Gut Reaction

Week 1: 10x800 workout with 400m recovery jog, warm up and cool down. 9 miles.
Lunch: Peanutbutter and banana sandwich and carrots
Last snack: Luna bar at 4:30

Week 2: Fartleks. 7.5 miles with warm up and cool down.
Lunch: Leftover tofu stir fry
Last snack: Odwalla bar at 4:00pm

On the surface these 2 workouts and diets appear somewhat similar.  What was different was the impact on my stomach afterwards.

Last week, following the 800s workout, I came home and tried to eat.  Recognizing the total failure of this attempt, I climbed into bed, unshowered, curled into a ball and prayed I would fall asleep before the awfulness in my stomach made me feel any worse.  No such luck.  Add a few more sprints to the bathroom that night to my speed work for that day.

Fast forward to tonight.  Reasonably difficult workout and a somewhat "less-safe" lunch.  I won't lie, I was a bit nervous how my stomach would fare on my run tonight.  Unnecessarily, apparently.  I came home and scarfed down some left over baked ziti.  I don't get it.

Similarly, I've had races where I ran hard and then enjoyed a few beers immediately after.  And then there was the 2010 BAA Half.  I had to have a friend drive me home AND we pulled over on the side of Soldier's Field Road so I could puke.  I couldn't even keep water down.

I don't get it, as there really is no predictability to the gut reaction I have following races or training runs.  Yes, usually it happens when I run harder.  I try to run on a somewhat empty stomach but 2+ hours to digest a granola bar should be sufficient.  I've eliminated certain foods from my pre-race or run meals, some obvious (burritos) and some a result or trial and error (I still blame the salmon I had for dinner the night before for the BAA Half incident).  But who would have thought green beans, squash and tofu today would be a winner?!

I'm sure again at some point, I will have another sensitive stomach experience.  For now, I'll continue to try to eat those foods that have been consistently tummy-friendly before races and harder workouts.  And I'll be thankful my belly waits until after the run to let me know if it disagreed with my choices.

When life feels upside down...stand on your head

Like a great run, sometimes life seems effortless.  Each good thing that happens breathes energy into my body to make more good things happen.  Pieces fall into place and I make decisions with confidence.  The train arrives just as I get to the platform.  The sun is shining and if not, I remember my umbrella.

Other times, life can be clunky and challenging. These days usually start with someone beating me to the open parking spot and spilling coffee on myself.  It's like the run that I just never settle into; the run that seems like it will never end.  Of course I get to the finish line eventually, but sometimes I have to plow through a little longer than I'd like.

Kind of like my race this weekend.  Without much explanation it just was not my day.  Although I felt I set realistic expectations for myself, I just couldn't make it happen during the run.  I returned home disappointed, frustrated, sad and puzzled.  I still need to think through a bit more what I did before and during the race that may have helped or hindered my performance, though it seems lately I can't find the answers for a lot of things.

Except how to do a headstand.  While I'm feeling a little lost about how to make my body work with my feet on the ground, I never really thought about how good it might feel to stand on my head instead.  I approached my first lesson with a nervous excitement; excited for the challenge and nervous I'd topple over like a lopsided Jenga tower.

But somehow I didn't fall at all.  In fact, I floated up with ease, and with guidance from my wonderful yoga instructor and some support from a nearby wall, hung out with my feet in the air for quite a while.  It felt pretty great.

Some new perspective might be just what I need.  Who knew I'd find it standing on my head?!