Boston Marathon 2019: Post race edition

I have enjoyed my post marathon recovery time very much.

I think it is easy to enjoy a few days off, when you are 100% satisfied with the way your race turned out. To be honest, as the days have gone by, I have felt more and more pleased with my race execution. This is a nice change from how I felt after Hyannis, but as mentioned, that was a good wake up call (if not a good race.)

I was pretty sore until Thursday, and then *poof* I was fine. Thanks to my multiple massages and chiropractic adjustments leading up to race day, I am actually feeling better than I have in quite a while.

Eric and Ellie and I enjoyed out typical post-race Tuesday in Boston. It was a sunny but chilly day, and VERY windy! If the heat on Monday had killed me, I would have been pretty offended (but it didn't. So I wasn't!) We enjoyed a nice walk after sleeping in (I woke up at 6, was too tired to deal, and fell back asleep until 8:00 which is RARE.)
Then we tried to have a little breakfast, but ended up enjoying a nice walk more than food.

Spring everywhere

I thought my stomach had bounced back from the hot-race-grossness, but I actually felt a little off all day. This was a bummer, because I was both STARVING and slightly SICK. Rude. My plan was to march through Boston eating pastry, ice cream, ramen, burgers, donuts and gelato, but I basically bailed after one lame ham and cheese croissant!

I did have some Thai... 

I ran exactly zero miles until Sunday, when I went out for an easy Easter 4, and it felt fine. I certainly don't have any "workouts" planned at the moment, but I think I'll shuffle around a couple times next week. Or not. I'm really not into having a plan until about 6 months post race. (more accurately: I make sure NOT to push anything for at least 14 days.)

So. What is next??

I had the Sugarloaf Marathon in my calendar as a backup, incase I did not BQ in Boston. Despite the fact that I would like to run Sugarloaf someday, this will not be the year. I did what I planned to do in Boston, and another marathon so soon just doesn't sound fun or particularly wise. While lying in bed post Marathon last Monday I said to Eric "ummmmm, I don't think I'll bother with Sugarloaf." And he was like "well. that seems like a GOOD decision!" (rare???)

I seem to have forgotten my dislike for Fall marathons (or more accurately, summer training) and secured myself a bib for the Marine Corps Marathon. I'm actually really looking forward to it (or so say I, in April!) But I'll also need to make sure to run more than 12 miles this summer. My plan is to take it pretty easy through May, and then contemplate my training *plan*.

Oops

Generally speaking, I tend to do some pretty random Spring things (run up all the hills! Do a 60 mile week! Run a random 50k!) but as of today, there is nothing of the sort on the agenda.
*We will see how long that lasts*

More miles, and the Bradlowski's diet secrets REVEALED!

Ahhhhh February... Never a dull moment in the weather department.

As all of my Maine readers have noticed, today everyone is digging out from a substantial storm.

However, this is a recap of LAST week and talking about this weeks storm would be cheating.

Last week, some relative calm before storm after storm moved in.

So week six, what did we do other than move snow?

I was able to get a couple outdoor workouts in early last week, including speedwork. I prefer to do speedwork outside, for no reason other than it is more fun. I ran 4x1200 all at a 7:30 pace which I was quite pleased with.

From then.... Things got messy. 

It actually ended up being even worse than this...



I wasn't terribly excited about the possibility of doing both my Friday hills and Saturday long run inside.. As you can see, there really wasn't going to be an option. (we ended up getting about 10 inches on Thursday, 6 on Saturday and between Sunday and Monday another 16+)

My long run was fairly uninspired. I really was not feeling my best for the first 6 miles or so (ugh female issues..) I ended up toughing it out, and felt a bit better as the miles went along. Workouts like this are tough, because it would be awfully easy to just hop off the treadmill, or stop for a quick second (or a few minutes here and there....) I know that in the long run, a run like that is not going to be of any benefit, so I trudge along. However, I certainly did relax my pace and expectations since I was feeling sub par. I'm not crazy after all....

When things get super sucky, I just take it one mile at a time. I cut myself a little slack. Once I only had 4 miles to go, I knew I could finish and that was encouraging. I did eventually finish, and I felt alright. Hopefully, next week's long run feels a bit more pleasant.



