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Dress Rehearsal

SURPRISE!!! I ran my half marathon 2 weeks early!!!

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You wouldn’t buy a car without test driving it first.

You wouldn’t perform in a dance recital without dancing in your costume.

Why would you not want to run your course ahead of time if you could? I’ve actually been planning this since I started training but wanted to keep it a secret. I not only wanted to familiarize myself with the course, but I wanted to take some of the pressure off of race day. Since I have so many virtual spectators and all 😉

I was thrilled to come in 1 minute before my goal time of 1:57! That’s not even race pace, so that’s huge news.

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Here’s the course:

Racefest Map

I wanted to do a complete trial run of my breakfast, outfit, fuel and energy, so my day started at 5:45 when I got up to make breakfast. The real race is at 7:30AM and today I planned to run at 8:30 so I counted back 2 hours to digest and would see how it went.

I woke up at 5:45

Got downstairs around 6:10 or so

I drank a mug of plain water to hydrate

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Then spent 10 minutes being SUPER BRAVE and killing this roach with my slipper. EEEEK!

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Breakfast was made by 6:30

I loaded up on carbohydrates and took a lot of the PRO and FAT out of my normal oatmeal bowls. Didn’t want all that in my system and I wanted a quicker digest.

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I also want to be sure I get in a nice cup of coffee for the extra stamina it gives me!

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My oatmeal contained:

I left in the nut butters for some flavor and satiety but left out the milk, chia, and other toppings. This bowl was about 350 calories.

GUYS, this bowl was GROSS!!!!!!!!! OK, I take that back. Oatmeal is never gross. But I cannot believe what a difference it was without any milk products. First off, it took twice as long to cook as normal. The gelatinization was extreme. You MUST add milk (cow’s, soy, almond, hemp – whatev) to your oats. If you have never made it with milk, you must. This was just awful compared to normal !!

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Spring Blend

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Breakfast was over by 6:50

Coffee was finished at 7.

This was a little too close, so I think on race day I will need to get up at 4:30 instead of 4:45 🙁

But the fuel amount was perfect.

Next up I played on my computer and put some Dixie Chicks, Aqua and Rolling Stones on my iPod along with the usual Broadway, Glee, and energizing songs. My music was awesome today!!! All the right songs came on at the right times.

During Race Fuel Prep

Then I got to work making my fuel.

I’ve been debating what to put in my Camelbak for a while now. Plain water and take in CHO during the run vs continuous fuel via a sports drink.

After lots of debate (both internally and with RDs and friends), I decided to go with an all-in-one continuous stream of carbohydrate + electrolytes + water. All-in-one just made more sense to me than taking in a bunch all at once an hour in.

Technically I probably had close to 1500 calories stored in my body and one doesn’t NEED a ton of fuel during a 13 mile run, however, for optimal performance, taking in CHO to spare glycogen and especially hydration is very important to keep pace and energy as high as possible. And you want to be going your hardest throughout the entire duration of a race! [I will probably make a weaker version of this drink for future long training runs.]

I went to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (recommend by an RD colleague), which has a good amount of research summarized.

Based on this information and the breakdown of Gatorade, I calculated the following to determine how much water, CHO, electrolytes and osmolarity for a homemade sports mix. Sure, I could have just put Gatorade in my back, but I wanted to be all green and Real Foodish and make it myself 🙂 And I’m a super nerd who likes math!

Water

  • A 68 kg person needs 600-1200 ml H2O per hour
  • I am about 58 kg, so I used 600 ml x 2 hours = 1200 ml (600/hour) total for me
  • 1200 ml = 1.2 liters = 40 oz water = 5 cups

Carbohydrates

  • 4-8% CHO recommended (higher concentrations of sugar are hypertonic and may cause GI distress during runs, so I kept mine right in the recommended range. This was another concern of mine with a gu or gel taken mid-race).
  • 40 oz of Gatorade has 65g CHO (FYI)
  • 60g CHO needed for my fuel pack = ~5% CHO
  • 60g/15g = 4 tbsp sugar = 1/4 cup

Electrolytes

  • 475 mg sodium req. (based on Gatorade)
  • 180 mg potassium in Gatorade ratio
  • The juice of one orange has about 172 mg potassium

Recipe

  • 40 oz water
  • 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
  • Juice of one tangelo (~1/3 cup?)
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  1. Heat 1 cup of water in the microwave
  2. Add ingredients
  3. Stir and dissolve
  4. Add ice and rest of water

This recipe should come out to about 250 calories, about 60 grams CHO, 480 mg sodium, 172 mg potassium.

