Crazy Busy, or Maybe Just Crazy

I'm sure most of you are aware that I've never fully committed to a training plan before. In fact I probably slacked more than I adhered in the past. I promised myself that I would not repeat that pattern this year and so far I'm keeping that pattern. I'm working very hard to find a balance between pushing through complications and taking extra rest when I need it.

"Rest is a good thing, but boredom is its brother." - Voltaire

I find myself feeling out of sorts and lazy on rest days now. And I finally understand the tweet I saw from Ryan Hall about a year ago that said, "You know you're in marathon training when you get sore just vacuuming the house." Next week is a cutback week for me and I'm looking forward to it and dreading it all at the same time.

This week has been exciting for me as a runner. I've been pushing the boundaries of what I thought I was capable of and I should go over 50 miles for the week. This is a first without a marathon or ultra to 'artificially' bolster my totals. Of course, we got an ice storm last night so there's an inch of ice with 3 inches of snow on top outside today. I'm gambling with the chance that the weather will be better tomorrow and planning to switch Sunday's recovery miles with today's long run miles. I was contemplating doing my long run today on the treadmill but I'm not ready to do it if I don't have to. Too many of my miles are treadmill miles as it is!



The ferocity of my desire to complete this training and push my body to its limits still surprises me. I'm not sure where this was two years ago when I first started running longer distance races but I'll take it. If I had 'committed' to doing lunch runs a year ago I would most likely have ended up with an expensive gym membership that got used once or twice a month. Or maybe just a bag of running gear in my car that would eventually become nothing but an annoying reminder of what I wasn't doing. A year ago I would run on the treadmill in the evenings sometimes but if I was tired or hungry or it was cold in the basement I'd end up on the couch instead.

Now I find myself organizing my work schedule so I can have longer lunch runs and then coming home and finding time to get on the treadmill too. I've even started contemplating just how much sleep is really necessary and whether or not I could get in 3-5 miles in the mornings before work. I'm not ready to commit to THAT yet but maybe someday...

To top it off I've been busy blogging too. Now you're confused right?! I mean there hasn't been a new post here for a week right?! Well, sort of... I wrote a "What's in my Gym Bag" post for Running, Loving, Living. I also wrote a post for the FitFluential blog on keeping your kids active during the winter.

Of course, I'm still working hard to raise money for the IAFF Burn Fund and the giveaway/raffle is still open until the end of the month! A winner was selected for the Centrum ProNutrients giveaway and I was super excited to see that Elle from Eat, Run, Sail got her choice of supplement. Her blog is always full of great stories so check it out!

Things are about to get even crazier though. My college courses start back up full time on Monday and I have some courses that sound awesome but tough: Sports Nutrition, Current Health Issues, Anatomy & Physiology II, and Ethics in Sport. I know that my education is a great investment and it's going to help me to help others but it also feels like marathon training x 2! So please bear with me if I'm a little scatter-brained over the next couple months. I promise it's only temporary and I'll be back to blogging full steam by summer!

Happy running everyone!

P.S. I found this picture today on a camera card from my mom. I had to do a before and after just to believe how much I've really changed. I didn't know I had a problem in the before and I can't believe I actually look like the after now!

Americans Go Big!

I just got done 'watching' the Olympic Marathon Trials via Twitter feeds. I'm beyond angry that I had to 'see' the race this way because NBC and Universal control the rights and decided a delayed showing at 3PM was good enough. I'm an American, that's MY team too, and I want to SEE the race! If you don't want to air it live then sell the rights to someone who will! Okay, end of rant.

So as not to spoil the ending for those of you who did watch the trials I will make an announcement of another winner! Elle from Eat, Run, Sail! you are the Centrum winner! Please send me your info to sbrunazzi (at) gmail.com and your choice of supplement so I can pass it along to Centrum! Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone who entered and thanks for being patient while I spammed my twitter feed for 2 hours and 25 minutes with Oly Trials hoopla! I'm off to get ready to go get my own run on!

Have a great day!
Sara

Nutrition for Runners

I recently had a conversation with a runner who is coming back from a stress fracture. The conversation really got to me when another runner stated that supplements are useless and users are just wasting their money. I can't help but believe that supplements are an important part of an athlete's diet and I'll explain why.

Today I woke up and hit the snooze button on my alarm. Once I actually dragged myself out of bed I was in serious danger of being late for work. I threw together an outfit and a lunch. Then I grabbed a granola bar as breakfast as I headed out the door. A stop at Starbucks rounded out the 'most important meal of the day' for me. Around 10:30 I started to feel hungry so I had some tuna on crackers and then I went to the gym and did what I do best. I ran! Afterwards, I had a bowl of cottage cheese at my desk. Later in the afternoon I had a banana. Dinner consisted of chinese food since I was late. Thankfully, I take my multivitamin and a few supplements consistently and the last round of blood work I had done showed I was lacking in nothing but iron. (Thanks blood loss!) I am a firm believer in a daily vitamin on top of a generally healthy diet!

If you are anything like me, and I dare you to say that you don't commit these same crimes against nutrition, then you are going to be missing something (or several somethings) from your diet. And when athletes are missing key nutrients or vitamins bad things happen, like my fellow runner's stress fracture. Sure fresh is best and nature beats man-made and all that but, unless you are extremely disciplined and monitor everything you put in your mouth, a supplement is your safeguard!

That's why I'm pleased to be able to introduce Centrum's line of ProNutrients. ProNutrients is a line of dietary supplements formulated to work with your multivitamin. Centrum also introduced a new line of multivitamins to meet specific needs. You can choose from Prenatal, Vision, Energy, or Heart blends.



The ProNutrients line includes Omega-3, Probiotic, and Fruit & Veggie. Omega-3 provides vital EPA and DHA in a smaller-than-average and easy to swallow pill. Fruit & Veggie blends grapes, blueberries, raspberries, plums, carrots, and tomatoes to support cell protection with antioxidents. The Probiotic blend contains healthy, active bacteria to support digestion and immune health. With the right knowledge and support anything, especially nutrition, is possible!



To get started with the Centrum line print off the $5 coupon at ProNutrient's FaceBook page. Or you can just post a comment telling me your thoughts on your nutrition and what you're missing for a chance to win the ProNutrient product of your choice. I'll pick a winner on January 14. Complete giveaway rules can be found here.

To enter simply do the following and leave a comment for each one you complete:
-Follow my blog
-Tell me something you're missing in your diet
-Follow Centrum on FaceBook
-Follow me on Twitter (@warriorprncss3)
-Post this giveaway on your social media sites using #NutritionPossible

Alright, have fun and stay healthy! Good luck!

Disclosure: I am participating in a Centrum ProNutrients campaign hosted by One2One Network. I received nutritional product and compensation. While all opinions stated are my own, I make no claims about Centrum ProNutrients as a product or it's effectiveness.