Journal of Divine Wisdom
Today I ran my longest trail run and it was tough. It’s a technical trail with lots of climbing, downhills, roots, and winding paths. But I enjoyed it.
As I hear up for my 2023 races, which I’ll be announcing soon, I’m also testing out fuel options. I highlight a few in this journal.
Enjoy!
Saturday, the day of the race, wound up being a busy day. As the day went on, I could feel my muscles tightening up. Running on grass and sand really pushes your muscles more than running on pavement. I did some light stretching, but it wasn’t enough.
Yesterday I went for a light 2-mile run to get my legs loosened up and spent 15 minutes after stretching.
I wasn’t sore from the race, but I was definitely tight. I could feel my hamstrings tightening, so I made sure to show my legs some love by taking a 20-minute epsom salt bath. Then, before I went to bed, I stretched for about 20 minutes. I was on my bedroom floor stretching my IT band when my husband asked me if I was still stretching and why I was stretching so much.
Previously running10 marathons and being a certified running coach, I’m coming into this fully aware of how to train for endurance races without breaking my body – which ultimately improves this whole experience.
This time around, there are areas I’m giving as much attention as my running.
Cross-train, stretch, and fuel.
I’ve made a plan and written it down. My half-marathon training schedule is underway and part of that is giving as much attention to my strength, flexibility, and nutrition.
Today was leg day! I have a home gym in my garage and have weights, so I used the Leg Day workout from A Little Obsessed on Beachbody On Demand with trainer, Autumn Calabrese. It was 30 minutes of intense back-to-back weighted leg exercises that included sliders – talk about a simple way to intensifier an exercise.
After the workout, I took another 20 minutes to stretch my legs and followed my workout up with a vegan protein shake from the Shakeology line. I have a training run scheduled for tomorrow, so I’m hoping that all the stretching, massaging, and fueling help prevent delayed onset muscle soreness.
So, whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced endurance runner, know that having a well-rounded training plan that includes strength training, stretching, and proper fueling will drastically help your performance and enhance your experience – as well as prevent injury.
Until next time,
RUNNER'S REVELATION 