It’s great to be back on here after a fun and busy summer! We had a few last minute trips out of town and ended up being gone for most of July so it seemed like the summer flew right by. I just finished the halfway point of my 18-week marathon training plan. Woohoo! In some ways it seems like I’ve been training for way longer but at the same time it seems to have gone by pretty fast. I was a little nervous about training while traveling but I was able to fit in all the runs and it was refreshing to run in new locations.
Our first stop was the Vegetarian Summerfest held at the University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown, PA. We had a fabulous time learning tons of information, meeting great people, and eating amazing food (I need to do another post or even a few more about that experience). If you’re not familiar with Pennsylvania, it’s quite hilly at least in parts and the Johnstown area is one of those hilly parts. I tackled a few smaller hills, which was good for me since I don’t spend a lot of time running hills. I was very tired for each run since I was up much later than normal every night and up earlier than normal in order to finish my runs before breakfast which was only served from 7:30-8:30, but it all worked out and I got them done. My long run that weekend was a 9-miler. It was the day we were leaving so I skipped a session after breakfast and did a little yoga since I didn’t think it would be a good idea to ride in the car for several hours without getting a decent stretch in. At Summerfest, we had the great pleasure to meet Rich Roll, spend some time with him, and attend his running clinic. At the end of the clinic we did a fun run and Scott and I ran with Rich the whole time. It was a pretty cool experience. I think I’ve made it clear in prior posts that I’m a huge fan of him, his wife Julie, and their work. If you’re not already familiar with Rich and Julie, you definitely need to check out his book Finding Ultra, their cookbook Plant Power Way, his podcast, her music and their other work and products. He, Julie, and many of the people he (and sometimes they) has interviewed on the podcast have inspired me in this marathon challenge, my whole-food, plant-based journey, and many other areas of personal growth. I listen to his podcasts on every run (I use his app or the Sound Cloud app on my iPhone). Here are two pics with them.
Our next stop was an overnight stay with some friends in Mechanicsburg, PA. In the morning I visited the local Y to get in my cross-training workout (swimming and some weight and core work) before we got on the road. I unfortunately forgot my Speedo at home so I wore my sports bra and the bottoms from my no so sporty two-piece. The drag created by the somewhat loose fitting bottoms was a bit annoying but at least I kept them on! They must have been the reason I was so slow that day. Ha, ha. I’m not the fastest swimmer no matter what suit I wear but I do have pretty good endurance.
Cape Cod was the final destination on this leg of our trip. It was our second year visiting the Cape and hopefully it will be a yearly trip for our family. My best childhood friend and her family have a home in Sagamore Beach and graciously allow us to stay there. The highlight of the week was when our friends visited with their 9-month old baby. She was a delight to be around and the kids loved playing with her. We enjoyed many great conversations and spoiled them with several yummy plant based meals and desserts. This was our first vacation being whole-food, plant-based and while it definitely took a bit more planning, it worked out just fine. We didn’t partake in any of the traditional local fare – namely seafood – but we did thoroughly enjoy the abundance of farm stands. 
So on to the running part…the topic of this post, right. It’s so easy for me to go off on a tangent! There are many places to run near our friends’ house including the Cape Cod Canal path, which runs along the canal (see below).
I like running on the path for shorter runs but it is totally flat and a down and back so I find it a little monotonous after a while. I ended up running most times starting out from their house and then winding through neighborhoods and along local roads. There were plenty of rolling hills and some short but steep inclines. It was challenging compared to my normal routes but was a really nice change (similar to PA). I also loved the fact that it’s lighter there earlier in the morning so the sun was already shining when I’d leave for my early morning runs. One day I was running through a neighborhood and a few turkeys ran in front of me. That was a first!
My long run that weekend was supposed to be 10 but I ended up doing 11. I started out on the canal path and passed fisherman after fisherman out for their early morning catches. I love to think about what life might be like as a fisherman sitting in the serene stillness of the morning. It certainly requires a lot of patience and persistence – both of which I could use a little more. Then I headed toward a road that was just inland from the houses facing the beach. I was the only one out at that time of day so it was very peaceful. I made my way further inland before ending with the steady climb back to our friends’ house. That last portion was the killer part of the route. Just when I was ready to be done (and feeling like toast), I faced the most challenging part of the run. Because I sometimes like to torture myself, I did hill repeats through their neighborhood a few times. They were slow but fun in a weird sort of way.
From the Cape, we came home for a few busy days of trying to get things back in order and catch up on everything after being gone for almost two weeks. We then headed north to Cheboygan, MI where Scott’s originally from. His grandmother still lives there in a vacation home his aunt and uncle recently rebuilt. The house itself was amazing and just a short walk from Mullett Lake – a large and beautiful lake. We had a fun (albeit interesting) few days in a house jam-packed with family. There were literally people sleeping everywhere! My favorite part was the boat dock where I enjoyed several post-run yoga sessions in the early morning stillness. Below is a pic of that lovely spot.
