Training Supplement – June 15, 2016

Clothing & Gear

Shoes.  I forgot to mention in last week’s supplemental post that I got a new pair of Mizuno Wave Rider 19s.  First things first, I blinged them out with shoe charms!

I’ve worn this shoe for at least a year now but for some reason, this pair is causing me a little discomfort.  I’m having some pain in my ankles and I think it’s shoe related.  I’m also having trouble with the Speedlaces.  It’s the same set I had in the last pair but now they feel tight.  Even when I wear thinner socks.  Not sure what’s going on.

Singlets.  In the summer, Washington, D.C. is pretty miserable for running.  I have some light-weight tanks, but they’re getting a little old.  I bought this Saucony Hydralite Tank a couple of weeks ago but it’s too big.  It’s very comfortable though so I’m going to try a smaller size.

Nutrition & Hydration 

I got my June Stridebox this week.  It had more gear items than usual.  I have plans for the deodorizer.

 

Weight.  My weight went up a little this week but I’m still on track to reach my goal weight before I start training for the New York City Marathon.  I ran a little less than usual, which would have meant eating a lot less or really cleaning up my diet to maintain the weight loss I was experiencing, but I opted to keep my calorie level about the same.

Pre-Run Nutrition.  I had a few of the Viter Energy Mints on Tuesday.  It wasn’t before a workout, but I didn’t feel any effect at all.  However, I survived the day even though I only slept about 2 hours the night before, so maybe it’s just that I didn’t feel the jolt of energy that I expected.  (According to the website, each mint has the caffeine equivalent of 4 ounces of coffee.)  But, I’ll write more about my insomnia in the training post.

Media & Motivation

Songs.  “Keep Your Head Up,” Andy Grammer.

Last week, when I was trying to get super techie, I signed up for Spotify Premius to see if I wanted to use my phone during runs.  The “Discover Weekly” service selected 30 songs that I might like.  I think thought it was better than iTunes and equal to Pandora at finding songs that I might like.  But, it also gave me a lot of songs that I already own.

Podcasts.  Now that I’m trying to post mid-week, I wanted to catch up on my favorite podcasts so I’m not writing about things that everyone listened to months ago.  I had to go back to early May to catch up!

“False Positives and Inaccurate Negatives,” by Magness & Marcus on Coaching.  I liked hearing about the concept of displaying vs. expressing fitness.  I want to believe I’m fitter than some of my race times from the past two years have displayed so this was music to my ears.  I also laughed at the exchange about runners wanting a clear explanation of what went wrong.  I’m definitely guilty of that.  It’s nice to hear that sometimes, there’s no explanation.

Blogs.  “Run: Finding Joy In Every Finish Line,” by Mile Posts.  I enjoyed reading this reminder about enjoying every race and the harmony between mind and body.

Motivation.  “There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There is no such thing as life in-between.”  – Pat Riley. 

I’m heading to a wedding in San Diego this weekend so thoughts of commitment have been in my mind this week.  Hopefully, in sports the time frame of dedication is a little less than “’til death do us part'”.  And, thankfully, we don’t have to declare our running goals before all of our friends and family.  But, as athletes, we do need to marry our desire to reach our goals if we want to see success.