16 miles inside.... Tricky.

Earlier this winter, when I was getting ready to start training seriously again I asked what you, my loyal 11 readers, would like to know more about (since I am such an interesting woman!!)

What Eric and I eat was of curiosity, and since he is a vegetarian and I am not, it is actually an interesting topic!!

First and foremost, it should be made clear that I am NO expert on health and nutrition! I slug beer, drink bourbon and occasionally toss entire donuts straight down my throat. We don't Whole 30 (good for you, those who do. To me, it doesn't seem like a sustainable lifestyle, but what do I know?) But we do try to eat a simple, balanced and fresh group of foods.

Our meals are based on two things. How we feel after eating them, and how easy they are. Neither of us enjoys feeling like garbage and we don't have hours each day to create gourmet meals. (So, not much/any fast food. And not many/any recipes from Mastering the art of French cooking.)

Eric is a real veggie, he doesn't have cheat days where he eats bacon, and he never has had meat of any sort (to the best of his knowledge.) I myself, while not a ravenous carnivore, enjoy steak and a good thanksgiving turkey. I did go through a phase when I was 14 of not eating meat, I was repulsed by the idea of eating muscles (I got over that... although seriously *yuck* haha.)

The NUMBER one question that we get (which will not shock ANYONE) is how on earth either of us, on a mostly plant based diet, could EVER be getting enough protein. *sigh* I know, it's hard to imagine that it could be done...It's actually quite easy, and with the quantities of eggs, beans, Greek yogurt, quinoa and such that we consume, we seem to be surviving. *barely* *send donuts*

Kale and chard with garlic and olive oil, avocado, and stuffed mushrooms. A standard dinner option.

Another misconception is that all we must eat are things like pastas, grilled cheese, french fries,  and fake meats.
While many of those things make an occasional appearance, it's very unusual to see these on the menu with much frequency.
So what do we eat regularly? Especially since I am not a short order chef!

We eat a lot (a LOT) of Mexican themed food. We stuff burritos (or bowls) with homemade spicy black beans, and a variety of other fillings such as sweet potato, quinoa, eggs, avocados, loads of garlicky spinach or kale, salsa and Greek yogurt.

We often substitute mushrooms as a "meat" and have a variety of sides, usually in the green leafy veg family. (we go through pounds of spinach a week. and avocados, as mentioned...)

When we do have pasta it's usually the after thought in the recipe. Our pasta meals are much heavier on the beans/greens/veggies than the pasta itself. I made a lot of nice homemade sauce when the ingredients are available, which is always tasty.
*and occasionally I just cook up a pot of pasta, heave in some artichokes, olives, lemon and feta and we woof it right down. try it, pro tip...*

I LOVE to make grain or rice based salads, which are all seriously filling meals. Quinoa pairs so nicely with grapes, nuts, beans and oil and vinegar dressing. Wild rice salad is delicious with chopped kale or shredded brussles sprouts, beans, shredded carrots and creamy vinaigrette.
Even easier, is to throw some diced avocado, garbanzo beans, scallions, feta and lime into a dish and call it good. Easy. (there are a TON of good recipes on the internet.) Salads don't have to be limited to lettuce....

Anyways. I'm really not much of a food blogger but it is interesting to see how different people eat. And this is how the Bradlowski family does food! 

One of my big goals for the year was/is to waste less, and thus far we have been doing very well! Meal planning is pretty essential to this, and it's a skill that I am working on improving. I'm getting a lot better at freezing things right away, and planning a week of meals with similar ingredients. (I know that for some of you, this is second nature... Not for me, but I'm working on it!)

Like I said before, we aren't "super clean" perfect eaters. Who the hell is?? And why!? Live a little.
We wrap up every day with a couple cookies or chocolate squares. As you may have noticed, I wrap up every day with a beer. We are pretty much guaranteed to have a pizza a week (home made, so better than Amato's!) We have cheese and crackers every day. When we eat out, we get whatever and have zero worries. We both really like Holy Donuts, and Eric loves oreo's so much that we never buy them! (and I like caramel creams so much that I buy one bag a year, eat it in like, 3 days and then don't want one for another year. #sohealthy)

Another fun fact. I don't really eat breakfast foods. For breakfast I have a slice of toast (which is pretty breakfastey) and then good things, like dinner leftovers. Weird, but true.

