Mondays are generally the day of my training schedule for cross training. Last week was week one of marathon training for me but in reality, it was week six. Yes, I started at week six. So last week, I did a DVD that included some cardio and some weight training. It was a good 30 minutes. This week I opted for a walk… with my 16 year old son, the baby. No “!!!” tags here but a slide show to share what we saw. This is a route that I frequently run on.
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Supplements. As I get more and more into the fitness world and that of endurance running, I find more and more information about supplements is available. But do I want to take these items?
While you may not think of it as a supplement, I even was hesitant on drinking Gatorade or a sports drink. I would, for years, run with just water as a replenishing drink. This is great when I am running four or five miles or back when I was walking as much as I was running during a workout. I could get enough potassium in the fruits and vegetables I was eating to help with muscle cramping. Then, I upped the distance and the pace and the cramps. I had to look at a new way to provide my body with nutrients and electrolytes I was depleting. I started with G2 – a low calorie Gatorade. I did not go for the low calorie because I was worried about how many calories there are in regular Gatorade. I did it because the sugar in Gatorade made it too sweet for me. I will admit – not that I drink soda very often – that I haven’t drank regular soda in decades.
Then came my first half marathon. On top of G2, I had my first GU. My youngest still sticks up his nose when I say the word GU. Usually, that is followed by an “eww gross.” The first I ever had was chocolate but it was cold out and the GU was not gel consistency. I swore I wasn’t going to try another one. I did. I have gotten to the point where I love the berry flavors. I haven’t tried other forms of energy gels but will as I train for the October marathon.
I have been trying various electrolyte items throughout the spring and summer. There are so many it is hard to say what is good and what isn’t. I do have to say that I seldom follow the “directions” on the package. Even on GU, the package says one 45 minutes before beginning and one every 40-60 minutes of exercise. I usually just take one about half way on a long race. As I up my mileage on my long runs, I may have more than one but I have yet to reach that point.
Another item I have tried are Sports Beans. These are from the makers of Jelly Belly jelly beans and are that size. They have electrolytes in them. While the ease of a gel is that you do not have to chew it, I like eating as I run – at least something small like a jelly bean. I have been known to stick dates in a zippie bag and take those with me as I run. Sports Beans are a yes for me but not for everyone.
Probably the most common supplement would be a daily multi-vitamin. We all know it is nearly impossible to eat all the daily requirements of every vitamin every day. I have taken the daily one pill version. I have taken a packet version formulated just for women. I am considering finding a new one for women of a “certain age,” as my mother always calls it.
Today I started a new supplement. I am going to try it for two weeks as I have a two weeks supply here. It is called FRS and was heavily promoted during the Tour de France. I am not sure how I will like it but I guess I will find out.
Do you take a multi-vitamin? What about other supplements?
Sunday, I spent a good portion of the day at Rec Park in Binghamton. There was a live music fest that ran from 1 pm to almost 9 pm. Eight bands played a 40 minute set. The music ran the gamut from jazz to Dixieland to Zydeco to rock. It was a wonderful day and I captured a lot of it with my DSLR.
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After my day at church on Sunday, I went with my fifth child to a live music festival. We both love live music and have somewhat similar tastes or can at least tolerate each other’s varied tastes in music. There will be more about the music in the near future.
I saw a friend there who has run multiple marathons and just recently completed a huge trail run. She has mentored several groups of new marathon runners through Team in Training. I asked her about the trail run and if she had heard – she is a friend of mine on Facebook even though we do not see each other daily – I was going to run the Wineglass Marathon this October.
As we talked about what training program I was going to follow, how long my longest run will be in that program, she expressed concern. She said that her immediate concern was that I would be running a 20 mile run alone. I told her that thought had not really crossed my mind as I have always run alone. I had never run a race until December of 2009 and, while I now love running races, I can easily resort to my solo running days.
Then, an offer of help came. My mind immediately flashed back to the giving and receiving discussion in the homily that morning at church. She said to let her know a couple of weeks out. She would meet me at a given point with fresh water and some encouragement. She also strongly suggested I email other friends and ask for the same support.
