Battling the holiday bulge with training

I have to admit, I'm kind of curious to see how training for a marathon/triathlon will affect my weight fluctuation over the next month or so. I think it could go either way. Either the running, swimming (and maybe biking?) will prevent weight gain, or the exercise will stimulate my appetite, and I'll consume more calories than I can possibly burn. 

At the risk of sounding immodest, I have to point out that I am not overweight, nor have I been in the past (OK fine, there may have been a few extra pounds in college). That's not to say I don't worry about weight gain, just like every other living, breathing woman out there. And, just like every other woman in her mid-twenties, I have definitely noticed a distinct slowing of my metabolism. I can't explain it, not exactly. It's a new dimple here, a curve there. A softening of my waist line that no amount of sit-ups can banish (I have several very valid excuses for this, though, and regularly explain them to my darling boyfriend. They include the following: Women need extra stomach fat to make babies, the blubber keeps my abdominal muscles warm, and the extra roll holds my pants up).

Though my metabolism has slowed, my eating has not, nor do I plan on curbing it. I love food. I love to eat. I emphasized all this in a previous post. Holiday eating is like its own entity though. Even aside from the actual "day of" holiday meals, there are so many seasonal goodies to inhale before they are ripped off the shelves until next year. 

Things I plan on consuming during the stretch from Thanksgiving to Christmas include: Starbucks Peppermint Mocha lattes with whipped cream; seasonal ice cream flavors, including but not limited to Peppermint Stick, from Stewart's, and Hot Cocoa, by Edy's;  Chilly Bear ice cream sandwiches;  sugar cookies shaped like trees and Santa with frosting and sprinkles; Reese's tree-shaped peanut butter cups; coffee creamers such as peppermint mocha, dark chocolate mint, and pumpkin spice (in my coffee, of course); and candy canes (although I suspect those are not highly caloric). I am sure there are a great deal of seasonal items I'm forgetting, so please, someone tell me what I can add. But don't say eggnog, because I hate eggnog. Any drink with egg in the name stays far away from my mouth. 

It should be interesting to see what prevails - exercise or food. Perhaps it will be neither. and the two will simply balance each other out. No matter what happens, there is one guarantee - my mouth will be exceedingly happy. 

Seriously though...does anyone have any further seasonal food suggestions? 

Allow me to toot my own horn.

Yes, I will dedicate a post to boasting, thank you very much. I haven't updated in a while, but never fear, I've kept on keepin' on in the realm of workouts. And I'm pleased to announce that I've achieved several "personal records" or "personal bests" as they say. Distance-wise, anyway...I'm certainly not breaking any speed records these days, mine or anyone else's.

The first breakthrough came in the pool. As some of you may know, and others of you could learn by going back and reading old posts (shameless plug), I was really struggling to swim anything more than 50 meters without basically feeling like I was gasping for air and on the verge of vomiting. During and after my swim lessons with B, I was completely stressed out and focused on perfecting my form, all the while being frustrated over my lack of endurance. So then A, the triathlon coach, made an offhand comment that I should be able to swim much further than 50 meters at this point. I was really disappointed to hear that, even though I knew it was true. I hemmed and hawed over that for an entire weekend. The following Tuesday, rather than starting off with swimming drills and obsessing over my form and breathing, I decided I'd just get in the pool and swim freestyle, in whatever way felt comfortable. When I got to the 50 meter mark, I felt tired, especially in my legs, but I took it slowly, stayed relaxed, and kept going. I hit the 100 meter mark, considered stopping, but thought maybe I could eke out another 50. And I did! And then another 50...and another...and so on and so forth until I realized I'd gone - insert "Holy Crap!" here - 400 meters. That's a quarter of a mile! That's actually a real distance! There are some sprint triathlons in which you only have to swim a quarter of a mile. Bouyed (haha a swim pun, see what I did there?) by my breakthrough, I went to the pool this morning with the intention of doing the the same thing. Just relaxing and swimming until I could not swim anymore. I can't even believe I'm about to say this, but I swam 800 meters without stopping!! A half mile! That's an even more legitimate distance. I wish I had a logical explanation as to why I can suddenly swim so much farther than I could two weeks ago, but I guess I have to assume it was mainly a mental thing. As I've experienced with running (many, many times) sometimes it really is mind over matter. 

Speaking of running...I also hit a distance PR in that activity last weekend. 15 miles! I hadn't ever run more than a half marathon without getting injured. Of course, marathon training sort of necessitates running, well, twice that distance, eventually. I was a little intimidated and a lot paranoid that I'd hit 13.2 miles and suddenly be hit with another stress fracture. Luckily that didn't happen, and actually, I felt surprisingly good during the 15 miles, despite the fact that it was pouring rain and my running buddy had convinced me to run on some muddy, hilly trails. Of course, I may have felt good in part because I was running particularly slowly, but hey, I still moved my feet for 15 miles. I think I may have even found a fuel that will work for me - the Clif Shot! 