So there you have it, how Eric and I fuel our ELITE athlete training :-)

And here is the weekly wrap up:

Weekly stats:
Miles run: 40.1
Longest run: 16 ON the TREADMILL WOOF
Other: 2 strength workouts, snow removal, chipping my horse trailer out of an ice block.
Wildlife sightings: 36 wild turkeys, faffing around in the street
Low/High temps: 1/46. It was mostly freezing and snowing and a suckfest.
How am I feeling? SO over winter. And sore because I fell down my outdoor steps.
Beer of the week: I'm still drinking last weeks beers because who can go out when it's stupid snowing EVERY DAMN DAY????????????

Week 3: Cooking my way thru the Runner's World Cookbook

Welcome to week three of my adventures in cooking the recipes from The Runner's World Cookbook!

I was busy last week and busy means fewer chances to cook. Sometimes dinner just has to be some cheese and crackers ya know? (as long as it comes with some olives and wine....)

Anyway. What did I manage to cook?

Brown rice salad with curried tofu

OK, where to begin with this one.... I had high hopes because as a rule I really enjoy rice based salads. Combine that with the fact that this was already vegetarian friendly and I was really hoping for a solid win. 
However.... Eric and I both strongly objected to this dish for different but similar reasons. Eric HATED the tomatoes, the flavor and the texture. (that is a lot of things to object to.)  He gave it a 3 out of 10 rating.
I REALLY DISLIKED the way that the tofu (despite prep) still came out bland, the excess of SEEDS, the amount of work that it took to eat it (chomp. chomp. chomp.) I thought that the flavor was not objectionable but after champing my way thru 30 minutes of tedious salad I was over it.
I tried to figure out ways to improve this recipe but in the end I realized that I was simply writing a new recipe. I feel that the ratios are off- it is almost equal parts rice, tofu, edamame and seeds which makes for a lot of roughage. I feel that if the rice played a bigger role, and perhaps instead of a full cup of seeds there were a couple tablespoons, and maybe if the tofu was marinated things would have gone better. (also- I pressed the tofu which the recipe does not suggest but I think it goes without saying.)
Sorry salad. You were straight gross. Never again.

Spinach Kiwi Cooler

After the debacle that was the nasty ass rice salad I made a VERY easy smoothie for Eric. He is a smoothie fan- I am not!In the end even I found this one to be enjoyable and extremely easy. I think it took 2 minutes from start to finish. Eric gave it a big thumbs up and chugged it. Success!

Pasta Bean Toss

Next up was the very pretty and very, very fiberous pasta bean toss. (I have no idea why I thought I needed a can of tomatoes- I did not. but there it is. you totally could use one though and it would be good!)
This was not challenging to prepare and the 35 minutes that the cook book projects was right on target.
I omitted the Worcestershire sauce due to the anchovies and, if you can, would highly recommend using it as I feel it would add some valuable flavor. 
Overall we felt that this was enjoyable and extremely healthy. I do not suggest eating this the night before an early long run as the beans and broccoli will certainly play games with your digestion.
I enjoyed this- I ate a couple of huge bowls and also noted that it is attractive enough to serve to friends to impress them. Eric was fairly happy with it but noticed (as I did) that it needed a little something to add flavor (if you omit the Worcestershire perhaps consider an increase of salt, or a few red pepper flakes, extra cheese, pepper, more garlic...)
After the nasty rice salad this was a distinct improvement.

And finally... Garlicky Greens and Roasted Sweet potato wedges (blocks, whatev.) And steak.

Sometimes you just don't have time to cook up a whole long recipe.
However! I had fresh kale and a couple of sweet potatoes on hand and threw them together as sides.
This is totally cheating as I make these all the time, minus a recipe.
However, I felt clever as it was a two-fer! HAH!
Clearly they were delicious and Eric, my sister and I ate them with gusto. WIN.

So that's it for this week. I hope to be able to pull off making a few recipes for next week's addition- I have to eat but am also busy! I'm glad I did not put a timetable on this challenge- maybe I should as a motivator.....