Why is it asking for help is difficult? I have managed to wiggle my way through life as a single mom to six kids for the last 14 years. I do, on occasion but not too often, ask their father for some assistance with them. Seldom is the help asked for for me. This is going to be a new thing for me but I am going to take her advice. I am going to be sure that my first 20 mile run has people at various points to help me get through it.
This is an entry based on Making Things Up’s six word Friday. Enjoy. Visit Melissa to find more Six Word Friday entries.
Not sure who I might be
Constantly changing my life and me
Running fast as my feet go
Stopping to smell flowers on roadside
Writing as best I can daily
Okay, so not just any coconut water. I want to tell you a bit about Vita Coco Coconut Water. You are probably thinking I have lost my marbles. I have to tell you when I first read about coconut water on Runner Dude’s blog, I hesitated. I don’t like coconut. I don’t like it shredded on cakes, in foods, in drinks like, say, a pina colada. I go out of my way to stay away from these items.
While I am not a huge fan of straight sports drinks, I do realize that the replacement of electrolytes is essential. I cannot do this with other drinks and sometimes, the heat and the intensity of the run have just made wanting to eat veggies and fruits impossible. I have managed, to date, using GU energy gels, Jelly Belly Sports Beans, and low-calorie G2 – a Gatorade product.
Then, I read Runner Dude’s information about coconut water. It has no added sugars. This is a big plus because it is the added sugars in the sports drinks that disagree with me. Coconut water has five essential electrolytes in it that need to be replaced. The largest electrolyte in coconut water is potassium. You will frequently find athletes eating bananas to help get potassium. Coconut water has 15 times more potassium than a banana. I sweat a lot. The word should probably profusely. If it is over 50F out, my clothing – whether wicking or not – is going to need to be wrung out when I get home from a run. I have had cramping issues in my legs during one race to date. After that race, I started getting myself more hydrated, if possible.
Vita Coco Coconut Water w/ Pomegranate and Acai
Vita Coco Coconut Water w Peach and Mango
I did not try the 100% coconut water without another flavoring in it. I was overly concerned about the whole taste of coconut. My first forays into coconut water were with two different flavored versions from Vita Coco (you can follow them on Twitter at @VitaCoco). I am a pomegranate fanatic so the pomegranate one was first on my list. There are 20g of sugar in this but also plenty of electrolytes. I loved the taste but highly recommend it be served cold or over ice. My second try was the peach mango flavor. This seemed a bit thicker. I do not think I could drink this while running but after definitely.
I strongly suggest you try Vita Coco Coconut Water. I haven’t found any other brands locally and purchase this at Wegman’s.
I admit it. I am a sports fanatic. The unfortunate truth is I do not necessarily like the average sports that most Americans spend hours watching. I do like college football and admit to watching a pro game here and there but I could really care less.
On the other hand, I will plan my nights around hockey games. I was jokingly told, during this year’s conference playoffs, that I was a bad date. Now, first, I was only out with a friend so there was no date going on at all. Second, the problem was I was not paying attention to his pool shots. I would literally walk away from the pool table to watch the hockey game on the television. Reception was not great so I did move closer to the TV to be able to see. It wasn’t like I was throwing the pool game – at least not the first couple. I was close to winning. I was shooting as best I could. I am not a huge pool player so I was happy when it was a challenge.
Needless to say, this summer has been a big sports fest for me. The World Cup soccer tournament has just recently finished up. Since the last World Cup tournament in 2006, I have become a runner. Consequently, I was running a race on the day of the final championship game. That is okay with me. Had I not been running, I would have been watching.
Then, overlapping with the end of the World Cup was the start of the Tour de France. Do not ask why I like this but I do. I hate missing coverage so much I watched coverage on my computer when I was not near a TV. I am enthralled with the stamina and skill that these athletes have. None of the stages are easy. None of the mountains are small. I love the idea of the team yet individual competition.
Do you like sports? Which ones would you watch?
What do you do when a friend is hurting
But won’t let you console her?
What do you do when a friend is down
But won’t let you help him smile?
What do you do when a friend is hungry
But won’t let you feed him?
What do you do when a friend is thirsty
But won’t let you give her a drink of water?
What do you do when a friend is crying
But won’t let you wipe away the tears?
What do you do when a friend needs a hug
But won’t let you hold him close?
What do you do?
