Day 16 – Finding your sweat rate

As I mentioned in my post A recovery lesson learned the hard way, recovering properly after a run is hugely important. Especially if you don’t want to turn into a delusional rage-monster at risk of passing out at any moment. Not that I speak from experience, or anything …

It’s not only important to refuel but also rehydrate. Before I started the UofC Marathon Training Program, rehydrating properly involved a lot of guesswork.

On a day-to-day basis I think I am pretty good at continually drinking water at work, at home, in the car etc. But when I found out how much fluid you need to take in to rehydrate after a workout, I realized I had some work to do.

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Day 17 – A recovery lesson learned the hard way

A few weeks ago, following a 3 hour and 40 minute training run, I learned the hard way how important it is to refuel properly after a long run.

Our run started at Eau Clair Market downtown and looped in a figure eight both ways along the river. It was warm, the sun was shining and that run was probably the hardest I have physically pushed myself in years. As always during these runs, our coaches accompanied us on foot and on bikes throughout the route offering water, sport drink and fuel when we needed it, and making us take it when they knew we needed it but we thought we didn’t. Nutrition and fuelling properly during our runs was one of our lecture topics earlier this year so it isn’t something we haven’t been taught.

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Day 18 – One of those days

Hey guys,

So today was just one of those days… you know, THOSE days. Where you wake up late, get stuck at the office and in traffic, both ways.

One of those days where you come home and try to make dinner and the open the chicken your boyfriend JUST bought and it’s bad. So you go to the store and return it and buy chicken that isn’t going to make you sick. Ya, one of those days.

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Day 19 – Run hard, play hard

Beans on the Bow is one of the team's regular stops after runs on the south side of Edworthy Park. This photo is from after our run on March 28.
Beans on the Bow is one of the team’s regular stops after runs on the south side of Edworthy Park. This photo is from after our run on March 28.

It’s not all running and sweating with the UofC Marathon Training squad. We also take plenty of care to stop and have fun. Here’s what I’ve been up to over the last few months when not out on the trails.

Most Saturday’s after our run, we head to the nearest local cafe for coffee or breakfast. I have come to love this Saturday morning down-time. Usually we have finished our run and are sitting down for a hot coffee before I would have even gotten out of bed if I had stayed home (I am not a morning person). It certainly makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something that day, and before 10 a.m. at that.

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Day 20 – Running gear I couldn’t live without

When I began running in February I owned one pair of running pants, one t-shirt and a few tank tops that I cycled through continuously. Eventually, as I mentioned in my post Goodbye life, hello marathon prep, I got tired of having to wash a load of workout clothes every two days. So I started to slowly add to my workout wardrobe while at the same time trying to be conscientious of my budget.

Initially I tried to buy a few items on the cheap thinking they would do for now. But one shirt from Target that I can now wear as a dress and one pair of sale rack shorts from Sport Check that chafe later and I remembered why it can be worth spending a little more money these things.

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