Jan 22

FIT:
The last "LR"... it was only 7 mi.  The Runner's World / New Balance SmartCoach app called for 8, but considering how tired, sore, and slightly overtrained I am, I feel fine making it 7.  Happy to report that there was no hip pain.  How'd it heal up?  Sleep.

I slept 7pm-midnight last night, slept 8-9am, slept 3-7pm.  Ran at 7pm.  It was actually nice for mimicing race-day.  I need to become familiar with how I'll feel race-morning.  Sluggish, a bit drowsy.  Normally, I jump straight into workouts, with no warmup.  Due to the drowsiness, I felt like I had to do some dynamic stretching, which was perfect as a test.  No warmup, since I won't be warming up with any running race morning.  Gotta save my energy for the race.  So it was good.

During my awake time to"day", I read about race week nutrition and tapering advice, plus race-day fueling advice.  A couple of reference suggested that you shouldn't eat within 2 hours of the race... I always thought that it was because people normally need that window to let food digest, but avoiding food within that window is actually supposed to prevent a bad insulin response.  On training runs, I normally eat an hour before (if it's a big meal), or minutes before (if it's a snack)!  So if I do this 2 hours thing, today's run would also be a good test, since I had been napping, and not eating, 2 hours prior. 

I was hungry and I normally would've eaten, but I held off, figuring that I could test out eating solid food while running.  I had a TLC Kashi breakfast bar.  It was easier to swallow than Gus or Chews, which is a litte ironic, but perhaps it was too sugary... felt a big spike and then my tummy felt a little bit uncomfortable.  I don't know what made it uncomfortable.  So maybe I will stick with the PowerBar gels.

I took it relatively easy on the run... still might've been a little more strenuous than it normally would've felt due to my slightly overtrained body, but I kept it easier than I normally would've taken it.  The bar was 100Cal, and I had half every half hour of the 1-hr run, which was exactly how long the energy/hunger lasted.  It's hard to extrapolate this to a full run, though, since this was only the beginning, starting from a state wher I had been napping and not eating for 4 hrs, which is different from being 20mi into a race.

I AM GOING TO GO CONSERVATIVELY AT THE RACE.  3:40 is fine.  My goal is the BQ.   PR at BOSTON, SWEET BOSTON.  (just talked to KJ, who confirmed that I should go for the BQ.)  okay, it's decided.  don't get lured in.  I can go to 20 with the 3:40 group and turn it on then if I want.  That may mean a 3:34, which is fine.

7.0 in 59:52, 8:33 ave.  Splits> 8:45, 8:32, 8:33, (26:43 5k), 8:33, 8:34, 8:35, (53:17 10k), 8:16.

Enjoyed a bowl of caramelized onions, tomato sauce, and tofu afterwards.  Delicious.  And now oatmeal.  Refueling, yes.