My Longest Walk Ever!

I have been resting all week (since last Saturday's 10.6 mile walk) to see if that would help with my nagging hip pain. But today, it was time to get back to training for the AVON Walk (by the way, if you want to support me it is not too late and I would really appreciate it!).

I still have two Long Runs to get in before I taper, and I didn't want to skip one and have to try to make up for it (or just feel under-trained for the Walk). This weekend, I am scheduled for a 15-mile Walk Saturday and a 10-mile Walk on Sunday. Last Saturday, I was supposed to walk 13 miles but stopped at 10.6 (and skipped the Sunday walk), so going 15 miles today is going to be a big jump (something that is not recommended during training).

I started out at 6:30AM in 62 degree weather with overcast skies and a slight breeze. There was the threat of rain but luckily for me, the rain went further south and missed us. All I wore were my Brooks shoes, shorts, a long-sleeved tech shirt, a light vest, my compression calf sleeves, a hat, and my Hydration Pack (which is so awesome!). And I brought along podcasts from Marathon Talk and The Marathon Show, and my music.

It was SO GOOD to be outside after feeling couped up inside for seven days. The hip felt fine and pretty much was good the entire walk. In fact, everything worked well today. I took a very different route today, going places I have never walked/run before. At one point, I entered the Illinois Prairie Path at a different place than I usually do (by Nick's Pizza). The path was beautiful! I saw several cyclists along the way, but surprisingly, I was pretty much alone for most of my walk.

I took the path because I figured it would help extend my mileage, and, so that I could cross the new bridges! But darn it, they were still closed! In fact, the second bridge closing caused me to have to leave the path and dropped me in an area of Lake in the Hills that I was not familiar with. Thank goodness for the iPhone GPS which led me home.

Speaking of my iPhone, I found myself posting to my FB page at different times during the walk, mostly responding to posts from a few friends. I also posted a few 'at mile XX' notes as well. It was fun communicating during the walk. I think I might consider 'live tweeting' the AVON Walk as a way to share the experience with all of you, and especially those who are supporting the cause with their donations. My twitter handle is '@rpeete'.

Since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to make a surprise stop to visit my running partner Mike at his house. But I forgot that he was running a Half Marathon race in downtown Chicago today. So when I got there, of course, he wasn't. Bummer! So I kept on towards home -- having to traverse lots of good hills along the way (I was having flashbacks of running the "Run Through the Hills 10K" race last month).

About 1.3 miles from my house, I was standing at a stoplight waiting to cross the street. A cyclist came up to wait as well. The guy said "I saw you back in downtown Crystal Lake. You made pretty good time!" That made me feel pretty good, actually, even though I do not remember seeing him.

I finished the 15.01 miles with an average walking pace of 15:36/mm. I was happy with that, especially considering the hills and the many times I had to stop and wait for stoplights and such.

This was my longest Walk ever, as well as the longest amount of time being 'on my feet' during a training: 3 hours, 54 minutes. And my legs and feet felt pretty good afterwards. This is very encouraging as I get ready for the AVON Walk and eventually for the Chicago Marathon. Tomorrow will be another 10 mile walk, bringing my weekly mileage to 25. Not too bad, I guess.

Later on in the afternoon, I took my second Foam Roller session at LifeTime Fitness. Not only was the class very good, it felt great to roll out most of the muscle groups in my body post-run. By the end of the class, it felt like I had been given a massage. It was awesome!

The instructor, my masseuse, took the class through a series of foam roller exercises that flowed from one to the next. In this way, you work from the feet all the way to the head in one session. When done correctly, this should feel like you put your body through a workout, and these exercises definitely work your core a lot. This is what I am going to start doing at home now.

Breakfast is a key to better Weight and Blood Sugar Management

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why don't we make the time to eat it? I know that prior to starting to live a more healthy lifestyle, I almost never ate breakfast. I didn't want to allocate the time. I preferred to sleep as long as I could (given that I stayed up until after midnight most nights). And when I did eat breakfast, it was usually from McDonalds, Burger King, or donuts (plural) from Dunkin.

Now, I try to have breakfast every morning. If you are like me, you don't have a lot of time in the morning to devote to cooking a breakfast. I do most of my running in the early mornings, and if I am going to eat before a run, I prefer to have at least 30 minutes between eating and starting any exercise.

As a pre-exercise meal, I prefer eating light. So on run mornings, I usually have a banana and a cup of milk. Sometimes I add a piece of toast with almond butter. When I wake up, the first thing I do is eat, starting with a tall glass of water. Then, the time it takes me to wash up, get dressed, and outfitted for my run is usually enough for digestion to get moving so I don't have that 'full' feeling in my stomach. (And, this usually helps get the bowels moving so I can take care of that business before heading out.)

A morning meal is important for runners for so many reasons:
- weight management (eating in the morning helps avoid mid-morning snacking due to low energy)
- blood glucose control (start the day with good blood sugar levels and maintain a steady level all day)
- fuel for later activity (fueling the body in the morning builds glycogen throughout the day for use later that day)
- a mental boost (the brain will feel less sluggish when fed. It is the second highest user of glucose in the body)
- better concentration (when the brain is functioning well, you think better!)

On the mornings I don't exercise, I can take more time for breakfast so I change things up. I always start with that tall glass of water. These are some things I eat for breakfast (one bullet point is a meal):

- a smoothie with milk, Greek yogurt, and fruit. Often with some Whey protein added.
- a slice of toast with almond butter, Greek yogurt, and OJ
- Egg Beaters omelette with veggies and bacon, 1 cup of milk, a banana
- a small bowl ( 1/2-1 cup) of Honey Nut Cheerios mixed in Strawberry Greek yogurt
- three Morningstar soy sausage links, milk, and a bagel with Light Cream Cheese

If traditional breakfast foods don’t excite you, try a lunch or dinner like approach. Dinner from the night before like cold pizza or leftover stir-fry is a great choice. If you don’t like hot cereal, you can substitute rice pilaf with dried fruit and nuts for a similar nutritional benefit. I love nuts like almonds, cashews, and honey-roasted peanuts (almonds are the healthiest of the three).

The key to a good breakfast is a balanced breakfast. Build your own appealing combo using protein (milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, meat, beans), fat (nuts, nut butter, avocado, hummus, oil), carbs (cereal, bread, English muffin, rice, pasta, waffles), fiber (fruit, vegetables, beans, high fiber cereals/breads) and drink (water, juice, milk, coffee, tea).

Breakfast gives you a chance to pre-fuel for a later run, or refuel from an earlier one, so don't deprive your body. Make this meal a must on your "to do" list every day.