Just Breathe

I thought I'd show you what I see when I run in my neighborhood.  However, I realized that it was pretty mundane, especially when compared to trail runs.  Then I stumbled onto this.  Beautiful? No.  Interesting?  I think so.  A twist on the "pop top."  I wonder what kind of gas mileage it gets?

Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Mary #3 is in the books.  Best I can tell, I didn't injure anything like in years past.  I ran a course PR...beating last year's time by 3 or 4 minutes.  After a couple of very nice runs this week, I thought I could PR my half marathon time.  That's what endorphins can do to you - make you a tad delusional.  I am far from being able to do that.  The weather was perfect, a lot of folks had a sweet race and I was happy to celebrate the finish with a few friends in Idaho Springs at the Tommyknocker Brewery.  Veggie burger, sweet potato nuggets and the Alpine Glacier Lager hit the spot!

I'm currently reading Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald.   While it doesn't get as specific as I might like, it has some sound guiding principles.  He encourages an assessment of your diet by using a Diet Quality Score (DQS).  The DQS encourages the wholesomeness of foods while also attributing for portion control.  I lost the majority of my weight by eating Lean Cuisine and bars (granola, Clif, Fiber One, etc.).  I'm looking to cut out the processed stuff and I think this will help.  One of the non-nutritional pieces of advice he gives has to do with removing barriers.  I did that this week by talking to my doctor about allergy/exercise induced asthma.  My Wednesday and Thursday runs were great because of my inhaler.  No more feeling like my chest was being crushed.  You might consider this a performance enhancing drug.  I'm calling it a life enhancing drug.  I'm hoping it will help with the 7 weeks of training that remain before race day. 

Here are my stats for the week:

Monday:  day off (unplanned - FAIL 10 day running cycle)

Tuesday: 6.03 miles

Wednesday: 4.03 miles

Thursday: 5.0 miles

Friday: day off (planned)

Saturday: 13.18 miles

Sunday: 4.14 miles

Total:  32.20 miles

Not an A+ week.  I had a total of 38.1 miles planned but found myself very tired the entire week.  Here's hoping a few more carbs, focusing on unprocessed foods and a little vacation from work (starting Wednesday) will give me enough energy for the week.  Goal: 48 miles.  Hoping to do my long run at Bear Creek Lake Park before I head out to Minnesota's Lake County.  Have a great Sunday!

Laura