Monday, February 27, 2012

Roll (and run) with the changes

Often, if you want to see change in yourself, you have to make a change.  The countdown is on to my 2nd half marathon on March 18th, and I'm feeling the need to "buckle down", as my dad would say, and do everything I can to enhance my performance.  I'm also feeling the need to whittle my waistline a bit with Spring around the corner.  This blog from my friend Mari and a conversation we had about it inspired me to make the decision to cut out all alcohol during the week, initially, and see if that makes a difference in both performance and belly.  If I'm not a stark raving looney tune after this week, I may cut it out on the weekends, too, until after the race.  *Disclaimer: I realize this makes me sound like I may have a problem with alcohol, but I don't.  The only problem I have with it is all the empty calories.

So, I'm thinking I may need to find something else to help me wind down after the wild child goes to bed, and all suggestions are appreciated.  Decaffeinated green tea, perhaps?  Pull out the mat and strike a few impromptu yoga poses?  Watch some mindless TV, which I rarely ever do?  Help me out, people!

Another change I've recently made is to eat more bananas and drink green tea.  I never really liked the taste of green tea until I discovered you can get it in many different flavors; my current favorite is this one:

And yes, it's a subtle nod to my Facebook habits (wink, wink).  I read somewhere that beyond all the other benefits green tea boasts, it is a powerful metabolism booster, and after drinking it for a couple of weeks now, I believe it!  Bananas help fight belly bloat and are, of course, loaded with potassium.  Plus, at the exact peak of ripeness, they are just so yummy.  Particularly sliced over a toasted piece of Publix Whole Wheat Mountain Bread with a shmear of peanut butter, and a drizzle of honey on top.  My favorite pre-run breakfast.

Other changes I'm making over the next 3 weeks are to increase my carb intake (hello, whole grain pasta!), increase my water intake, make sure I'm in bed no later than 11pm every night and find some new tunes to add to my running playlist.

A quick aside, speaking of water intake, I recently stumbled upon a recipe (I suppose you'd call it that?) for berry infused water.  I made it last week and can't get enough of.  You just take a pitcher and fill it with cucumbers, mint, lime, strawberries and blueberries, and over time it becomes the most delicious flavored water you could ever dream of.  Slightly sweet, crisp and refreshing.  Try it!


I'm curious, what kinds of changes do you make in the weeks leading up to a big race?

1 comment:

  1. You are an inspiration to all of us! Here is another suggestion: I love Kroger brand Sparkling Seltzer Water. No sugar. No sweetner. No calories. No flavor. It gives me the fizzy-ness I'm missing in a beer!

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