Since the post I wrote a while back about fueling with Gu, I've tried a variety of things, including a Honey Stinger gel (see here) and Clif Shot Bloks. Both went down much more easily than the Gu, and tasted better too, but they (at least I assume they were the culprits) gave me stomach cramps. The Clif Shot, although the flavor wasn't all that great, did not cause any such issues (it was Razz, for anyone who is curious, and I am 97.3% sure that Razz is slang for raspberry, although from the taste, I couldn't tell 100%). Of course, the lack of stomach cramps could easily be attributed to any other number of circumstances surrounding the run...amount of water consumed, the Oatmeal Squares I ate beforehand, etc. I am supposed to run 16 miles this weekend (almost every long run until the marathon will be a new distance PR, which is quite scary to think about), so I'll try another Clif Shot and see what happens.

Oh, and as long as I am disclosing my personal records in athleticism, I might as well let you all know that I did 40 push-ups. In a row. I am pretty sure that is also a personal best. The only reason I did 40 push-ups is that a 14-year-old told me there was no way I could do it, and I said "Yes, I could!" and she said "No you couldn't!" and said I "Uh-huh!" and she said "Nuh-uh!" and I said "Could too!" and she said "Could not!" and this went on for about 10 minutes and then to shut her up I did 40 push-ups. So there! Um, anyway...

Before I end this post, I just want to *knock on wood* because I'm superstitious, and God forbid tooting my own horn should result in some sort of terrible setback or horrific injury...

What's that? Biking personal records? Oh...well...Pink Lightning has, in fact, traveled a record number of miles over the past few weeks...by riding in the back of my car. Er...let me work on that...

The new definition of CRAZY

Until this past summer, I was only vaguely aware that Ironman competitions existed. I mean, I knew about them, heard about them, and understood that they were sort of the "ultra" triathlon race. It was not until I witnessed a competition firsthand that I realized what it entailed, how much endurance, strength, technique, and most importantly, passion, it required. A 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run. Yes, it's doable, lots of people seem to do it, but to me, it still seems a bit...well, insane. 

And then, a few days ago, I found out there were such events as DOUBLE and TRIPLE Ironman competitions!!!! I was perusing a running forum, and someone just casually mentioned that they were thinking of registering for a triple Ironman. I thought I had misread that, but I decided to use my old stand-by Google and do some research. Turns out, although there are only a few, such events do exist, and some people are just crazy enough to participate!

Can you imagine? 4.4 miles in the water, 224 miles on the bike, and a 52.4 mile run?? Or, a 7.2 mile swim, 336 mile bike ride, and a 78.6 mile run???? I know there are "ultra" events out there, like 50 to 100 mile runs, century rides, people who swim the English Channel...but forget ultra...I'd call this extreme.

On the other hand, I can see how amazingly cool it would be to say you had done a triple Ironman. Although, you might have to say it from beyond the grave, because somehow covering  421.8 miles all at once seems like a death wish.

Anyway, if you're curious about some of the athletes that have taken on this feat, click here for an article about a man and a woman who have finished doubles.

Body Glide is my new friend

Up until this point in my running "career" I have never experienced chafing. I don't really know why, exactly, but I'm guessing it's just because I wasn't doing many runs of 10+ miles. It's one of those things I've heard runners talking about - sports bra chafing, inner thigh chafing, etc - and I've just thought to myself how glad I am that it's something I don't have to deal with. But last weekend's 13 mile run was my official initiation into the chafing club.

I didn't notice any pain or rubbing at all during the course of the run. I didn't even see a mark on my body when I undressed. It was when I got in the shower and the spray hit my bra line and I made a sound like "EOWWWW" that I realized I'd chafed. It was just a spot about 3 inches long on the front of my chest, right where the band of my sports bra sits. It wasn't big at all, but man, it stung! After the shower it was actually red and a bit swollen, and not knowing what else to do, I rubbed Neosporin on it. The swelling went down as the day went on, and the spot scabbed over. 

The problem was that, even though my next several runs weren't long, and wouldn't produce chafing in other circumstances, my sports bra was going to re-irritate that area with rubbing. Enter: Body Glide. It's website calls it a "technically advanced anti-chafe balm." I don't know about all that technically advanced stuff, but I happened to have a stick of the balm left from the last time I had planned to start marathon training. After the stress fracture derailed those plans, the Body Glide sat unopened and neglected on my dresser. At long last, I could put the lubricant to use.

