Long Run Day to End a Week

Yesterday was our weekly long run. I think we got it done just in time. It was a little cool when we started, but otherwise perfect running weather. By the evening yesterday, it was *cold*, windy, and threatening to rain. The news was saying that it was snowing in the mountains, so I guess the predicted storm finally made it here. I'm glad we ran early!

Speaking of running - this past week was a tough one for me. There are a couple of things going on right now. I'm trying to drop another 10 pounds before the RnR Marathon on June 1. I tried to increase my mileage a couple of weeks ago, too. This week I started feeling soreness and pain - just like my shoes were dying. No shin splints or anything, but just nagging muscle soreness in my calves and shins. I also felt very tired all week. In fact, during yesterday's run, at about mile 6, I had the same experience that I had during the half marathon. These have me concerned about the viability of making it through a marathon.

This week, I'm going to do a couple of things to see if they make a difference. First, based on all the coaching I've been receiving, doubling my mileage in one week was a big no no. So, for this week, I'll move back down to the training plan mileage. Second, as my overall weekly miles ramp up, I think I need to start eating more. In a timely move, I picked up the latest edition of Runner's World on Thursday. This month's topic is weight loss! One article in particular talks about caloric intake based on target weight. Based on that, I should be eating about 2300 calories a day. My food diary shows I am eating 1800 to 2000 calories per day. If this is true, then I am at a daily deficit of 1000 calories. This is about in line with the scale too - I lost 2 pounds this week. Time to start eating more! This week I'll try to get to 2300 calories a day.

Hopefully, these two tweaks will let me get back on track. Stay tuned!