Day 116. What to do on an Off Day

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What to do on an off day?

run262 what to do on your off day

What to do on your off day?

So you’re training for a marathon. Maybe a half-marathon. Even a 5K, 10K, or a mud run. In our town, they host Color Runs. I best describe these as running a 5K while having a food fight.

Not sure about the shorter distances, but for marathon and half-marathon training, the good news is that you’re not running everyday. You’d quite frankly get burned out and feel like “mud.” People say you get what you pay for, but keeping in mind the RunKeeper App is free, you get a lot. There is a paid version of it, but from what I see, the free version handles all your basic needs. Today being an off-day, it even offers words of encouragement or a helpful tip. Today’s tip:

Empty carbs are the enemy! Delicious as they might be …

I signed up for the marathon training plan about 150 days away from the actual event and it has me running Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday up until the day of the race. I’m sure if you signed up 100 days away, there would be a different plan and I don’t envy the person that signs up for the marathon training plan 50 days away from the event. It will probably just say, “Are you kidding?” and tell you to think about next year as their helpful tip.

So what to do on your off days? Here are 5 tips.

  1. Celebrate your accomplishment. This will help maintain your passion, enthusiasm, and energy as you press on towards your goal.
  2. Change your routine. Doing anything repetitively can and most likely will cause damage. Running isn’t exempt from this. All that road-pounding has to do something to our knees, backs, and feet. Do some pushups which help strengthen your running posture. Even a short walk and some light stretching will be a helpful change to loosen you up for the next day’s activities.
  3. Reflect on your past activities. Reflecting offers a way of measuring progress. You don’t how far you’ve come if you don’t know where you’ve been. My Day 1 was at a 10:49 pace and I had to stop 3 times for a 4.91 mile run. My Day 115 was at a 9:08 pace with no stops for a 6 mile run. Reflecting allows you to celebrate your progress and address the areas that need improvement.
  4. Stay positive. Making a decision to get up and move was the hard part. Now that you have made the decision, do your best and forget the rest.
  5. Get some rest. Sleep is the best way to recover from the previous days activities and prepare for the upcoming activities. It can help prevent injury and you’ll just feel less fatigued. Now if I can only listen to my own advice.

Morning weight = 170

Today’s Meals:

run262 meal plan

MyFitnessPal 10-03-2013

When Did I Eat

  • 8:15am (Meal 1) — Herbalife Protein, Fruit, and Veggie Smoothie. Jamba Juice got nothing on me!
  • 10:15am (Meal 1.1) — Snack time. High in protein, low in calorie. My kind of snack.
run262 el monterey bean & cheese burrito

Meal 1.1 — 10:15am

  • 1pm (Meal 2) — Homemade Grilled Cheese. Actually, homemade gourmet grilled cheese. Nothing says gourmet like American Kraft Cheese Singles. For more protein, 4 slices of Morning Star Veggie Bacon and my favorite salty snack, Original Lays.
run262 marathon meal

Meal 2 — 1pm

  • 2pm (Meal 2.1) — Herbalife Herbal Concentrate Tea. I use this as my secret fat burning weapon. If I didn’t make such a good choice, Herbalife Tea to the rescue. It’s my food superhero.
run262 Herbalife Herbal Concentrate Tea

Meal 2.1 — 2pm

  • 5:45pm (Meal 3) — Johnny Rockets boca burger (extra crispy) and some fries. A little known secret. They have bottomless fries! But like my friend Angela “Bon Qui Qui” Johnson says, “Don’t get crazy!” Now, the Apple Pie Shake is an entirely different story!
run262 johnny rocket boca burger

Meal 3 — 5:45pm

Today’s Activities:

  • Rest day.

Thursday, 10-03-2013

Day 115. Best Time to Run

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run262 marathon training

Best Time to Run

After my usual Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla Protein Smoothie with organic spinach and kale and fresh (frozen) fruits from Costco, it was a bit late for me to go for my early morning run. The crack of dawn run or the Rocky Balboa run was out of the question this morning. But not to fret because there’s always the mid-morning run to keep me on schedule.

