A 5k PR, and a Night Away

Staying on the boat for long periods of time is all about managing the resources.

We are leaving tomorrow on a little driving jaunt, heading up-Island to visit some friends who have a seaside home about a 2-hour drive from our marinal and they are not there very often.  It's been a year since I have seen Susie and Wilson, and we are going to be spending the night with them, and coming back late Saturday afternoon, sooo.... this means some planning.

We don't like to leave the battery charger on the boat running when we are not here to keep any eye on it. The fridge can run without it for several hours, at somewhat reduced capacity, but I don't want to leave it while we go away... I am always thinking about what could go wrong. If we get delayed, the fridge could run the battery down and stop working and all the food in it will get ruined and I will have a smelly fridge to clean out and pile of wasted food. The solution? Ice. Tomorrow morning, before we leave the boat, we will turn off the battery charger AND the fridge and put in a couple of blocks of ice... we use ice when we are out cruising and it works quite nicely.

Good, that is taken care of.

Today I wanted to have a quick breakfast in order to get out for an earlier run. I chose Fibre First cereal, with some Special K thrown in, a bit of Balkan yogurt, some Almond Breeze, banana slices and lots of cinnamon. It was actually pretty good.

About half an hour later we donned some running gear and then we drove to the centre of our village. We visited a couple of different shops to purchase a few items too heavy to get on a walking trip to town, cleared our mail box at the post office, and then locked up the car and went for a run.

The route we took today is a 2.5 km marked trail along the waterfront of our small village. It is part gravel and part paving stones and basically flat. I love it. There was a snotty, cool breeze blowing into our faces as we started out and I was kinda chilly but by the time we got to the 2.5 km marker, and turned around, I was hot and sweaty. I took off my jacket, the sun came out blazing, and I was happy that wind was at my back.

We met other runners, lots of walkers and several dogs, all out enjoying the fresh salt air. And we ran fast.... at least fast for me. We finished the 5 km in 35 minutes exactly! I was so excited and checked my watch a couple of times. I have been wanting to run a 35 minute 5k and didn't think I was ever going to get there. Happy Dance!

W3 R35 @10/1, 9/1, 10/1 W4

We walked back to the car where we did our stretches... yep, right on the street behind the parked car and I even did 10 push ups against the bumper, too. Then we shared a bottle of water on the drive home to the marina.

Back on board, I peeled us each a navel orange and we drank some more water. That tided me over quite nicely through my shower, having a cup of coffee, and then making lunch.

I have always been a student of nutrition, and am very interested in how food affects our physical and emotional selves. I have been reading a lot lately about eating before and after exercise. I have read Runner's World Runner's Diet: The Ultimate Eating Plan That Will Make Every Runner (and Walker) Leaner, Faster, and Fitter. It had some good ideas for after-run snacks in it... and so does the Runner's World web site.

And today, I found an article on About.com that backs up everything I have been reading about after-run snacks. It was written by a runner who is also a coach, named Christine Luff.

" Question: What Should I Eat After a Run? Do I need to eat something after a run?

Answer:   After running, especially a long run, you want to replenish energy as quickly as possible. Studies have shown that muscles are most receptive to rebuilding glycogen (stored glucose) stores within the first 30 minutes after exercise. If you eat soon after your workout, you can minimize muscle stiffness and soreness.

You'll want to consume primarily carbs, but don't ignore protein. A good rule of thumb for post-run food is a ratio of 1 gram of protein to 3 grams of carbs. Nutrition bars, such as Clif bars or Power bars, are healthy options. Other examples would be a bagel with peanut butter or a smoothie made with fruit and yogurt.

If you feel like you can't stomach solid food immediately after a run, try drinking some chocolate milk. Chocolate milk provides plenty of protein, carbohydrates and B vitamins —- making it a great recovery drink. And cold chocolate milk tastes pretty refreshing after a run.

Don't forget to rehydrate with water or a sports drink after your run. If your urine is dark yellow after your run, you need to keep rehydrating. It should be a light lemonade color. "

Usually after a run, I drink a couple of cups of water and eat a piece of fruit … half a banana or a navel orange. I don’t really feel hungry enough to have more than that and I think it is because my runs aren’t very long. I do like to have a green smoothie after a weight training session, but not a run.

I think I will continue to listen to my own body signals and eat accordingly.