Saturday, February 25, 2017

Discipline

     My discipline is often lacking when it comes to practicing. I just have troubles focusing sometimes. Also, my discipline has been lacking when it comes to desserts...Kroger was sold out of our usual dark chocolate-covered almonds, which is just the right little sweet treat, so we've been baking desserts and buying ice cream instead. Without a race to train for, my running has slacked off. However, I did want to share about how disciplined I was with pre-race and during the race marathon nutrition.
     After my first marathon, I was miserable. We'll just sum it up by saying "gastrointestinal distress," for about the first 4 hours or so following the marathon. This time, I read a lot about pre-race nutrition and was trying to be strategic about what to eat (simple carbs, some protein), and what not to eat (fatty foods, whole grains), along with hydration strategy, in the couple of days leading up to the race. As for during the race, my brother-in-law had advised me to use energy gels, instead of just a trial-sized energy bar and a banana over the whole course of the race (which was what I did in 2013). I tested out various energy gels and chews, trying to find which ones were the easiest to take, tasted the best, and had more room for error in the goo/chew/water ratio.
     I studied the course map of water breaks and planned out how many chews I would take when. I strayed slightly from the plan, but for the most part, stayed on schedule. In order to not mix chews with energy drink, I only grabbed water at the water stops. I wanted to eat the banana they handed out, but I skipped it, sticking to my plan. Some spectators were handing out everything from Twinkies to pretzel sticks along the course, but I stuck to my plan. I even ran through the candy stop in the last few miles of the race, because I had a plan. It totally paid off...I didn't have to make a bathroom stop during the race, and even though I went to a Port-a-pot shortly after finishing and went again before my shower (we're talking #2 here), my stomach generally felt pretty good. So good that I ate Subway for lunch and we went to visit a friend of my husband's that afternoon. Discipline and dedication! Now to apply that to the rest of my endeavors...

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