I do prefer the 8am start, but today just wasn’t cooperating. The majority of the organized events start at 8am and I’ve found that my body wants to run at this time. Not too hot, but cold enough to keep me at a perfect temperature after the first couple of miles. Sometimes I find that I’m not even breaking a sweat when I technically should be after burning 800-1000 calories. Don’t get me wrong. You don’t burn 800-1000 calories by not working. I’m pushing, but the temperature pushes back.

Best Time to Run

I have no scientific proof other than the eyeball test. I feel stronger and lighter in the morning. In the evening, I feel heavier and sluggish. The 8am start appears to be good enough for the majority of the races so I’ll blindly follow.

If you’ve ever missed the morning or mid-morning run and attempted an afternoon to late afternoon start, you’ll know the difference. If you’ve ever had an evening or a late evening start, you’ll notice even more of a difference. For last year’s Tough Mudder, I did the majority of my run training in the late evening. I was trying to get use to the cold being that our event was in Lake Tahoe. Besides it being more dangerous. Man versus car … car wins. Plus, I don’t recommend watching Criminal Minds before a late night run because you’ll hear every creak and pop while you’re running. Who knows? That little extra adrenaline might be the difference of an 8 minute mile versus a 7 minute mile though.

Overall. The answer to the best time to run is whenever you can. But personally, the optimal time to run is early morning. You’ll won’t feel weighed down by the afternoon In-and-Out burger and shake. Plus, you’ll have the added bonus of knowing you’ve got your run out of the way and the rest of the day is yours to enjoy without the cloud of pavement time looming over you throughout the day.

Morning weight = 171.5 Post run weight = 170

Today’s Meals:

run262 meal plan

MyFitnessPal 10-02-2013

When Did I Eat?

  • 8:15am (Meal 1) — Herbalife Smoothie
  • 9:40am (Meal 1.1) — Pre run nutrition. Herbalife24 Prolong, Herbalife24 Prepare, Herbalife Niteworks
run262 Herbalife 24

Meal 1.1 — 9:40am

  • 11:20am (Meal 1.2) — Post run nutrition. Herbalife24 Rebuild Endurance, Herbalife24 Formula 1 Sport, Herbalife Instant Chocolate. I add the instant chocolate because I don’t particularly like the taste of the Rebuild Endurance, but I know the nutrition it provides is necessary to prepare me for my first marathon.
run262 post run nutrition

Meal 1.2 — 11:20am

  • 12:30pm (Meal 2) — Chinese leftovers and more protein courtesy of Odwalla Super Protein Chocolate.
run262 marathon nutrition

Meal 2 — 12:30pm

  • 5:30pm (Meal 3) — Vietnamese Veggie Bahn Mi and a slice of homemade pear pie.
run262 marathon meal

Meal 3 — 5:30pm

Today’s Activities:

  • RunKeeper 40 of 64 Marathon Training Plan. 6 mile slow/fast. This training involves 1 mile slow, 4 miles steady, and 1 mile slow. RunKeeper suggests a fast pace of 9:55/mile to 10:05/mile.
run262 RunKeeper

RunKeeper 10-02-2013 — 6 mile slow/fast

Wednesday, 10-02-2013

Day 114. Life Lesson From Running

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Life Lesson #114

Whatever you do, be healthy enough to do it for as long as you want to do it. Maintain your health and wellness so that you can enjoy life to its fullest. Take care of yourself so you won’t have a need to take off any days.

For a runner, this means paying attention to the normal bumps and bruises you’d expect from 35-mile week totals versus tingling and pains that simply never go away. Not a runner? If you are the lead in the high school musical, take heed from Canadian icon Celine Dion. She actually stops talking. She zips it after a show. I believe she doesn’t speak for at least a few days. Some would wish she zipped it permanently, but that’s a different story.

Want proof that it works? Compare Celine Dion’s voice to Whitney Houston’s. One person took care of their gift while the other took it for granted. One is still performing in Ceasar’s and the other is a “what if” scenario. What if she didn’t marry Bobby Brown. (Sorry Bobby, but it’s true). What if she didn’t start using drugs. In this case, the score is Canada (1), United States (0). But in this case, everybody lost because Whitney’s choices killed her and the world lost a voice that will never be replaced.

