My Hungriest Week Ever: Part One

My week as an after work runner went great! I was hungrier than I could have ever imagined most days since I didn’t get home from work/running till between 6 and 7 and I spent the daytime at work being careful what I ate so it wouldn’t interfere with what my run… but I would still call it a success!  Here is a day-by-day recap after my Monday evening 8.5 miler.

Tuesday: Ironically enough even though Tuesday was my “short” “slow” run it was my hardest of the week. I think it had something to do with eating too early before I left work and it not sustaining me through the 1 hour 20 minute bus/train ride home. I was starving the whole 6 miles AND I was watching TV so I was being plagued by commercials for delicious looking pizza and unhealthy, but yummy looking, fast food.

I also knew that I had Ben waiting for me at home for a mini-date to go to one of our favorite quick, cheap dinner places – Zupas. By the time I finished my run, walked home from the gym and got in a quick shower it was already after 7, which meant we didn’t get our food till almost 7:30 and at that point I think my blood sugar was at a zero. I was HUNGRY. When I get hungry I get super emotional. My stomach doesn’t growl, but I get very light headed and start to cry if anything even minor messes with my mood. I devoured my sandwich and salad and continued eating more when we got home before heading to bed. 

This sandwich was my salvation.

Wednesday: I got to drive to work Wednesday, which is about a once in a week occurrence so I get revel in it when I get the chance. I spent most of my day very anxious about my run of 11 miles after work. I can usually push myself through 11 miles even if they are miserable and slow, but THESE 11 miles were supposed to have 10 at goal marathon pace and I couldn’t just limp my way through that -- I needed serious energy and stamina to get through it.

I mixed up my pre-run fuel since my "fail" the day before by trying to add a little protein in the mix to keep me fuller as well as keeping in something carby to give me energy. Instead of oatmeal I opted for cheerios mixed with a helping of vanilla Greek yogurt.  It did the trick! I did a one mile warm up and then knocked out 5.5 miles at my goal marathon pace and another 4.5 at above marathon goal pace for a total of 11. I was dead and starving by the end, but as you may remember Wednesday’s are TACO NIGHT so I had a delicious filling meal waiting for me.

Thursday: Even after yesterday’s successful “hard” run I was worried for the hill workout I had on the agenda for after work. Leave it to me to spend my day anxious about a 7 mile run instead of something actually important. My main worry was that there was a football game going on at The U and I was paranoid about my train and bus being delaying and even making to the gym at a decent time. The later I got to the gym the hungrier I knew I would be. For once public transportation was a major win and got me off campus and out of traffic in no time! When I got to the gym I was feeling a little hungry, but I knew this run was the only thing standing in my way of tomorrow's rest day.

Now, pace miles are difficult, but HILLS are scary and my arch-nemesis. I constantly battle with them whenever I run around my neighborhood and the hills in my first marathon were so killer I had to walk up the last few. Luckily, this evening's work out ended up going pretty well! I kept my speed at 9:10 miles through the whole workout and did a really simple routine very similar to intervals, but changing the elevation instead of speed. Here is how it went down:

Warm up for 2 miles @ 1.0% incline
4.0	.25 miles
0	.25 miles
4.5	.25 miles
0	.25 miles
5.0	.25 miles
0	.25 miles
5.5	.25 miles
0	.25 miles
6.0	.25 miles
0	.25 miles
5.5	.25 miles
0	.25 miles
5.0	.25 miles
0	.25 miles
4.5	.25 miles
0	.25 miles
Cool down 1.5 miles at 1%
Total: 7.5 miles

I couldn’t stop smiling after I was finished. I had actually done it! I had actually gone running every day after work and had a rest day awaiting me tomorrow. I finished every workout as prescribed and didn’t make any excuses. To celebrate I picked up a diet caffeine free coke to go with my bagel bites for dinner (can't sleep if I have caffeine after 4... well not as early as I was planning on going to bed anyways).

Yes, I was excited enough about this to take a picture of it.

Friday: By the time I get to Friday I am simultaneous so happy it’s a rest day and excited for my long run the next morning that work is just a necessary evil. I love my rest days. I can almost feel my muscles knitting together and thanking me for the day off. I am also SO hungry and spend the day making up for any calories I may not have gotten in through the week while carbo loading for the next morning’s run. Don’t judge, but I had pasta for first dinner, french toast for second dinner and various things slathered in peanut butter throughout the night as well as who knows what else. I was an eating machine. 

Ben was working again, so most of my night looked like this: