I've been training for a half marathon for nearly three months. I'm looking at six weeks and a day to race day. I'm pumped! I'm awed and intimidated by those 13 miles. I'm already looking forward to the day AFTER race day, when I can have a little more time for other pursuits. Putting in the miles has taken time and dedication. I've run more in the dark and snow than I ever thought I could. Winter is a long season.
I'm proud of myself.
One thing I've noticed is that I'm having some health problems - minor irritants really. I am having some terrible blood sugar crashes in the afternoons, barely making it to dinnertime (and all mothers know that the hours from 4-6 p.m. are extra long ones) and I've been starting to crash in the morning, too. Basically starving at 11 a.m. and ready for lunch. I've also been up in the night for no apparent reason. I think it's time I look at nourishing the ol' body to make sure I can not only run those 13.1 miles but make it through each day with my little people in tow. I want to be as healthy a person, wife, and mother as I can be.
Here's a change I'm making after some research:
I'm going to eat breakfast within a half hour of waking. And after that, I'll drink a cup of coffee. What I've been doing is waking at 5:30, drinking a small glass of water with himalayan salt, a cup of coffee with cream while I read and journal, and then running for 4-5 miles, or lifting weights for half an hour...I don't end up eating breakfast with the kids until 8, which is two and a half hours later. I don't feel good but I kind of thought I just needed to suffer through it. No longer. I think I'm asking too much of my wonderful, strong body before offering it some fuel. Now that I've stopped and thought about it, I feel silly. It's such a "duh" thing.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
I'm also going to eat a morning snack, and an afternoon snack. I'm going to see if I can't get on top of these blood sugar crashes.
I'm excited because I love to eat and bake and cook, but I've been limping along in my eating and not really taking the time to think through what would make me feel better and thus run better.
I'm off to make some energy balls. Happy weekend!