Now if you’ve never seen a turntable and if you don’t know what sound your computer makes when trying to log on through a 28K modem, or if you’ve never carried a pager, you may not appreciate the significance of protecting your gift. But for those of us that experienced Whitney in her prime, 50 yard yard of Superbowl XXV (Tampa, Florida) sanging (not singing, but sanging) the Star Spangled Banner, we know what a loss this was.

Tuesday, 10-01-2013

Day 114. Listen to Your Body

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Listen to Your Body

Off days are good days. RunKeeper gives me time off for good behavior on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Wow, never actually wrote it out this way. I have more “on-days” (4) than “off-days” (3).

Last night I started feeling some tightness in my right hammy. Since I’m an athlete now, I can call it a hammy. Once I have more “off-days” than “on-days” I’ll lose the right and will be required to start calling it a hamstring again.

Listening to your body is very important when you’re training for anything. It could be a role in the high school musical or a Spartan Race. Doesn’t matter. If your body is screaming “Hold Up, Wait a Minute” it’s best to listen. In my case, on a pain scale of 1-10, I was at about a 2.5, but considering that I’m on the back-9 of my marathon training plan, a 2.5 pain level on a hammy might as well be a 10.

How I reduced the tightness in my hamstring

Life lesson #114 — Whatever you do, be healthy enough to do it for as long as you want to do it. Maintain your health and wellness so that you can enjoy life to its fullest.

How to Handle Injuries While Training

The first thing we all must do is recognize the problem, but don’t go overboard. If you are training for the Reebok Crossfit Tour, you should expect a little bit of soreness. But activity soreness versus chronic soreness is a different story. This is what we must remain mindful of.

Chronic soreness is a significant sign of the beginning of an injury or an existing injury. Once recognized as “not-normal” act immediately. This could mean taking a few days off to see if the pain dissipates over time. If it does, great. If it does not, being proactive immediately will be key to returning to your training without risking a lifetime injury.

This is almost blasphemy for guys, but go to the doctor. Get checked out. I was once told that married men live longer than single men. Why? That’s what I said too. The person jokingly said because their wives nag them to go to the doctor.

Personally, it took my wife at least 3-months of “nagging” to go to the doctor for the stiffness in my left shoulder and tingling in my right arm. She planted the seed, but ultimately the chronic pain got me in the car to make that drive to the hospital. I’m certainly glad I did, but I did learn a lesson from this. Because I waited, my healing and recovery would take longer. So I say again, act immediately.

Morning weight = 171.5

Tuesday, 10-01-2013

Day 114. Hamstring Problem.

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Hamstring Problem

hamstring marathon training plan

Improvised Massager

My right hamstring started acting up last night. Just cool to say that … makes me feel like a pro athlete. “So, Lebron. What happened out there in the second half? Seemed like you were hobbling a little up and down the court.” “I won’t use it as an excuse, but my hamstring started acting up.” Oh, there I go again. Dreaming about the spotlight.

This was an unscheduled run. RunKeeper has me on a tight schedule. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Don’t get me wrong. I would love an off-day right about now, but I also know my body pretty well. (Don’t get silly with that statement). I tried to massage out the tightness last night (again, take your mind out the gutter) and throughout today, but it wasn’t permanent relief. It could be that I was using an Herbalife Personalized Protein Canister as a massager, but at least MacGyver would be proud. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

The last time I had this same feeling, I did a light cardio session and a post-cardio stretch. Let’s try that again.

3 Easy Steps to Relieve Hamstring Tightness

STEP 1: Deep massage throughout the day. Be mindful of any progress.

STEP 2: If no progress after 8 hours, deep massage and go for a 15-20 minute hill run with an easy pace. I stress the word “easy.” No need to push. Your only goal is to move and loosen.

STEP 3: Deep massage.

Disclaimer. I’m not a doctor. I didn’t even Google this. I just know it works for me. Keep the easy pace and don’t push it. Just get moving and get that hammy warmed-up and get ready to answer those burning media questions on the sideline when you’re back to 100%!

