This weekend would have been the Detroit Free Press Marathon races but, thanks to COVID, it went virtual. I'm actually not participating in any of the activities, however, I still hold this race near and dear to my heart. It was my first marathon. Detroit is the best city in the world. Michigan is my home and damn, I wish I was there right now running in the beautiful fall weather.
I literally just got off of Twitch with this live panel that included the amazing (and my personal favorite), Des Linden. She even gave a shout out to Rochester, my hometown. Let me tell you, I think Michiganders have thick blood especially if you train outside through the winter. I actually miss running in the snow. This would have been my cousin's first year running the Freep and I'm bummed it won't be on the actual course. I may be biased but this race doesn't compare to anything else out there. How many races do you run into another country and back, going through an underwater mile? I hope to make my return next fall.
Alright guys, so it's been a week. It's actually been a few weeks. What I mean by that is I went through a rut that ran pretty freckin' deep. I took my first mental day off of running in probably......ever. You know what? It's okay to not be okay. Last week's speed workout kicked my ass. I felt like hot garbage for the rest of the day. The rest of the week just felt like I was throwing myself at the ground like a limp fish. My fatigue level was 100 and my motivation level was -100. I adjusted my long run to just be an easy, slow run. I'm extremely thankful for my always understanding coach. She lent me some great words of wisdom. Going into the beginning of this week, I still wasn't feeling right, both mentally and physically. Monday passed and I woke up Tuesday saying to myself, "No. This isn't happening today.". As runners, we toot our horns saying we work through the pain and suffering of whatever it may be and we fight our mental ability to want to quit. When it's something completely different, it's ok to take a day off. Take care of yourself. Your body will always be the one to tell you whether it's ready or not. So I did just that. I didn't even bother going out. I didn't bother getting dressed. I mean, my running clothes. I put real clothes on. I didn't do any warmup or stretches. I didn't even work. I took care of myself. I did a long meditation. I put on some yoga for anxiety. I ate a heck of a lot of Oreos. I also treated myself to something on Prime Day.
I hate how excited I got about buying a salad spinner but I guess when you hit your 30s and love cooking, kitchen stuff is literally just as amazing as buying a new car or something. I also finally got some Stasher bags!
I've been wanting some for a long time. They aren't cheap, though, but they pay off in the long run both with less waste and not having to buy more plastic bags in the future. Plus, I actually saved $15 on them with Prime Day. Winner, winner! I'm slowly but surely ditching plastic or products we just throw away after one use. My running coach sent me a bunch of extra silicone muffin baking cups a few weeks ago and they work amazing! I whipped up some vegan banana muffins. They lasted a whole two days.
Can't you tell I didn't have enough walnuts?
No clue why I didn't get these sooner. They don't stick and they are actually really easy to clean as well. Another way I'm ditching throw aways is making my own running fuel. So I've been on the fence about honey as a vegan. I've talked about it before but I was a Honey Stinger ambassador and loved their products. It was pretty much the only non-vegan thing I was consuming. Well, we finished our stash of that stuff and I finally said "I'm done". I'm going back to my roots of a fuel I used at the beginning of the year: Endurance Tap. Here's the thing, though. They're kind of pricey. For 6 pouches, it's about $16. For someone who's ballin' on a budget, that adds up quick, especially during distance training. But I wondered, can I make it myself? It's three ingredients: maple syrup, salt, and ginger. The ginger is especially my favorite because it's great for keeping your stomach in check as well as your GI system. But what would I put it in? I searched "reusable food pouches" and came across some I couldn't say no to.
Come on, how cute is it, though? It's a whole set of animals. It was $12 for 6 pouches. They're 3.5oz, if I remember correctly. I measured out 2oz of maple syrup, added in the salt and used powdered ginger. It literally taste the exact same as Endurance Tap. But how would it do on the road? It worked great! These pouches basically work the same as what Endurance Tap uses, with resealable lids and all. I may look a little funny taking fuel from something a baby probably eats food out of but hey, if you aren't having fun then is it really worth it? They're easy to clean and again, better for the environment. I'm all about saving money these days and each of these little changes helps.
I forgot what week of training I'm on but I can assure you I'm in a much better place after taking care of myself. Remember, it's ok to take a day off. A week off. Heck, if you need a month, take a month. Use a resource like Headspace to start some meditating. That's been a game changer for me since May. I told myself I need to start journaling again. Whatever your niche may be, roll with it! Happy training.