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The remains of my orange after hand-squeezing

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The sports drink was perfect – sooooo tasty during the run!! And very environmentally friendly and cheap too 🙂

My stuff all laid out – I took a map and some emergency bandaids as well

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Also wrote the course on my hand at Emily‘s recommendation, which was a LIFESAVER!

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And since I have no Road ID, I made an In Case of Emergency post-it for my camelbak.

30 minutes later than schedule, I was off right at 9AM!

The 13.1

The first 6 miles were a piece of cake. They went by really fast and didn’t have many hills. In fact, a good portion of them were downhill.

Mile 7 was ALL up hill, but I already knew this!! Emily and I had looked at the elevation through this site.

Check out the elevation below!

Racefest Elevation_crop

Matt came to say hello on his bike around mile 8. I was doing well, but this was where I lost some of my focus and slowed down a bit.

He took my picture!

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And again at mile 9!

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The mile 9 hill was KILLER. And then I took a wrong turn – right instead of left.

By mile 10, my breathing and legs had plenty of energy, but my FEET and tendons and ligaments and basically all the structure of my lower legs were starting to tighten up a lot.

Mile 10 was a reallllllly long up hill. Ouch!

I knew when I hit 11 I was almost done!

Mile 11 was my hardest.

Mile 12 I was greeted by a smiling EMILY!!!! She wasn’t able to run because of her sickness, but she was so sweet to meet me at the end. I picked up my pace when we met and chugged in that last mile.

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Final time: 1:56 minutes

Splits

Glad to see my avg. pace under 9! That was my goal, even with those big hills.

Splits

My goal for this half was under 2 hours, so I’m very pleased! And while I am totally pooped right now, I know I could have pushed myself harder. I ran these 13 at regular “Kath pace” – just out for a solid run. But I know I can go faster. So two weeks from now when I’m running RaceFest, my goal is to beat 1:56!

On the one hand, this run was a huge deal for me. A personal distance record. A solo run with hills. A race practice! I am definitely more tired than I ever have been.

On the other hand, it was over so quickly that it was not that big of a deal at all!!

[I can’t even fathom how I’d feel after 20+ miles – does the body strain ever plateau!?]

When I got home I was feeling all hard-core and decided that my legs needed some major icing.

So I tried an ice bath!!!

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Hardest thing I have EVER done in my LIFE!!!

OMG, I almost did not survive. My feet were in so much throbbing pain just 10 seconds in I kept having to pull them out. My legs actually liked the ice, but I couldn’t put my legs in without my feet!!!

I tried lamaze breathing and pretended this was what labor is like (I always compare pain to labor even though I’ve never given birth because it’s supposed to be the worst “normal” pain there is. I can’t WAIT to see what it’s like!!)

I lasted 4 full minutes in the bath and had to get out. Totally wimpo.

But my legs did feel immediately better! Maybe those 4 minutes helped.

OK, I am ready to be done with this post so I’m whizzing through lunch.

I can’t imagine long-run recovery without a SIAB and toast. It’s just exactly what I crave. The thought of meat or fish or savory vegetables makes me want to barf!

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SIAB contained:

  • 1 banana
  • 1 big handful spinach
  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese (real food protein!)
  • 1/2 cup milk (ditto!)
  • 1/4 an avocado
  • 1 tbsp chia
  • Handful ice
  • Galaxy Granola

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Cinnamon Raisin Walnut from Great Harvest with some Nuttzo!! LOVE Nuttzo on bread.

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Going to drink lots of water, ice my foot and watch House Hunters!!

Happy Exercising to you all!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Great job on the run!!

    But, be careful putting your hubby’s and mom’s phone #s on the blog – that seems like asking for trouble!

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  3. Great job and smart to run the course first! I agree with Alex, I’d go back and photoshop out your mom and hubby’s numbers… that’s inviting pyschos!

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  7. You’re awesome, Kath! I have enjoyed reading about your training for your half. You have been methodical and thorough, and now you are going to have a great race!

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  9. I am not a runner, and have never taken an ice bath 🙂 But I have given birth 2 times, with NO drugs, just lots of support and other pain coping techniques (walking, warm water, massage, breathing, relaxing, natural hormones…). You can do it! When the time comes, of course 🙂

    Congrats on the great run!