Food is not a four letter word

So a while back I promised blog posts about two things, my pet peeves and food.
As it turns out I have been able to roll all that fun into one fantastic post.

Since I am temporarily turning this space into a food and exercise blog clearly I need a new name like: Mudslides and Marathons.... Pull ups and Pickles..... Tricep dips and pita chips (you get the idea...)
OR....
PR's and Pickybars!! Haha they would probably sue me for copyright infringement! But I rather like that one..

There is always talk on running/health blogs about eating, food, body image, disordered eating, nutrition (some good some just laughable) being too skinny, being too fat and on an on.
I am hesitant to throw my hat into the ring on many of these topics because face it, I'm not an expert and only have my own experiences to rely on.

However. Due to my job I am a role model for teenage and pre teen girls, an because of that I have some really strong opinions on some of these subjects. I was a teenage girl once, long long ago, but not so long that I have forgotten the way that comments can significantly impact your body image and your feeling about yourself, not to mention your relationship with food.

My idea of healthy food. Just kidding, this looks like an awful combo!

We aren't all perfect. Shockingly, nobody is.
When it comes to our bodies, and the way we view ourselves Lauren Fleshman said it so well that instead of writing something inspirational myself I'll just link you up to her: Read it. Read it now.

As far as food goes this is where I start getting a bit peevish. Seriously, when did food become the enemy??
When did it become taboo to call "food" FOOD, or a "meal" a MEAL. Ohhhh no, now it's all "I have to fuel up!" "refuel!" "pre fuel!" "havin' some EATS!" (I hate that one)

WHAT THE HELL? Have a damn sandwich it's not going to kill you or *gasp* make you fat. And call it a DAMN sandwich, you do not have to justify a sandwiches existence by referring to it as "fuel" (I put fuel in the tractor... and sandwiches in my pie hole.)

A DAMN SANDWICH. And it looks GLORIOUS!!

I have basically stopped following any blogs that obviously promote disordered eating. Honestly, I was more than a bit shocked to see how par for the course this is. If you are only eating roasted squash for 3 meals a day that's just wrong. And it does not interest me.
I'm also reluctant to take much interest in people who view every gram of carbs, delicious pizza, omg bite of ice cream as a terrible, terrible cheat. Live a little people, it's worth it. Don't put the #cheatday #soguilty #sofat anywhere I can see it because I will roll my eyes at your tiny, skinny, needs to cheat, instagrammed self. .....seriously.....

I preach to the kids (and to myself) that a balanced diet involves many different food groups and that unless a serious sensitivity or allergy is a problem it is not necessary- or even healthy- to eliminate entire food groups.
And if you are enjoying cake, that is what you are doing. enjoying it. Not being "bad".
And if you eat a slice of pizza you don't need to feel guilty, or concerned about "burning off" every calorie.
And we should like food! It is fun, and can be exciting, and having a meal with friends and family happens to be one of my favorite things, so get on board...

Eating clams with ALL THE BUTTER.
And guess what, it's life not an effing cheat day....

We need food in order to live. Especially as athletes we need a healthy and balanced diet,
(which can indeed include some chips, beer and pizza- why not! but maybe does not involve a bucket of butter like the above pic on a daily basis. Even I think about my arteries and such...)
So big deal if you have a cheeseburger at dinner. You had a super healthy vegetable laden lunch. It all balances out. Could I be a better athlete if I went onto a raw, no carbs, no beer, no nothing if it is not orange diet? We will never find out.
In contrast to many people I know in real life I eat a tremendously healthy and well adjusted balance of foods. I am lucky to enjoy living like this and call if a lifestyle, not a "diet".
Compared to how some people on the internet eat I'm basically Jaba the Hutt which makes me laugh so hard that I injure myself. Dudes, you enjoy those 500 calories a day that you allot yourself. That's my breakfast!

Me, according to some cray cray bloggers.
I'd rather be Jaba than eat raw carrots and jello for lunch, gross!