It's been roughly three weeks since I've written anything. If you're a regular here, you're probably wondering what the hell is going on. To be completely honest with you, I just drug myself through a big slump and it's 100% running related. If you're new here, hello. I'm training for another half marathon that is about 11 weeks away. I've been following Garmin's training plan that is built into Connect IQ that syncs with my Fenix 5X. If I had a choice, and endless income, I would be working with my running coach, Kristen Griffin (Find Your Stride) but alas, adulting sets in sometimes. Side note: if you're looking for an amazing running coach, work with her. She is literally the bomb. I hope to return to her for another spicy event coming in February. You'll have to just wait to see what that entails. A hint will be given at the end of this entry.
Okay, sorry. My (self-diagnosed) ADD gets the best of me sometimes. So yeah, I went through a slump. This happens with every training cycle I go through. My mind wanders and doesn't connect with my heart. I find it more of a challenge to put forth effort into my workouts than my body really wants to. The other thing I wasn't used to is all of the speed work I've been doing with this plan that quite frankly I hate. Yes, I know it's necessary for improvement and that's fine. Sign me up for one, maybe two, a week. I had three in one week and then a long run. What the hell, McMillan? I miss running with my Nuun friend that's in town. But what's most important are long runs and they should align with what day your race will be on. I told the app to program mine on Saturdays. What day have I been doing them? Mondays. Again, what the hell. After finishing today's long run, I've decided to call it quits on Garmin. I appreciate the fact that they give us access to free plans that sync automatically and what not but I do believe the algorithm needs work.
Phew, okay. Now that that's out of the way. What will I do now? Go back to my trusty team at Hansons. I'm originally from Michigan and you'd be missing out if you didn't shop there if you live near one. They are the best of the best in the Metro Detroit area (my opinion but truth). Hansons was the only store I would turn to for all things running. I like supporting small, local companies that know what the hell (3x I've used this phrase now) they're talking about. Ever since they did a gait analysis on me per recommendation from my doctor at the time, I never went anywhere else. Have you seen their running team? Damn! Stacked line up. Anyway, they provide free plans on their website. I actually used them to train for the Detroit Marathon last year. They also offer paid plans that sync directly with Final Surge. I will say that their plans are not for the faint at heart. Many argue that their mileage is too high and demanding. They also say running only up to 16 miles isn't enough for marathon training. I beg to differ. I finished with a smile on my face. Proof:
Detroit Free Press Marathon, 2018
You know I never hit a wall during that race? Not once. Still blows my mind to this day. If you are training for a marathon or really any race, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend their book (<-link). I still reference it to this day for things like how to properly fuel or what pacing we should be at, etc. If you haven't caught on with all of this raving I'm doing about them, I am falling on them to get me through to the finish for my half. I had originally planned on using them in the first place, had the whole plan in my Google Calendar, but then came across this Garmin stuff. While I'm not one to switch plans on the fly like this, I believe that I am in fine enough fitness shape to pick up where I should be. With some mild adjusting this week, we'll be back on sync after this coming weekend. Now I can exhale after taking three paragraphs to catch you up on things.
While we're on the subject of training for my upcoming half, we paid a visit to Mt. Lemmon last weekend as I had yet to even go to it. Are you one to scope out race courses before you run them? I am! I don't think we'll have a problem getting bored with this view.
Let's turn the page on race training and close this entry out with two (technically three) fun things: two discounts and a new recipe! As you know (or maybe you don't), I am lucky enough to be an ambassador for Nuun Hydration. I absolutely love using their products for everything from fitness to traveling and even to cure a slight hangover. They also have immunity tablets to boost that system of yours if you feel a cold coming on or if you're being a preventative freak like I am. Now through 8/20, you can get 25% using the lovely code below. Watermelon is my favorite flavor currently but Strawberry Lemonade is in a close second. You can click on the picture to be directed to their website!
The second discount I want to share is for the Sprouts Mesa-Phx races! Whether you're just half crazy or full crazy, punch in BRITTERS10 at checkout for $10 off your entry! I will be there with bells on. There is also a 10K option but the discount is not valid for that. Sorry!
LASTLY (promise), a new recipe! You guys, I love dessert. If you say the words "carrot cake" around me, I will freak out. It's my favorite. I happened to find a recipe for a carrot cake protein shake! Get in mah belly! Now, I'll be honest, it doesn't taste like you're cutting into a three-layer piece of heaven but it's loaded with nutrients and filled me up all morning. I do suggest a high-powered blender for this one such as a Vitamix or Ninja. Link to the recipe is here!
If you've made it to the end, I super appreciate you. Hopefully, we'll be back to regular training recaps and more yummy recipes. Cheers!