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  10. Waay big congrats Kath!!
    You’re going to do so well on race day; I ran my first half a few weeks before My First Half, and it increased my confidence so much. Sp I know exactly how you’re feeling right now!
    Have a good restful night 🙂
    ps – I totally agree about the oatmeal – water oats are INFERIOR!

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  11. Impressive run! I was on the xc team in college, and we had special booties that we wore in the ice bath so our toes wouldn’t freeze! I don’t know where they came from, but I bet regular socks would still help. The tootsies are definitely the most painful part! And once you’re in there for awhile, everything starts to go numb and it’s not so bad 🙂

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  12. Hooray for the awesome race trial! You are going to rock it on race day — can’t wait to see you beat your goal time!
    Thanks for the homemade sports drink info too — I always just drink water on long runs, but I might have to start making my own mix for the added energy. Great idea!
    (And it’s funny, I LOVE oats made with just water… even a splash of almond milk throws my oat balance all off. Guess it just depends on your morning taste buds!)

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  13. Congrats on your 13.1! Can’t wait to see how you do on the REAL race day! So glad your foot has been able to handle the mileage!

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  17. Sounds like you had an awesome run!

    Just a question about your post-run protein intake. Do you ever consume quicker digesting proteins after runs? Just wondering, since I usually use cottage cheese as a source of slow-digesting protein.

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    • Like what? I’ve never heard that some proteins are easier to digest than others. Unless you have an enzyme def or food intolerance?

      Reply

  19. Great job! That’s a really good time for not even having race adrenalin. Sometimes I think ice baths are harder than 20 mile runs. Also, when I do 20-milers the hardest miles are between 11-15 or so–I think the body does plateau.

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  23. So happy to see the comment by Foxfire. I had 2 great 6 hour amazing births…people always hold up labor as the “worst pain ever.” Just not true! No drugs, just some great relaxation and self-hypnosis techniques, all sorts of calmness around me, and a firm belief that my body knows exactly what to do if just stay out of its way. A killer sinus infection? Now that’s pain! Thanks, Foxfire, you beat me to it!

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    • SO glad to hear it!!! I agree – I think that the pain with birth is natural because your body is doing the pain for a “good” reason. Vs. getting blood drawn or breaking a leg – that’s “alarm” pain.

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  25. Wow! Amazing job on your run! My first half is in one week and I felt unprepared before I read your post, now I feel really unprepared… I haven’t even thought about the course or what I would eat that day or fuel for the race. Not to mention I got huge blisters last week on my 11mi and had to take 5 days off. Went for a 5mi run Wednesday, blisters came back with a vengeance. I’ve been wearing flip flops all week and doubt I’ll get any more runs in before the actual race. Ekk! :- |

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  26. Wow – you’ve got dedication! It’s so amazing that you went through the whole thing like this – and that you did so fantastically well doing so. Congratulations – the real thing will be a breeze, I’m sure 😀

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  29. Amazing job! Your running is quite inspirational to me, it constantly makes me want to try to run farther. I think I’ll give 6 miles a try when it warms up so that I don’t have to do it on a treadmill – I can’t stand trying to beat a record when you have to go at a set speed instead of what your body can handle. It’s like intuitive eating! You have to listen to your body and run that way instead of electronic presets. I find that now that I had to cut back on cardio that if I just up the speed when I feel like it instead of predetermined intervals not only do I feel better while running, but I also find it more enjoyable.

    Keep up the good work! You’ll surely reach your goal during the real race. ^_^

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  31. Congrats on the run!! That’s awesome!

    And for all the commenters who gave birth without drugs… I SOOOO admire you!!!

    I tried to go all natural, but the pain was too intense… epidural saved me!

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    • I agree! I had two births with over 36 hours of active labor each – I had planned going drug free but after days of no sleep/pain couldn’t do it.

      Awesome job on the run Kath!!

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  32. Congrats! Did you think you were actually going to die? Like so much so that you imagined what would happen when the paramedics came into your house and took you away? Because THAT’S what childbirth feels like. It’s like nothing else. Plus you’re a little hysterical and your mind isn’t working clearly. Now I’m wondering why I signed up to do it again in about two months.

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    • Just to add, this was with no drugs & I progressed very quickly, which I think can be good and bad (it’s over quicker but it’s intense). But there are two things I was so happy to be able to experience, the feeling of my whole body pushing out of my control (so weird!) and the intense relief when it was all over (strangely not when baby came out but when the placenta did shortly after). And I think I felt something similar to a “runners high” when it was all said and done. I felt good instead of exhausted at the end. And craved juice. I drank a quart of apple juice and a quart of grape juice (after eating nothing for 12 hours). Good luck when the time comes!