Did It Work

Followed the steps to a T and yes, it did. Ready to roll for tomorrow’s 6-miler and I won’t worry another second about hindering my marathon training plan. Depending on the original severity of the tightness, you still may feel something, but in my case, I feel much looser and free to return to training.

hamstring marathon training plan

RunKeeper 10-01-2013

Tuesday, 10-01-2013

Day 114. Einstein Marathon Meal Plan

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Einstein Marathon Meal Plan

Rocktober! Bring it on … new month, new stuff to eat. Ahhhh, not really. One of the most eye-opening areas of logging each and every bite is that I don’t have a large variety of foods that I eat. I just eat a lot of times in the day, but eat the same foods.

I’ll be the first to coin it the Einstein Meal Plan. Einstein had a huge brain and a small wardrobe. Why? Because it reduced choices. That’s what having 7 white collared shirts will do. So, in regards to my marathon meal plan, looks like I have the same mentality. Less choices, less opportunities to make a bad decision. Too many bad food decisions over time equal a big waist. Not quite e=MC2, but this food equation isn’t exactly rocket science.

If you eat too much, you’ll gain weight. That simple. Excluding all the exercise variables, this statement is true as true can be. Even Einstein would approve. “I’m Einstein and I approve this message.”

Part of my normal eating is also supplementing. Thanks to Dr. Oz, I always take my Herbalife multivitamin and Herbalifeline (Omega 3). To keep me upright in this marathon, I also take Herbalife joint support, Xtra Cal (calcium), and male factor. The other Herbalife supplements I take are just general health.

MyFitnessPal

MyFitness Pal 10-01-2013

When Did I Eat?

  • 8:15am (Meal 1) — Herbalife Formula 1 Protein Shake. Packed with fresh fruits and vegetables. If I can be blended, it’s in the shake.
  • 11:30am (Meal 2) — Comfort food bonanza! Homemade grill cheese with Kraft American cheese and in lieu of butter, used EVOO to help with the grilling.
  • 2pm (Meal 2.1) — Comfort food bonanza, part deux! The sequel includes 4 slices of Morning Star Veggie Bacon or like us forever vegetarians simply say, “facon.”
einstein marathon meal plan

Meal 2.1 — 2pm

  • 4:40pm (Meal 2.1) — Pre-run nutrition. I was feeling some tightness in my right hammy. Decided to go for some ramp runs to loosen it up for tomorrow. Not sure if this is kosher or a recommended method of healing a sore hamstring, but it seemed to work for me.
einstein marathon meal plan

Meal 2.2 — 4:40pm (Pre-run)

  • 7:30pm (Meal 3) — Chinese food. Egg drop soup, General sesame tofu, and vegetarian chow fun.

Einstein marathon meal plan

Tuesday, 10-01-2013

Day 113. Don’t Worry, Be Happy

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Life Lesson #113

Worry does not change your situation. Being thankful in the midst of a stressful situation is the key to excellence. Can you honestly say that worry has helped a situation? It’s impossible.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy. It’s a little ethereal, but true. Spiritually, this wold be Don’t Worry, Choose to be Happy. The bible teaches this truth in Matthew 6: 25-27.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

Bottom line, if the birds don’t worry about what they will eat or what they will wear, let’s not sign up for that class either. None of us can say we’ve ever seen a skinny bird and their feathers (ie – clothes) are beautiful. This is probably the one time it’s good to be a bird brain!

So the next time someone calls you a bird brain, simply tell them “thanks” and remember how blessed you are.

Monday, 09-30-2013

Day 113. Monday Morning Attempted Blues

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Monday Morning Attempted Blues

I may have caught a hint of it today. Woke up feeling a bit out of sorts (in my best Austin Powers voice), but in my best Matthew Wilder voice, “Ain’t Nothing Gonna Break My Stride.”

Just from that paragraph alone, I don’t think I’m tired. Sounds more like I’m schizophrenic. Anybody see Sally Fields performance in Sybil. Saw it as a child and let’s just say Forrest Gump’s mom is to blame for Forrest’s learning disabilities.

What To do When You’ve Got the Blues

I’ve got a gameplan just in case the tired bug comes a knocking. Always pray and thank God for strength and favor in everything you do. Then after, live it. You’ve prayed it, now you must live it. So the gameplan is simple … follow the calendar and agenda for the day and with God’s help, we can choose to be joyful.