I have traveled with “my” food and Vitamix (a must bring along travel item for me if at all possible) for several years now showing up with bags of produce in particular. This year we brought even more since I was packing for all four of us and we didn’t want to have to make a huge grocery trip when we got there. Thank goodness their fridge was the Cadillac of fridges and fit all of our stuff and more! We used the Vitamix several times a day so I’m sure everyone else was relieved when they returned home to quietness after hearing the jet-engine like sound of the Vitamix for several days.
The house sat right next to a really long snowmobile trail that people use recreationally for other activities like biking, walking, and running. I ran a few short runs on the trail but knew I didn’t want to do my long run on it because it was harder to run on with it being gravel and it was monotonous – completely flat and tree lined the whole way. I set out for my long run intending to run 12 according to the plan but ended up doing just over 13.5 (13.2 was the furthest I’d run prior to this!). I had gotten too far out on a long country road before looking at my phone to see how far I needed to go to get back home. I turned around at a farm stand, which was a neat coincidence. I planned to go back later in the day to get produce but as soon as I got back to the house it started raining. Below are a few pics from that morning.
We found out later there was a tornado close by. It was a good thing we didn’t know it at the time as our son is terrified of tornadoes and we were in a giant window filled house. It continued to rain for hours and we lost power at the house (so no water or toilets!!), which just wasn’t going to work for all of us in the house for very long. We made the decision to head out a day early. It was a great decision to avoid the inconvenience of no water but not so great considering how far I had just run. I was a little worried that I would be really sore the next day after riding in the car but I was able to use the stick roller and stretch a little before getting in the car and during our ride so that helped.
I had a step down week the following week and then ramped back up again completing just over 14 on my next run. Below are two pics I took along the way. The sunset was fabulous that morning and I snapped a fun shadow pic closer to the end of the run. I had to stop for that one.
I set out early and got home before everyone else was up and moving. I felt pretty good after about mile 6 when I got into a nice groove. I took two water bottles filled with a water/coconut water combo that I had soaked dates in overnight. It was really refreshing and seemed to do the trick but I ran out by the end of the run. I plan to take more for higher mileages and I’m also planning to take along some nourishment as I go further. I used dates when I trained for the half last year and plan to try them again in addition to sweet potato. I joked that I might put the sweet potato in my sports bra so if you see me at the beginning of my run I will have a large chest and it will slowly dwindle back to normal by the end. In all seriousness I’ve heard sweet potatoes can be great for long runs if you are trying to stick to whole foods.
Pace-wise, I’m hovering around an 8:30 average pace. This is almost a minute slower than my average pace for the half but I seem to be naturally gravitating toward this pace. I haven’t paid any attention to my pace until I finish each run and when I finally look I’m always within 15 seconds of the same average pace. It’s actually pretty remarkable that the body works like that. I may end up even a little slower as I start adding on more miles but we’ll see.
I’m going to need to a new pair of shoes and sadly my favorite Nike Air Pegasus are now made differently and no longer fit well. Unfortunately I can’t find any of the older style online or in stores. I’ve been wearing Air Pegasus since I started running about 6-7 years ago so I’m really bummed. I tried a pair of Brooks at a local running store and thought they felt ok but after running to the end of our street in them I knew they weren’t right for me. I’m going to head to another local store to get a running / fit analysis done so hopefully that will help steer me in the right direction. I am mad at myself for not getting a few extra pair of the Pegasus the last time I ordered some online but what can I do now?
I’ve been focusing on carbs/starches a lot more recently and it seems to have really helped with my energy and the recovery process. I think this combined with a whole-food, plant-based diet has been behind my overall increased energy, reduced soreness, and faster recovery. I’ve heard plant-based athletes talk about this but didn’t believe it until I started experiencing it myself. My diet is the main difference between this year and last when I trained for the half and was eating a mostly whole food diet that was lower in starches and contained animal products. I will continue to boost my whole food starch intake and see what happens. I’m also trying out a few supplements that Rich Roll mentioned in his book Plant Power Way. I’ve been adding fresh ginger and spirulina or chlorella powder to my smoothie every morning and then occasionally adding maca and camu camu powder. I also take turmeric capsules to help with inflammation and have experimented with cordyceps mushroom capsules to try to boost my oxygen levels. I’ve never been one for supplements but I figured it’s worth a try especially since they come tested and recommended by an ultra-athlete.
Whew – that was a long post. Thanks for staying with me. I’ll leave you with a little inspiration that has been on my mind since I first heard Julie (Rich’s wife) say something like it to me at the Summerfest:
Hold the highest vision of yourself and others. When you envision the greatest potential in yourself and others, you (or they) will eventually move toward that vision and you will certainly see yourself and others in a more positive, accepting, and compassionate light.
enspire balance 