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  35. That’s a great idea! Excellent job on your practice run 😀 WOO HOO!!!

    I always make my oats with just water, I’e only had them with milk once. I’m missing out, huh? 🙁

    SIAB looks so refreshing.

    Jenn

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  36. Maybe that’s why I don’t like oatmeal! I see everyone in the blog world raving about oatmeal, and it just sits like a rock in my stomach. I’ll have to try it with milk sometime.

    About ice baths…I had terrible shin splints when I ran track in high school–used to have to take ice baths everyday after practice–up to my knees in icy water. I agree, the feet are the worst. I used to ice with a friend and we would play word games (like I”m going on a trip and I’m bringing…) to stop us thinking about our feet. Once they go numb, it’s not so bad!

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  39. Congratulations!!! You rocked that run!

    I gave birth w/out an epidural–the pushing part was actually a relief! The superpainful part was the last hour or so of labor–but then’s it’s over, unlike an injury. I think that’s what makes it doable. You will do great! (and now they’ve changed that old practice of no food/real liquids during labor, so you can keep your energy up, just like on a long run!)

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  41. Wow congrats! That is an amazing time for your first half, and you will definitely wanna go faster in the race. I have to fuel the same way after long runs; meat or savory stuff sounds so horrible! I need oats or toast or smoothies too 🙂
    Happy Saturday!

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  42. I hear you on the ice bath! I don’t know if I would even be able to stand it for 4 minutes…my feet would turn blue, so I just get a ton of ice packs for my legs, as I find the lower legs need a good icing afterwards. Congrats on the half! I’m hoping to run my first half next February, right now I’m concentrating on training for a sprint triathlon in July, and I definitely need to check out that Gatorade Sports Science Institute site for information. I like you love doing the math calculations. My undergrad degree was in biochem and in one of my elective classes for our final exam we had to calculate if you had some much energy stores and ate so much in the morning, if you ran a certain pace how long could you sustain it before you would hit the wall. Mind you that was quite a few years ago, so I think it’s time to brush up and then come up with a fuel strategy for the triathlon, though you camelbak mix might just work on the bike ride!

    Reply

  43. Awesome job! You’re going to rock Racefest. I wouldn’t be surprised if you beat your goal time by ten minutes or more! And yes, your body will eventually get used to the distance and you won’t be as sore or tired. Congrats 🙂

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  44. To add to all the L&D comments 😉 – hey, you get a lovely baby at the end of it! Your own! Kinda a perk, that, eh? 😉 Anyhow. I stayed pretty active with my first – and had an all-natural 4-hr L&D. Pretty kickass! And yep! I’d do it again. 🙂 It’s a totally natural thing for our bodies to do. 🙂 (I digress! 🙂 )

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  45. Great job on your run! I’m really enjoying following your half-marathon journey.

    I did a 22 miler today, and during the first half, things were hurting. The second half I felt fine. So maybe there is a plateau.

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  47. I have had an ice bath and natural childbirth twice. I would say ice bath is worse short term pain!! I think maybe as it is self inflicted and you know you can hop out of the tub! My DH had them regularly when training for an Ironman and he ALWAYS wore socks. Crazy guy would spend 15 minutes in one. Congrats on a great run!

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  50. Kath, you are awesome! Congrats on the great run! I think I might just have to make some homemade sports drink (either yours or Emily’s mix) for my 1/2 in 2 weeks. I have a love/hate relationship with ice baths… I have figured out it is easier to start in the tub, poor the ice in, and then fill the tub up with water. Then, you are already in and get used to it a little more as the water fills up. (And, I HAVE to wear a bathing suit to keep a little warmer!)

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  52. Wow–congratulations! That was a majorly kickass run. As others have said you are SUCH an inspiration! And thanks for taking all the time to do that great recap.

    And I must weigh on in the labor/pain discussion: I have never had a baby, but I’ve heard that the only pain comparable to it is having a kidney stone–which I had about six years ago. And in fact, my kidney stone was so large it had to be surgically removed, so my pain, as the doctors said, was considerably more intense than even a regular stone. I definitely felt like I was going to faint/go blind/die! It hurt so badly it literally made me vomit over and over and over. Unbearable, truly! So when the doctor told me about the labor/stone pain debate, I made the decision right then and there that I would go with drugs when/if the time comes 🙂 A good point about the alarm pain versus “good” pain–but I think I’m probably still too much of a wuss!