In fact, today I do not feel like running. But as we all know, feelings can be so fickle. I have friends that Instagram a picture of a Starbucks morning cap with the title “Life is good” or my personal favorite “It can’t get any better than this.” Then, literally 1 hour later, “I can’t stand my boss. SMH. Life sucks.” That type of emotional roller coaster isn’t healthy. I’m hoping we all realize this. Studies actually show that these up-and-down mental gymnastics can cause illness. “I feel sick to my stomach” is oftentimes the end result of a stressful situation. Why get sick over something that hasn’t happened yet?

I ran my scheduled 6+ miles. I wasn’t close to my average per mile pace, but for today, it was my best. And afterwards, I got to eat a grilled cheese sandwich. It’s called comfort food for a reason. In fact, the exercise made me have more energy and after I got home, I did an easy T25 set. One solution for the blues is to move!

Morning weight = 171.5. Post run and easy T25 weight = 171.

So why do we do it?

Better yet, why do we allow ourselves to fall into this trap?

The simple answer is that we don’t know any better. Our reaction to stress can be a learned behavior. Is this you? Did your parents constantly over-react to highly intense situations without taking time to first pray, say, and live it. You probably learned it from them.

What do we do from here on?

First and foremost, we must accept that worry and stress cannot change a thing. If you think differently, I’d love to hear your story. But in my life, worrying, stressing, and feeling bad about something has never made it go away. So I strive to do my best to choose to be thankful when the world tells me to worry. Final solution for the blues is to accept worry does nothing.

Life lesson #113 — Worry does not change your situation. Being thankful in the midst of a stressful situation is the key to excellence.

Monday, 09-30-2013

Day 113. Can a Quesadilla Help With Low Energy?

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Chipotle Kind of Day

Woke up this morning knowing I had about a 6 mile run ahead, but really wasn’t feeling too bionic today. Low energy for some reason, but wondering why I have low energy won’t fix my low energy. Proceed as usual and just writing it off as “one of those days.” I’ll do my best today.

Can a Chipotle quesadilla help with low energy?

I’m sure it’s not scientific. MyFitnessPal shows all of the nutritional facts, but all I know is after eating one, I certainly feel happier. Use the eyeball test. Watch a kid eat a quesadilla. Are they frowing or smiling? So, I guess the overall answer is “Yes it Can!”

Marathon Meal Plan

MyFitnessPal 09-30-2013

When Did I Eat:

  • 8:20am (Meal 1) — Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla Shake with Personalized Protein Powder. Added spinach and kale for raw benefits. Added frozen strawberries, organic blueberries, peaches, and bananas. Mountain plain yogurt in 8 ounces of Healthy Balance Apple Juice (5 grams of sugar per 8 ounces — pretty good)
Herbalife Smoothie

Meal 1 — 8:20am

  • 8:45am (Meal 1.1) — Pre run nutrition. Herbalife24 Prepare and Prolong (2 scoops each). Herbalife Niteworks (1 scoop). Also had some Odwalla Super Protein Monster as I was feeling a bit tired this morning.
Herbalife24 Prolong Prepare Niteworks Review

Meal 1.1 (Post Run) — 8:45am

  • 10am (Meal 1.2) — Post run celebration. Homemade grilled cheese and tablets. I had a slow pace today because of low energy. Don’t feel sick, just one of those off days. Bring on the comfort of a grilled cheese sandwich.
Grilled cheese and Herbalife supplements

Meal 1.1 — 10am

  • 12:20pm (Meal 2) — Leftover egg drop soup, remainder of my Odwalla Chocolate Super Protein with Herbalife tablets, and Herbalife Niteworks. I just love the clean taste.
  • 2:30pm (Meal 2.1) — Fresh, Farmer’s Market sliced peaches.
fresh farmers market peaches

Meal 2.1 — 2:30pm

  • 5:40pm (Meal 3) — Chipotle to the rescue. Vegetarian fajita bowl with all the fixings! Side of a cheese quesadilla for texture.
Chipotle fajita bowl review

Meal 3 — 5:40pm

Monday, 09-30-2013