take the day off -since I had some really long workouts over the weekend and the race coming up. Hopefully it will mean tomorrow's workout will be excellent. So far it's just making me moody and giving me the munchies. It's a very blah day.

So when you're having those days. can you guys tell the difference between  when it's your body telling you you need a rest day or your brain giving you "blah" signals because it actually needs you to go out and get your heart rate up? 

I can sometimes tell when Im feeling blah... but take a look at your schedule (outside of training) because if you have a busy and full on life already... the added stress of training can leave you feeling blah!

Have a day off if you need it... is there something else you'd rather be doing (not triathlon related) such as turning up the music and dancing or going to an aerobics class or something? Maybe you need some variety? Swim bike run all the time can get to be more of a task than something you do for enjoyment... (something I was going through recently)

Id say... if you are sore, tired and just feel like doing nothing you probably just need a day off... if you are just feeling frustrated with it and dont want to do it then you may be over trained or in need of some variety...

When was the last time yuo had some laugh out loud fun? (without worrying about getting up for training or anything like that)