Training Log – May 22, 2008

SCHEDULE: Warmup, Run, and Stretch

RUN:
      Length: 3.26 miles
      Time: 24:37
      Pace: 7:32 per mile
      Calories Burned: 499

CONDITIONS: Partly sunny, mild, light breeze

NOTES: A quick run to prepare for the Run for Dave. On the whole, the run was a good one, as my pace was steady and I felt good all around as I was running today. This new dynamic stretching warmup routine is definitely a keeper – I once again felt loose going into my run, as opposed to the first half mile feeling like molasses. I didn’t ever really go all out today, I was just trying to take it easy, but still maintain a solid overall pace.

Another thing that I am very happy with is what appears to be increased flexibility. My muscles have some serious issues with tightness, so this has always been a primary concern of mine. The comprehensive stretching that I now do immediately after my runs seems to be helping out a lot.

One minor concern: there seems to be a little stiffness/soreness in my groin area. This has been nagging me a bit the past couple days. It isn’t anything serious at the moment, but it is nagging and takes a good deal of time to loosen up and get comfortable.

Only one more day until Saturday – in case you haven’t guessed, I LOVE race day!

My Nutrition Needs Help…

Yesterday was an incredibly slow day at work (literally, NOBODY showed up at the restaurant where I work), so I had some time to think about stuff, and running came into my mind. More specifically, how can I improve? I was thinking about hill training, intervals, etc., and then my eating habits came to mind. It was last night that I realized that I do not possess the best eating habits in the world. I love to eat – and while many of the things I love to consume may be good for you in regulation (red meat, for example), I feel like I go overboard. Now, I am not a dietition by any stretch of the imagination, so I now turn to everyone on the great world wide web for advice: How can I alter my eating habits so that I can cut body fat and help improve my running performance? Below you will find a general guideline of what I eat during the course of a day. Please feel free to correct me, or tell me that I am freaking out way too much. Thanks in advance for any help that you guys provide!

Breakfast: Generally my best meal. I will usually have a bowl of cereal (Smart Start or Special K are the most common), a bagel/english muffin with light spread (cream cheese, jelly, etc.) and a bannana or orange.

Lunch: I will most likely put together some sort of sandwich (usually just meat – bologna, ham, etc. – and cheese), a granola bar, an apple, yogurt, and a couple cookies.

Dinner: This is the killer. I work at a restaurant that serves primarily burgers and fried products. Since I work so late, I usually just eat there four or five nights a week. I have really tried to curb the sweets and fried products, but that it easier said than done. I have started replacing burgers with grilled chicken on my sandwiches (they will mostly have onions, lettuce, and tomato as toppings with either honey mustard or BBQ sauce on top) along with mozarella sticks as a side. Every night I eat there, I either have a milkshake or a cookie/congo bar, but I try never to do both.

Miscellaneous: For snacks, I usually eat what i can find – string cheese, another yogurt, bag of chips, etc. Another issue of mine is that I am not very good when it comes to the daily vitamin thing. How important is that and are any of them necessarily better than others? Also, I usually just drink water throughout the day.

Thanks guys!