I rubbed it all around the area on my ribcage that was scabbed, and slid my bra on over it. It felt a little strange having this slippery substance on such a random spot on my body, but actually, once I started running, I totally forgot about it. And my chafing did not worsen. Within a few days, after I used the Body Glide each time I ran, the chafing under my chest healed right up. It's nothing but a pale, pink mark now. Hooray!

2 days ago, I headed out for a 10 mile run. I was wearing a thicker pair of tights than I have on any of my long runs so far, because the weather's getting colder. I almost always go commando underneath running tights. To me, there is nothing more unsightly than giant panty lines under spandex. What I didn't take into account was the thick seam running down over the butt area of the tights. I experienced chafing in a new, and to me, unique spot. Once again I didn't notice until I hopped into the shower, and "YOW!" This time, it was in between my butt cheeks that the horrible stinging occurred. 

This presents an interesting dilemma. I haven't done a run since the 10-miler, but when I do, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to put Body Glide on my butt cheeks. I mean, I'm sure I could, but it just seems a bit...unusual. After all, it's a delicate area, and I picture the substance spreading all around down there. That can't be good, can it? On the other hand, I'm not eager to experience further chafing, because as you can imagine (but probably choose not to) it makes for some uncomfortable bathroom experiences. 

Regardless, Body Glide will definitely be an essential part of my long run preparation going forward. I just have to remember not to mix it up with my deodorant, because the cannisters look extremely similar. That would make for some slippery armpits and fragrant butt cheeks...although the latter may not be such a bad idea...

Food or fuel? Fuel or food?

I have never been a person that diets. Like every woman out there, I have my days where I feel flabby, or look in the mirror and think I see dimples, the beginning of cellulite, or a double chin. But, in my mid-twenties, I have to remind myself that I'm not supposed to have the body of a young teenager anymore. It's sad, but true.

Back in high school, my lunches and snacks consisted of chocolate chip cookies, Devil Dogs, chips and salsa, and cheetos. As I've gotten older, and the country has entered some sort of a health-food revolution, I've learned that those junk foods have nasty ingredients and chemicals that are not good for me. Lots of people, athletes especially, have cut out all the fake, over-processed stuff, and eat only clean, whole foods. But, even armed with knowledge, I can't seem to make myself adopt a super healthy diet.

Of course, I don't eat cookies and chips alone for meals anymore. My thought is that, as long as I get in all the essential nutrients, and don't eat only junk, where's the harm? I mean, I wouldn't eat fast food every day, or eat a tub of Crisco or anything like that. I have enough self-control to avoid trans fats (since they have essentially been eliminated from almost all foods anyway, thankfully). I figure as long as I eat my fruits and veggies, my "healthy fats" (which I just recently learned to call mono-unsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs), lean protein, and take my vitamins, I'm probably faring relatively well.

Even when I want to, I just can't seem to restrict myself. Lately my appetite has been raging, which I'd like to blame on the increase in exercise. At first, I was a little bit concerned about just how hungry I was. I am talking stomach-gnawing hunger pains and light-headedness. I tried ignoring it, which I guess could be considered a form of restriction. But it would not be ignored! I'm probably eating a few hundred calories a day more than I was on average a year ago. And that's where the whole "food vs. fuel" argument comes in.

Some people need to remind themselves that food fuels the body in order to rationalize eating enough. Others just love to eat. Me? I'm a combination of the two schools of thought. I love, love, love to eat, and that works out, because I need that food to give me energy for exercising. As far as I am concerned, if the fire runs hot enough, it will burn anything. A small amount a high fructose corn syrup? Eh, big deal. Throw it on the furnace. Partially hydrogenated oils? I've recently heard that ingredient adds trace amounts of trans fats, but until it's been banned, I'm OK with it.

I give serious props to all the people out there who have embraced and stuck to a certain eating style. Seriously. I'm impressed when someone can radically change their diet and stick to it. Hopefully someday, if I stop exercising for some reason, I'll be able to treat my body well enough to keep it healthy. And, hopefully I won't have to regret my habits and eat my words (pun intended) someday.

For now, I'm just going to eat whatever I feel like eating. Let's take today for example. Breakfast was oatmeal, a banana, OJ, and coffee. Lunch was a granola bar, yogurt, almonds, and a big pear. Snacks included a fun-sized Snickers bar, some candy corn, and a lollipop. Dinner was salmon, brown rice, and broccoli. And in a few minutes, I'll have a bowl of brownie m&m ice cream. I took a Vitamin D supplement, a calcium supplement, and a multi-vitamin. So, uh, that's balanced, right??

We won't talk about the big pan of macaroni and cheese with cut-up hot dogs I wolfed down after my long run on Saturday. There is such a thing as being too gluttonous, after all...