Last night there was something said about a “blue moon”. It didn’t look blue but it was full and bright. Last night, the sky was absolutely brilliant.
Ted and I stood with binoculars gazing up at the glistening orb while discussing the New York sky. It was Friday night. We had indulged in one glass of wine, a margarita and excellent Italian cuisine at Chesterfields. Simple discussions were to be expected.
What should have been an early night turned into a late one for us because we were completely absorbed in the DVD “Hunger Games”.
Have you seen it? Read the book? Did you like it? We thought it was terrific! *NOTE TO MUM AND DAD – You’ll like this movie. No swearing or ….other stuff.
My last long run of 20 miles was Saturday morning followed by a 10 am massage. It’s nice to be in bed by 9 pm so I can get up feeling ready to run. That didn’t happen but I did get myself AND Shane up and out the door by 5:30 am. It was going to be another warm day so the goal was to finish early.
The run went great. Shane stayed with me for 8 miles. When I headed out on my own towards the community college, there was activity on the field but my thoughts were about the on going construction at Proctor High School. I ran along the top of the hill thinking how long that project had been going on and wondering if they were nearing an end.
Ted caught up with me on the Parkway and rode along on his bike for a little bit. It was such a good feeling to have fresh legs after 10 miles and not dread the ensuing 10 I had left to conquer.
My chosen course was flat. It took me around Utica College, along some back streets and back home. I like this route not only because it’s flat but there is bridge that crosses the arterial. Something about crossing bridges…just a great feeling.
The result of my last 20 was a good feeling. I’m forced to remind myself that after Air Force Marathon in a couple of weeks, I’m running Mohawk to Hudson so I don’t have to go crazy on miles. My goal is to run both events feeling good, nothing hurting, and for simple enjoyment. Sure it would be nice to PR and I can’t say that’s impossible as my training has been going so well. BUT… you never know.
WHY has my training been going so well? I’m doing a few different things:
- ALL training has been outside and NOT on the treadmill.
- I’ve been taking iron supplements. Not sure I need them but I was feeling so tired several months ago that I figured it wouldn’t hurt. The worst might have been constipation. Turns out all “systems” kept running fine.
- Along with iron, I’ve been taking a natural supplement called Ribose….Ever heard of it? D-Ribose (deoxyribose) is a pentose sugar. A pentose sugar makes up the nucleic acids in our body, DNA and RNA. Ribose is essential to our energy metabolism. It promotes cardiovascular health, reduces cardiac stress associated with strenuous activity, and (most important to both Ted and myself) helps athletes reach new levels of fitness.
Since we wanted to give our bodies an extra energy boost in the most natural way possible, we began supplementing with Ribose. 5g, 2 or 3 times a day. It dissolves quickly in water or other liquid. Although WebMD recommends the following: To improve the ability of people with coronary artery disease to exercise: 15 grams four times daily. Beginning 1 hour before exercise until the end of the exercise session, 3 grams every 10 minutes has been used to reduce muscle stiffness and cramps caused by exercising
The results of my using Ribose: I’m not contemplating pulling off the road any more during my drive to work in the morning. I’m in less of a fog during late afternoon at work. The effects of ribose isn’t a “kick in the pants”, like you sometimes get from caffeine. It’s subtle. You just feel good.
The body gets the energy from ribose by effectively synthesizing energy to speed the tissue recovery process. By supplementing with ribose, the metabolic pathways which are slowed by overwork, exercise, stress are bypassed and the process of energy synthesis is increased.
I’ve been adding a scoop to 1/4 cup of fat free cottage cheese in the morning. It dissolves and sweetens ever so slightly, the cottage cheese. *Top the cheese with fruit and roasted grains such as oats, spelt, or rye flakes. My favorite is the spelt. They are chewy, thick and really enjoyable raw.
From WebMD: More on Ribose
Ribose is a kind of sugar that is produced by the body. It is used as a medicine.
Ribose is used to improve athletic performance and the ability to exercise by boosting muscle energy. It has also been used to improve symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, and coronary artery disease. Ribose has been used to prevent symptoms such as cramping, pain, and stiffness after exercise in people with an inherited disorder called myoadenylate deaminase deficiency (MAD) or AMP deaminase deficiency (AMPD deficiency). Ribose has also been used to improve exercise ability in people with another inherited disorder called McArdle’s disease.
Healthcare providers sometimes give ribose intravenously (by IV) as part of an imaging procedure used to measure the extent of damaged heart muscle in people with coronary artery disease. Ribose has also been used intravenously in patients with MAD to prevent symptoms such as cramping, pain, and stiffness.
Have you been doing anything different in your training lately? How do you feel?
Do you use supplements?
I read all 3 Hunger Games books. I liked them a lot because there was finally a strong female character that wasn’t perfect. I am looking forward to the movie and hope it doesn’t disappoint.