Training Supplement – June 30, 2017
Not sure if I’m mentally ready to start training for the New York City Marathon in two days. While I figure that out, I went back to the Mizuno Wave Rider as my distance shoe and focused on my running form. I also got my second Runner’s World Box and ran in some new places.
Clothing & Gear
Shoes. Mizuno Wave Rider 20 ($119.99). After a brief hiatus of running in the Saucony Ride 9s for most of my runs, I returned to this shoe. They’re similar shoes – neutral with some cushioning. It felt good running in the Wave Riders again.
(My Complete Clothes & Gear Page.)
Nutrition & Hydration
Pre-workout Nutrition. Simple Squares. This was an organic nutrition bar made from cashews, almonds, and honey. This sample was coconut flavor, which I normally don’t like, but the taste was subtle so I ate the whole thing! It wasn’t terribly filling, though. The bar is maybe 3 square inches. It was 230 calories, 17g of fat, 17g of carbohydrate, and 6g of protein.
Runner’s World Box. I wrote about my first RW Box and a couple of weeks later, my second box has already arrived!
Another thing that struck me when I opened this box, as compared with Stridebox, was that there are fewer items. I wasn’t getting through my Stridebox before the next box arrived because there were so many of them. I could see myself trying (or giving away) everything in this shipment because there were fewer items.
Routes
Sights. Running as much as I have in the metro Washington, D.C. area, one popular destination has eluded me – Roosevelt Island. I run on the Mount Vernon Trail all the time but have never made the trip.
I followed that first with another. After the race, I ran part of my recovery run across the Roosevelt Bridge into the District of Columbia! The path is narrow and I felt a little too close to the water, so I don’t see myself working this route into my rotation.
(A week or so later, the Island was closed due to an ash bore infestation.)
Media & Motivation
Music. “New York, New York,” by Frank Sinatra. I’ve been listening to New York themed music to get myself mentally ready to start training for my favorite race!
(My “Songs of the Week” playlist on Spotify.)
Podcasts. “How to Unlock Your Best Stride and Avoid the Habits Holding You Back- Johnathan Beverly,” RunnersConnect. Recently, I’ve been trying to run with better form. After I saw a picture from last weekend’s ParkRun, I realized just how hunched over I run!
So, this podcast came at a good time. I listened to it during a run and focused on running with my hips more and practicing a good arm swing. I also engaged my abs a lot more during that run and that seemed to help, too.
(A few days later, I saw this picture of Jenny Simpson and thought, “That’s what good running form should look like!”)
Jenny Simpson in the #1500m pic.twitter.com/R0afXircQk
— Cedric Gillette (@c_runner) June 23, 2017
Episode 110 – Brandon McGorty and Rachel McArthur, from Pace the Nation. I got through several episodes from this podcast in the last two weeks. I’m highlighting this one because I got a good piece of training advice from the high schooler! Rachel McArthur talked about treating workouts as races. I used to do that – preparing at least a day in advance by thinking about routes and paces. I got away from that in recent years and thought it might be good to go back to that practice.
Episode 111 – Moving to Oslo (Matt Long), from Pace the Nation. There are some stories that just make me stop and reflect on whatever trivial problems I’m stewing for the day. I’d heard Matt Long’s story on another podcast but it felt new. It’s hard to imagine how he recovered from his injuries… And, I’m days away from training for the New York City Marathon and hearing him talk about that race made me appreciate that being able to train for a race is a gift.
Magazines. “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Marathoners,” Runner’s World, July 2017. I reading anything and everything related to the mental part of marathon training these days. The habit I found most interesting was #4 – Choose Less. The theory is that decisions wear us down and turning them off frees up our mental energy for other things. As a What Not to Wear fan, I didn’t agree the fashion hook but, I would like to find a way turn my brain off a little this cycle.
Motivation. “If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail,” – Mark Spitz
Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m prepared to start another marathon training cycle. Physically, I feel good but my motivation is pretty low. I haven’t quite figured out what I’m running for this time. But, hopefully I’ll figure it out in the next 36 hours.
