From my last post, you probably gathered that this past week hasn’t been my finest.
This has been a permanent fixture on different parts of my body all week
My ailments moved all around the last couple of days. From my knee on Wednesday morning to the hip on Thursday and a sore throat on Friday, I was lucky I was even able to fit in the long run on Saturday. Instead of following the team’s practice on Thursday, Coach Ali went through different stretches to help my hip flexor. After missing the run on Wednesday, I wanted more than anything to get in a solid run on Thursday but per her recommendation, I tackled an easy 2-miles and a lot of moist heat, icing, and stretches. Thank goodness for the rest which likely helped me finish Saturday’s long run.
Before the long run on Saturday, I tried Generation UCAN for the first time. I had done some reading about the benefits of the product. I started out with purchasing the post-run protein enhanced drink. Since I usually have a bit of a commute home after long runs, I don’t usually get in a recovery drink as fast as I would like plus I have this phobia with leaving chocolate milk out in my bag for too long. This protein mix just blends with water and you’re all set. After reading more about the concept of SuperStarch and how it can benefit before a long run, I decided to give it a try pre-run as well. I am not good with taking gus, gels, or chews during a run; there is something with swallowing and the excess air that really messes me up. The benefits of drinking UCAN before a run are 1) I can actually stomach a drink and 2) it reduces the amount of additional energy foods greatly.
Generation UCAN
So yesterday, I ate half a bowl of oatmeal with the lemonade flavored UCAN before the run. I was worried that it may upset my stomach but there was no better time to try than on a training run. I ended up having to pee (sorry, TMI) more than usual before the start so that is something I will have to work out in terms of timing but I stayed full and had energy up until almost 10-12 miles into the run. To avoid a spike in my blood sugar, I didn’t drink any Gatorade or Nuun on the run, which I normally would and only had water. In addition to that I only ate three (yes, 3!) Honey Stinger Cherry Blossom Energy Chews. I was able to finish 16 miles feeling strong. After the run, I immediately refueled with UCAN’s chocolate recovery drink. I’m excited to see how I do with Generation UCAN on next weekend’s long run.
“The what heck, why did you leave me out of the team picture face”
Anyway, after a slight scare on Saturday night causing us to not go to bed until 4:30AM, I didn’t end up running in the Join the Voices! 5-mile race (this is the first race I ever missed). Even though I wasn’t looking forward to waking up early both days on the weekend, I was looking forward to an easy recovery run during the race and adding an extra mile or two in the park. However, with the lack of sleep, I knew it wouldn’t be smart. By the time I finally woke up today, the pain that had subsided over the last couple of days moved to my other knee. Instead of getting in my recovery run today, I enjoyed a relaxing day with friends.
This week has not gone the way I had planned and certainly not the way I would have wanted but I really need just need to put it behind me and hope for a better start to next week. We all have off weeks and I am trying really hard to not let mine affect me. I am looking forward to the start of a brand new week filled with good health and a lot more running!
How was your week in running?
How do you handle bad weeks in training?