    Anyway, long story short, GO KATH!

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  54. SIAB? I’ve never tried that. Sounds absolutely refreshing… especially with the weather warming up. I’ll have to try that. Congrats on your run… I’m impressed with your calculations. You have everything measured out perfectly. Hope you beat that time on race day!

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  55. Awesome. I felt like I was re-running racefest with you as I read this post. I remember running those hills!! My parents and Chris were right at mile 8 which was definitely the most crucial place for them to be. Around mile 10 I got THEE worst side cramp ever..which I didn’t experience during training. Actually had to walk twice for about 30sec shoving my hand into my side + breathing to get rid of it. Great job girl!

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  56. YAYYYYYY!!!! ohhh i wish i would be able to do it with you in 2 weeks 🙁 makes me so sad that i can’t! all i know is: you are going to rock it and i’m expecting one EPIC race report!!!

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  57. congrats on your ‘1st’ half! i’m sure you’ll rock out the real one with the all the crowd support and adrenaline going on. you should shoot for 8:26 pace:)

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  58. That’s such a great idea to run the actual course before the real thing! You did it in such a great time, i know you will rock the half marathon!

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  60. What a great run! Sounds like you have everything planned to a “T”, and I hope the race goes just as well for you. One thing I would recommend, solely for any live spectators’ benefit, would be to wear something bright and/or distinctive on your upper half that they can spot in a crowd. My hubby always has such a hard time finding me when I’m running in a race!

    Re: childbirth pain. I had epi’s both times, but for me it wasn’t so much the pain as the feeling of not being in control of my body. I think it’s key to reconcile yourself to that loss of control to have a successful birth sans drugs. BUT there is NOTHING wrong or weak about taking them, either! 😉

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    • That’s why I wore my red hat! But I do have my top in green – perhaps I will wear that one instead of black.

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  61. I love ICE BATHS!!!! (okay but only AFTER I get out). I agree, the pain of the ice water is ridiculous, so I changed things up a bit. I don’t use much ice at all. I take a quick bath with all cold water from the tap and maybe a 24 oz cup of ice. I set the timer for 10, get in and read a book. I just make myself shut off the agony. I did this after my 2 hour half trail marathon–serious elevation–and it worked great. I actually went out for a 4 mile shake-out-the-legs run the next day. My legs were not near as sore as I expected.

    And today, I did the same after my 10K+3 miles. My legs feel great. 🙂

    Congrats on a great run!

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  63. I used to always make my oatmeal with water and stir milk in at the end. When I decided to try getting more calcium, I started using milk during the cooking (sometimes all milk, sometimes 1/2 milk & 1/2 water). I don’t think I’ve ever eaten it with just water. Well, I guess when I’d eat the packages at work using hot water from the work cooler. But I agree…milk of any kind makes it taste so much better!! 🙂

    Nice work on your run!

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  64. Hey Kath, congrats on running 13.1 miles today. I actually just signed up for my first half-marathon in San Diego on August 15th. I am pretty nervous about it. Well I have an oatmeal question for you. I usually put in a protein powder, or some kind of nutritional powder like Chia seed in my oatmeal. Would you recommend following the serving size on the packet or just eye ball a small amount in. I think on the Chia Seed powder label it says a serving size is 2 or 3 tablespoons, I feel like that is a lot of chia powder to put in, but do you normally follow serving sizes when you add ingredients into your oatmeal or do you just eye ball and put in as much as you want.

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    • I’ve never heard of chia seed powder? I usually just add ingredients to taste – depending on what kind of texture I want. I add 1/2 a tbsp or so of whole chia seeds to my oats everyday. Love their gel!

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  66. that is so cool that you used Lamaze for your ice bath. I took lamaze before the birth of my oldest and they actually make you practice pain management by holding ice. I’ve had two drug free births (one at a hospital and one at home) and I think ice baths are WAY worse. well, maybe not but running/ice baths/labor.. they have so many similarities!

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  67. Congratulations on your big run! How did you determine that you had ~1500 calories stored in your body? I was intrigued by that.

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  68. Awesome job Kath! The water and electrolyte calculations were helpful. I run my 2nd half in 5 weeks or so, and I will be using that math…

    But I won’t be running it in 1:56. Assuming cool weather, I’m aiming for 2:11. Hot weather? Just finishing. I melt in the heat.