In reality I'm not Jaba. I'm a small girl, but healthy. You can't see my bones (except a few ribs, I'm skinny what can I say...) I can work all day, pick up things bigger than myself, I'm strong enough to ride big horses, run many miles, teach the youth of America, be so busy that it is just insane!- and still have energy to hang out with my exclusive dating partner at the end of the day. And that is important- it's about being as healthy and happy as you can be. Not as skinny as you can be. not as restricted as you can be. There are not extra points out there in the universe for people who only eat 500 calories a day!

On the flip side of this I did have a little girl attend one of my day camp programs several years ago. She seemed to get really exhausted quite early in the afternoon so I took a look in her lunchbox. It contained a butter sandwich, cake and soda...... wow...  Perhaps not the healthiest choices to encourage an active day!
If nothing else this was a good learning moment for this kiddo about the balance between healthy and not so healthy, and now a strict diet of junk does not always help us to feel our best! Haha, even I don't eat cake for lunch.
Always....

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

So there you have it. My little rant. My diet is not perfect, I'm not perfect and I don't care at all. I hope that I can impart upon all of my teenagers that food keeps ya' moving, can be fun and adventurous (unless it is lima bean) and certainly is not something to be afraid of or obsess over.
And I tell them this without hesitation! Especially if they bring me cake for lunch :-)

Regarding pickles and cinnamon toast.

I am now in my third cycle of Marathon Training. WHY??? WHY???!!

Oh right. Because I am badass. Duh.

 

Each and every time I start logging higher than average mileage I notice that I have strange cravings for odd foods. (odd for me, anyway.) People commonly ask if I am preggers, which I most certainly am not. I just want all the strange foods ALL THE TIME. NOMNOM!

For example. For breakfast today I had sensible oatmeal, followed closely by pickles and cinnamon toast. That really is not right... But it really was so delicious.

 

I would like someone knowledgeable in nutrition to analyse the following data and explain it to me.

And "Sara, you eat all the strange foods because you are strange..." Is just not helping.

 

So. During Marathon training cycle #1 I was running high mileage during June and July. Yuck, it was very hot. Lots of sweating!

 

My top 3 food cravings were:

-GRAPEFRUIT!!! OMG GIVE IT TO ME!!!!

-Pickles. Dill, obvs.

-Vitamin Water- the XXX kind ONLY (btw, I tried to consume one of those the other day and was grossed out. I had to rinse my tongue under the faucet I was so disgusted...)

 

I ate an ass ton of grapefruit.
Like, a dozen a week. WTF?

Marathon Training Cycle number TWO rolled around during September and October and (as previously mentioned) was quite light on the miles and stress in comparison to round one. After running Around The Lake I have had ZERO grapefruit and ZERO vitamin water, so that was a one shot deal. I still ate my fair share of pickles but my cravings seemed to shift slightly.

 

Pre-MDI my top 3 food cravings were perfectly sensible. *ahem*

-KALE!!! ALL THE KALE!!!

-Twizzlers. So many bags of them. I'm embarrassed.

-Orange veggies. As a rule, my least favorite thing. However, I could not stop stuffing squash, sweet potato and carrots into my face at a high rate of speed. Yuck. I'm so over that.

I ate Kale in EVERYTHING.
Cups and cups a week. I might have turned into a kale plant.

So delicious.
So red and waxy.

Here I are now, in the dead of winter preparing like a teeny tiny superhero for Marathon number THREE.

Let it be known that I still am consuming upsetting quantities of kale, spinach, chard, whatever. I do not discriminate against any green leafy OMG delicious veggie.

 

At this juncture my top 3 wants are:

-Brussels sprouts!!! (I used to HATE them, now I LOVE them.)

-Twizzlers. I had to stop buying them it became so bad.... What the hell is wrong with me?

-Ginger ale. Out of everything this makes the least sense. I have strong feelings of dislike towards soda and have not consumed any in close to 10 years, I bet. After every long/challenging run it is ALL I WANT. So I drink it ALL. And IT. IS. AMAZING!

(And on off days I add a little bourbon, thank you very much.)

Get in my belly! I have a relationship with these little buggers...

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Ginger ale. I love your face.

I think at this point it should be easy for all of you out there to understand my confusion. High mileage seems to give me cravings to eat things I would never want to consume otherwise! Please help a girl out and explain to me the logic behind this nutritional mess, I would most appreciate it!