Well… Saturday November 9 was the culmination of the “Shannon eat healthy tips.” I put all my research and “practicing what I preach” into play when I ran (AND COMPLETED) my 50K in Maryland. Now, I am not sugarcoating it at all. It was a rough five and a half hours! However, I firmly believe that all my training coupled with the food training really helped.
Months before the race, I tried to eat healthier and follow the general tips I provided for you all in my blog posts! On my part, I knew that there were a LOT of slip ups (mainly involving a significant amount of icecream). But, generally my overall diet improved. With my improving diet I saw a general rise in my daily attitude and self-confidence levels. I relate it to the fact that I was proud of what I was doing!
As for my race, food and hydration went a lot harder than what I expected it to be. This was mainly because I was caught between my not being able to eat while running and my competitive nature that didn’t allow me to take the needed amount of time to stop and eat. Unfortunately for my body, my competitive nature won. The entire race I consumed a handful of M&Ms, a few pretzels and pieces of potatoes and some gel chews. The gel chews are probably what really gave me the energy to get through the miles 15-22. The only thing that helped me get from 22 to 31.2 was the “finish…or else” mentality. If I ever decide to run another marathon (or ultra) again, I really need to focus on the ability to run while eating. It will save a lot of time and stress in the long run (pun intended). Water was also a huge problem as I completely forgot to drink it. Water stops every 5 miles were a little too far apart and, after skipping one water stop, my body did start to hate me quite a lot. I was supposed to be getting 16 oz about every half hour, but I think I only got maybe a little over 32 oz the entire race. Oppps!
The feeling crossing the finish line, even with my bad race eating and hydrating, was still absolutely amazing. I completed the 31.2 course in 5 hours and 29 minutes! Not too shabby for an ultra newbie. My mom, who has never run more than 4 miles, also finished the last 10 miles with me which was AWESOME. I was mainly pleased with the “free” hat I got out of the whole thing and the experience! Will I be running another ultra anytime soon? NO. NO NO NO. My body is still wayyyy to sore for that. It was a ton of fun though, so maybe someday! I am still trying to stick with my food rules! So far so good and my post-race recovery is going very smoothly. Here are some recovery tips for anyone competing in a rather long athletic event.
Recovery:
- Chocolate Milk (for muscle recovery)
- Carbs (pasta, bread, granola)
- Sugars (honestly, at this point you deserve it) I ATE SOUR PATCH KIDS
- Rest and relaxation
- An ice bath
- Lax ball (for deep tissue roll outs)
- A loving Mom to take care of you
I originally wrote this blog post last week and then realized that it would actually be my very last blog post ever THIS WEEK. 10 weeks certainly flew by. I hope that everyone learned a little from reading my short little blurbs every Friday. Writing about something that I am so passionate about was an absolute blast. I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving break. EAT LOTS OF TURKEY (it’s actually really healthy!!)