Carbo Loading Has Started

My next half marathon race is in two days and so I figured it is appropriate to do some carbo loading. I am usually not preparing a whole lot for a half marathon (think tapering), but I do make sure I eat enough carbs in the days before the race. I also have mapped out what I will have for breakfast and as a snack before the race. I will do a race day package pickup and I also have to drive for about 45 minutes, so I need to make sure I time this just right. The half marathon I ran in December worked out well for me – I had roughly the same distance to drive, but was fighting snowy roads and so the overall setup from a time perspective matches up. So, I am planning for more of the same this time.

I had oatmeal for breakfast today and then a large bowl of Mac & Cheese for lunch. I love Coach’s Oats for my oatmeal. I mix it with raisins and then use Flax Milk instead of water or regular milk. I could eat that stuff daily and it is easy to mix in other fruits, too. In between I had some bread with Nutella spread to fight hunger and to keep things nicely balanced. Not sure yet what I will have for dinner, but you rest assured that there will be a decent amount of carbs in my near future. I will also top off fluids with lots of water tomorrow and a lot of Orange Juice in the second half of the day. Overall I am very excited to run another race so early in the year. Then I will take it more or less easy before jumping right into marathon training when February is here.

I am also looking for some good deals on running shoes. My current pair of Nike Pegasus 29 is probably good for another 150-200 miles before it needs to be replaced, but ideally I like to rotate in another pair of shoes earlier than that. Towards the end of the life span for such a shoe my legs and feet start hurting and then I know it is the shoes. Often they still good for a quick 10K run, but anything beyond 10K deserves a better pair of shoes. I also like to try out a different brand along the way so that I can provide some detailed feedback as well. I am undecided what brand and what shoe to get yet. I saw a few reviews about the Mizuno Wave Rider 17 on a few runner blogs. It is a neutral shoe and seems to be a great choice for long distance running from what I can tell. I am also interested in the Altra ZeroDrop shoes. I saw some training videos from them last year and became interested in their shoes accordingly. Both shoes seem to be a good option for me, but that makes it difficult for me to decide. I have 3-4 weeks left before I need to start thinking about ordering a new pair of shoes, so hopefully that adds fuel helping me to make up my mind.

Went running in my current shoes of choice today – Nike Air Pegasus 29 – and had a great run. The sun was shining when I left and for the first half of the run I was dressed too warm with my running tights and Nike DriFit jacket, but I was glad I was wearing both during the second half of the run. When sun disappeared temperatures dropped immediately and it felt colder. Roads and sidewalks were good to run on and overall I got lucky with the forced stops at red traffic lights. It was a fast run and my Nike Plus GPS watch recorded new PRs (personal records) for the 5K and 10K distance. Even the overall average pace was one of the fastest I have had. I am happy to see my pace improving. I eager to start my marathon training so that I can see how I will do pace-wise on longer runs. The upcoming half marathon on Saturday could be another indicator, but it is just 13.1 miles while a marathon is 26.2 miles long. My average pace today was 8:14 per mile and I am thinking of starting with a 9:15-ish pace on Saturday. Temperatures will play an important role as your performance goes down a bit with cold temperatures. My average pace during my half marathon in early December was 9:27, but the temperatures were in the low single digits and the course was covered with snow. Snow should not be a problem this upcoming weekend, but temperatures are still around freezing and it might impact my overall performance. That’s why I am thinking that a 9:15-ish start pace sounds reasonable and leaves the door open for faster speeds towards the second half of the race. A negative split would be the preferred outcome anyway. I am excited for Saturday and will provide a detailed race report shortly after.

 

Over and out – gotta get some more carbs loaded now 😉