Celebrating A Few Highs During Week #5

Those weekend long runs keep getting longer. Are the ladies of Team Arnicare up to the challenge?

My long run this weekend was seven miles. Technically, that’s over halfway, but let’s not get too nitpicky. As I’m jogging along and reach the halfway mark at 3.5 miles, I lift my arms in my ceremonial halfway cheer and realize this is getting pretty easy. Maybe I should increase my speed? So I bump up the treadmill incline .1 (hey, that translates to 15 seconds per mile in real time!) for the remainder of my jog. Easy peasey. So next week, my plan is to tackle the whole eight miles at the increased speed, but who knows what that run’s half-way mark will bring?  – Nancy

Can someone stop time? Or even better, can we go back in time? I’d like to start over! Only six weeks to go, and my longest run so far was six miles, and that was two weeks ago. I think it’s still feasible, but there’s no room for mistakes at this point. My only comfort in this situation is to know I’m not alone, and my friends are facing similar difficulties. One thing is for sure–running is definitely about willpower, having the motivation to wake up earlier, to brave the cold, to push your limits and get out of your comfort zone. Yet, the feeling you have at the end of a good long run is a feeling I crave.  – Nathalie

After getting in three short runs during the week, refusing to hit the snooze button when my alarm went off at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, finishing my eight miles in a somewhat decent time, and enjoying a rare weekend night with my family celebrating my grandfather’s birthday, I’m chalking week #5 up to a success. Now let’s hope I can keep the momentum going. Any tips on pre-race fuel or post-race recovery snacks? I’m not big on eating breakfast or anything that could qualify as a “meal” before I head out on my long runs (for me, that’s anything over five miles), but I will eat a piece of toast or half an English muffin with some peanut butter. Are there better snacks to help keep my energy up? Once I hit 10+ miles, I fear half of a muffin just isn’t going to cut it. And what about when I’m done? Are there certain foods out there that will help my poor quads recover better? (Just one thing–I hate bananas, so let’s leave those off the list.)  – Heather