WEEK 14: Twelve Days to Go, and Researching “Primal” Nutrition
Week 14: Chi Running Pain Free Half Marathon Training Program: Long, Slow, Distance Run
Distance: 11 mi. / Time: 1 hour 56 min. / Average Pace: 10:38 min./mi.
For some reason, I must have skipped a week somewhere because I just finished week 14 of the training program, and last week was week 12. Hmm…
In any case, the Camarillo Half Marathon that I’ve been training for these past months is only twelve days away!! I feel pretty ready, although I know it will be a little rough the last two miles. On Saturday I ran 11 miles (stats above), which is the longest distance that I will run in the FiveFingers before the race. I think I’ll be able to make it from 11 to 13.1 out of sheer adrenaline on October 3rd :)
After thinking about it awhile, I’ve decided that Saturday’s run went better than the other 10 mile runs I had done in the weeks before for a few reasons:
1. I used my metronome to beep a consistent waltz tempo of 63 beeps/min., which is a 189 steps per minute cadence. The ChiRunning book advocates at least a 180 steps per minute cadence, which I followed comfortably on my first half marathon. Since transitioning to barefoot running, I hadn’t used a metronome, but I could feel my footsteps getting naturally even faster. Turns out they were faster, and 63 on Saturday just felt like a comfortable match to what I had gotten used to. It kept my rhythm consistent and allowed me to focus on other things.
2. I followed the week 14 long slow distance run advice to: “Choose six of your most challenging Focuses…Cycle through all of the Focuses, one at a time” (every 10 minutes). These kept my mind occupied and helped me correct any pain I was having. My chosen Focuses were:
relax lower legs and ankles
relax your glutes
circular feet and arms
rotate legs medially to point feet forward
feel pivot point at T12/L1
allow pelvic rotation to happen
3. I wore my FiveFingers to teach in the day before. Standing for 6 hours in those toe shoes made my feet much happier than the other shoes I usually wear for teaching the high school kids. They put less strain on my legs and allowed them to be fresh for the long run. It was also really fun to show them off to my students. I’ll write a blog post about the experience of wearing them to school and the reactions I got when I get a chance.
4. I started eating more protein and less grain-based carbohydrates. I know, I know, grains and starches are supposed to be a runner’s fuel, but I’ve been reading a ton about the drawbacks of grains and the benefits of “Paleo” or “Primal” eating, mostly on Mark Sisson’s very informative website, Mark’s Daily Apple. The site looks like an advertisement for another “fad” diet, but the more I read, the more I feel enlightened. That said, I really think not having so many grains in my system, more vegetable based carbs, and more protein helped make my 11 mile run feel better and the recovery much smoother. I know it’s not the time to make a drastic diet change twelve days before the race, so I’ll still eat my whole grain cereal every morning for now, but I’m thinking a new way of eating is in order soon. Exciting times!
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