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  69. Hey Kath,

    Just saw your blog on CurrentTV, and to be honest this will probably be the 1st blog that has ever “truly” interested me. I’ve never kept up with any b/c they have never really interested me. I am a private strength and conditioning coach for NFL, MLB, and collegiate athletes, and have my own company (athletesenhancement.com). Love what you are doing here. Most blogs either only talk exercise or nutrition, love how detailed your workouts and meals are laid out. Very Impressed!

    2 Questions:
    1) SIAB in a bowl- do you blend it in a blender or is it something you just mix together in a bowl?
    2) Someone posted about faster digesting proteins earlier. Cottage cheese releases amino acids in a much slower fashion than other proteins. For example, Whey protein is considered the fastest digesting (1 hour for digestion/protein synthesis), with egg following (1-2), and casein protein being the slowest at (3-6). Slower digestion doesnt always mean worse, especially for distance runners. You are training at a different intensity than, lets say a body builder. They break down much more muscle tissue, and thus call for faster digestion proteins (whey).

    Anyway, love this and am now a repeat reader. Depending on your SIAB answer, i may have a new recipe for you

    Reply

    • Welcome!!

      1) SIAB = smoothie in a bowl made in the Vita-mix! It usually involves spinach, banana, milk and other mix-ins, like granola topping. Always eaten with a spoon!

      2) Thanks for the protein info!

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  70. Congrats on the run girl!! I’m trying not to be jealous because I was supposed to be doing the same half marathon but I can’t now because of this darn stress fracture… but that’s neither here nor there. I’m rooting for you!!!

    Call me crazy but I don’t mind ice baths. I actually miss them <- Proof positive that i'm INSANE haha

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  71. Thanks for the great recap and congratulations on an amazing run! You are totally going to ROCK that 1/2 in a couple weeks. I am inspired by your commitment to intuitive eating and listening to your body.
    Definitely not going to try ice baths however!

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    • I have a lovely Window’s 7 computer 😉 It has an awesome clipper feature! Have you tried print screen?

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      • No I haven’t tried print screen yet. I’m going to try and fool around with it today. It’d just be so much easier to copy and paste instead of write them all out. Thanks!! Hopefully I’ll be able to post my stats from yesterday on today’s blog.

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  75. Great job, I hope to be a runner some day for now I am just a walker. I am going to try some homemade Gatorade.

    BTW I had my 1st daughter w/o any drugs and the second she was born I could not remember what the pain was like, with my 2nd daughter the anesthesiologist had to leave for an emergency c-section so all I got was the shot in the arm. but both my girls were wide eyed and alert , well worth the pain!

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  78. Congrats on your run. I did the same today. My 1/2 is in two weeks. It was a major accomplishment. The best part is you know you will be able to finish and finish well. 🙂

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  81. Congrats on the run!!! I have run numerous halfs and always run the distance before race day! You will kill that time in your half, as your training runs are always slower. In the race, the other runners will totally motivate you! I just got a 4 minute PR in my half last weekend!

    I love your CHO + electrolyte mix for you run…sounds delicious! Have you ever had coconut water? ai have made my own mix (very similar to yours!) and used coconut water, and i find that i do better with the coconut water – I am wondering why that is?! I have found that sugar sometimes hurts my stomach…

    Anyways, just wondering if you had any advice! Awesome run, and awesome with the ice bath. I love them, but i get right in with my running clothes still on! It doesn’t feel AS cold that way :).

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    • I have coconut water in my fridge! Both a carton I bought at EarthFare and some sport drink made from it (by a company). Going to try both in the coming weeks!

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      • Awesome! Let me know what you think! I think i’ve tried out every brand that makes it to find my favorite – and i have a favorite now! But, i’m interested to see what you think. Next long run, i’m trying your sportsdrink!

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  83. Kath, just one thing to remember about the half — you often end up running quite a bit farther than 13.1 during the race (because of the way the courses are measured and because you weave in and out, etc). It can screw up your official time by a couple of minutes. I absolutely think you’ll smoke 1:57, but I wanted to throw that out there. My last half, my Garmin told me i had a PR, but the official clock disagreed! It was almost 14 to the finish line. 🙁

    Don’t even get me started on the whole. When my watch said 26.2, the end was still years away.

    Reply

    • Oh no, don’t tell me that!! I think you’re right. I ran as close to the course as I could today, but I’m not sure if I started at the real start line and I did make that wrong turn – I ended 13.1 waaaay before the finish. I’ll be prepared!!

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  84. One tip for the ice bath that I read on another blog: put the cold water in the tub, then get in and wait a minute, then add the ice a bag at a time a couple of minutes apart. (I used 2 bags from the convenience store- I have a small freezer!) Makes it so much more bearable.
    Seems obvious in retrospect, but it had never occurred to me. Also, drink hot tea!

    Reply

    • Good tip!! I was all alone though and am not sure I could have leaned over to get more ice…I need Matt to dump it in for me next time!

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  86. Yay, Kath!! This was so inspirational to read! Even though it is not exercising, I am going to take the motivation I got from reading this and complete the draft of the final chapter of my Masters thesis today! wooo!

    -Christa

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  87. You’re race prep is exactly why I love you and your blog 🙂 GREEEEEEEEAT RUN, not that I even need to say it–I bet you are still high on endorphins! You give me hope that one day I can run with my temperamental shins.

    Oh and I once saw a feature on competitive cheerleaders who took FULL BODY ice baths….WAHHHHH!

    Reply

  91. Congrats on the run! Who knows if you’ll make it to comment #111 (or whatever this is), but I use to cringe in college when I knew I was gettin’ into the ice bath…Not sure if anyone recommended this, but if you’re going to be icing on the regular, you need to get some booties for those toes of yours…

    PS -met a nice young lady today who goes to the same Yoga studio as you, but is afraid to introduce herself…

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  94. Did you wear socks? I can’t take ice baths without wearing socks, it totally makes a difference.

    Oh and I usually watch something on my laptop and have a cup of tea!!

    Congrats on the dry run or your run.. eerrr…. no pun intended!

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  95. What a great idea to have a trial run. I can’t imagine running for nearly two hours – I’m still trying to get up to half an hour! Can’t wait to hear about the real thing, and thanks for posting so much info about the run.

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  96. Kath – you were smoking hot today ! Whooot hooot!
    So , as I wrote on Emily’s blog too, I’m training for a full in San Diego on June 6th. so tomorrow is a 12 miler. The longest I’ve ever run!
    But given your experience and dietician knowledge – I wanted to ask re: the sports drink. So far – I’ve just bought 1 packet of cytomax and you are right – those are expensive… But rumor has it that’s what they have on the course and so taht’s what you should drink (but I plan to bring 6 bottles of 8 ounces of whatever).. So then I thought oh – well I’ve got gatorade in the pantry I will just use that… but reading your post I am wondering if it will be the wrong mix … any thoughts?
    I got a little confused by the percentages because I am so tired and not too savvy in the nutrition department 🙂 Thanks.

    Reply

    • You’re right to want to train with what they’ll have on the course. But that said, you don’t have to take what they offer on the course. Ours will have Gatorade, but I’m going to run with my own fuel.

      That said, with a marathon you might not be able to carry everything you need for 26.2 miles, so perhaps you could do a hybrid of fuels? Do some of the math to figure out how much of each to take.

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  97. Great job on your training run! You’ve really done a great job increasing your mileage.
    I agree with you on the post run meal, I always crave sweet foods like almond butter on toast with banana as opposed to savory proteins with veggies.

    Reply

  98. Congrats!!!
    Especially on the ice bath! After my last half marathon I decided I would rather stretch for an hour than bear doing an ice bath… ha!

    Your SIAB looks so good!

    Reply

  99. Also, I never put milk in my oatmeal and LOVE it with just plain fruits in it and a tbsp of nut butter, so when you said it was gross I literally laughed out loud. I just may try adding some milk now though, if it really is ‘so much better’ ^_- hahaha.

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  100. If you can run a marathon you can give birth. Running a marathon sounds too painful to me, but I am planning my second unmedicated birth. Love your blog! I have been lurking for a while. My hubby and daughter love your recipes!

    Reply

  101. Reading through the comments, I had to add that I, also, never add any kind of milk to my oatmeal. Oats, banana, brown rice protein powder, ground cinnamon, vanilla powder, nuts, Amazing Grass Chocolate Superfood… it’s a busy (and delicious!) bowl as it is, but maybe I should do some experimenting in light of your observation.

