First of all, congratulations to JENN of Jenn’s Menu and Lifestyle Blog.  She receives the $10. PetSmart Gift Card.  No one ordered the required amount from MANKINDdog so the basket worth $269.00 was never awarded.  So sad.  They have some great items (apparel, home decor, pet goodies, etc.) on that site. Not to worry, Keith and Doug are going to come up with another attractive promo for the holiday season.  Get ready to find great gifts for those animal lovers!

A Celebration!

Ted and I celebrated the completion of very time consuming, energy draining training routine.  We toasted with the souvenir champagne.  It was pretty darn good.

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Ted gave me a gift for achieving my goal.  It’s beautiful!

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It shows up quite well along with my running partner and my winged foot.

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There’s no surprise in learning that I’m sore but moving around better than most.  Some people have said they can’t go down stairs forward.  They have to descend the stairs backwards!  I was no where near that bad.  In fact, it’s just getting up from sitting that’s the worst part. Once I start moving, I loosen right up. 

More Marathon tips:

I don’t have any chafing or blisters and the reason is because I ran my longest run, 23 miles with the clothes that I intended to wear during my marathon.  That was 4 weeks prior to marathon date. 

The top:  Every time I went on a long run, I would get very painful and bleeding chafe from bra tops.  The white top I wore gave me the least chafe but to ensure absolutely NO CHAFE, I put on “BodyGlide” as well as a piece of white sports tape (won’t stick to skin) over the area prone to chafe.

The shorts:  I wore a skort.  It was comfortable with elasticized leg bands.  They didn’t ride up to cause bunching between my legs.  The skort also had a zippered pocket in the back for an extra GU pack.

The socksInjinji socks are my choice.  When I started long distance runs, blisters would form between my toes.  I nipped that in the bud quickly with the toe socks.  You get used to the weird feeling pretty quickly.

The sneakersNewtons all the way. They are light weight with very padded soles. Great for feet prone to ache after running.  They aren’t cheap but your feet are worth it.

The arm (phone, pace band, Garmin):  I wore my phone in an armband on my upper arm. It slips down and due to the bend in my arm when I run, ends up chafing me on my forearm.  To curtail that problem, I wore an elasticized pace band.  The Garmin was worn to check time and I won’t run without it.

Monday morning, Shane did not take an ounce of pity on me. At 3:45 am, he insisted we go outside.  Ted pretended to be asleep (I know he was pretending because he had just got up to give the little whiner water).  Shane was walking while I hobbled around the neighborhood at an hour that was typical earlier in my training routine.  It definitely was not on tap for Monday morning!

My left nostril and eye keep running making me think I might have a cold coming on.  Since I haven’t had a cold in years, maybe it’s just some kind of critter that got up there during the run that’s giving me a tickle.  

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My running guide indicates ones immune system might be a little weakened after endurance races, which is why it’s so important to pay attention to what you eat, rest, and recovery after such an event.  The result: A Cold 🙁

My trainer, ATCEndurance (better known by locals as Mike Brych), told me the number he had in his first Ironman was 292.  So Cool!  Deja Vu!

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A little blurt about a running coach.  For me, Mike was indispensible. He has done multiple marathons and an Ironman in Lake Placid, New York.  Every question, every doubt, every step and hurdle I encountered, he had a valuable response that I trusted.  Without his guidance, there is no way I would have completed the marathon in under 4 hours.  He suggested races that I wouldn’t have considered entering.  He gave me the confidence to achieve the goal I set for myself.  On my own, I may have pushed too hard, trying to do too much too soon, and probably broken down before the race (that’s what happened 2 years ago when I tried increasing my mileage.  BANG! there went my hamstring).   

If you’re considering a half marathon or marathon for the first time, consider coaching services.  The plan would be customized for you and not a canned plan for you and 1000 other people.  We’re all different and should respect that we’re all different if we want to push our bodies to challenging limits. 

Exercise this week:

I’m taking the week off from running, obviously.  What I will do is some cross training early in the morning with some yoga followed by long walks with Shane.  Saturday will be my first day back running. I KNOW!  What was that thought I had during my marathon?  “AFTER TODAY YOU NEVER HAVE TO RUN AGAIN?!!!” That didn’t go far.  I’m even considering Boston since I qualified. Right now I’m not so sure Boston is a good choice for a 2nd marathon.  I’m still a newbie.

Tuesday (today):  We were up early again and since I was wide awake, did 20 minutes on the elliptical and 25 minutes of yogic stretching.  Shane and I went for a very wet 3 mile walk. It was pouring rain.

Choice Protein:

A trip to our local natural foods store, Peter’s Cornucopia, always has me arriving home with my arms filled with an array of new products.  Among the new ones this week was a protein supplement called “Harmonized Protein”. 

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The drink boasts “The Cleanest Protein Possible”.  This particular blend is not Vegan friendly as it is a mix of Whey protein concentrate, isolate, milk protein isolate, colostrum, and lactoferrin.  The ingredients are pretty impressive:  organic flax seed oil powder, kelp, dulse, spirulina, digestive enzymes such as protease I and II, and other natural ingredients.

The Harmonized Protein blend has 8 Essential Amino Acids and 10 Non Essential Amino Acids in a serving.  *Amino acids keep our bodies healthy. Some, we can produce (non essential) and some we have to get from other sources since our bodies can’t manufacture them (essential).

The shake sounds great but it lacked flavor. I had the All Natural Chocolate Flavor

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I do like the nutritional profile in one serving ( 30 g) : Calories = 110 Calories from fat = 5 g. Total Carbs = 3 g Sugars = 1.5 g.  Protein = 23 g.  11% of RDA Calcium, 5% Calcium, 2% Iron. 

I’ll try this again using the Vanilla flavor and adding some fresh fruit to the mix.  As for price, I didn’t look at a whole container but the envelope price for a single serving was about $1.35, standard for single serve envelopes. 

What’s your favorite protein supplement?

Joanne

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