    Reply

  102. Love your blog and kudos on your run. However, as a nutritionist and former marathon runner, I’m a bit wary of your sports drink. Organic or not, cane sugar (12 tsp in your drink!!) is still plain ol’ white sugar, and equates to empty calories with no nutritional value. Granted your energy drink is better than Gatorade or other artificial ‘energy’ drinks, but you’d be better off adding a splash of coconut water to your diluted juice along with a pinch of salt. Something like this will fuel your body (and aid your recovery) far more effectively than sugar water, and provide more electrolytes than just sodium. The natural sugars in pure juice/coconut water supply more than enough CHO, along with other nutrients. Sorry for the rant, but eliminating added sugars in the diet is a passion of mine – and the focus of many of my nutrition seminars in schools!

    Reply

    • I’m a nutritionist (almost) too 🙂

      I do agree that cane sugar is empty calories, but simple carbohydrates are what runners need! Coconut water does seem to be the gold standard, but it’s also very expensive. I also added the orange juice in there for more all-natural electrolytes. Orange juice alone would not have been enough CHO.

      Reply

  103. Just a couple ice bath tips….and someone may have already said this but you just have too many comments to read right now 🙂

    I did a few over the summer when training for a marathon. Start in the tub with cold water, then dump the ice in. somehow that’s not quite as bad as getting in with the ice in there?? I always kept my toes poking out over the water because I figured my toes didn’t need icing anyway and they were just too painful! Wear a sweatshirt or something AND bring a blanket to wrap around you. The best tip (in my opinion) is to bring a cup of hot tea or coffee with you and sip on that. Keeps your insides nice and warm! I would set my timer and read a magazine while sipping hot tea!

    The first few minutes are killer, but then your legs just go numb and it’s not so bad.

    Have a nice fuzzy robe waiting for you to put on as soon as you get out!!

    Reply

    • Thanks Katherine! I did my first one today and thanks to your tips I tolerated it … had a Via stabucks instant decaf and my little space heater – and I kept my toes out … :-0)

      Reply

  104. Thanks so much for posting so in-depth about your run! I’ve been trying to figure out how to fuel myself best during my upcoming marathon- I don’t like the gels, and I was looking at the bottles of electrolyte/recovery powders in the running store, which were full of all kinds of unknown ingredients. I may try out your mix next weekend!

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  105. Interesting homemade drink! I’m a fan of the coconut water, but might have to give something like this a try 🙂 I really need to buy a CamelBak!!

    Reply

  108. You’re too cute! I’m so glad your run went good and congrats on the PR, PDR and all that! 😀 Such a great feeling. You are going to rock that half mary!

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  109. Great post Kath! I have been thinking about running another longer run before my upcoming half marathon, but for some reason I never thought about going for the actual race route… plus the real “rehearsal” part of going at the same time and everything should really help. I did 11 Saturday, but that is the highest mileage my training schedule gets up to before the race. I love all the “nerdy” preparation you did beforehand. I always hate stopping to walk at the water stops in races, and I just can’t keep running while drinking without spilling it all over myself… maybe I will have to look into one of the camelbacks two.

    Reply

  110. Good for you for braving the ice bath! I heard it really makes a difference (reminds me of my basketball days in high school).

    Love that you love House Hunters. That is one of my favorite shows! Do you watch House Hunters International?? I get so jealous watching that show!

    Reply

  111. Awesome job on the run! I’m going to be doing a “dress rehearsal” run for my first half marathon in a few weeks, but mine will take much longer– I’m not too fast. Also, I have the same color iPod shuffle as you– I love that little thing!

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  113. Great job on your run!

    As for the oats – I love my oats soaked overnight in apple juice. Can’t do dairy before a run…

    Ice Bath: Sounds COLD! Not sure I could do it… but then I have trouble getting in the ocean here…

    Reply

  114. I’ve been getting queasy from water on my runs, so I’m going to try this ASAP! Wondering — why kosher salt? Can it be sea salt? Just cause I already have sea salt in my kitchen 🙂

    Reply

    • I like kosher for cooking because it’s a finer grain, but think sea salt could work too. I would need to do more salt research to be 100% sure.

      Reply

  116. Great post! I have been looking for a homemade sports drink! Yay! I have a question that may have already been answered, but I was curious…why do you decide to leave chia seeds out of your oatmeal before the race? Is it because it slows digestion? I thought chia seeds helped with hydration. I’m fairly new to racing and have much to learn!Thanks!!

    Reply

    • I was just trying to keep the oatmeal as simple and low in fiber as possible, but you’re right they help with hydration

      Reply

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