Training for the Eugene Marathon

Training for the Eugene Marathon is going well but it has been hard to train during the hot months of the year. This week I logged 62 miles but I suffered through some of my runs because the heat was almost unbearable after 9am.

I am being very careful not to injure myself and following a careful plan that includes dynamic stretches before long runs and some yoga stretches. I am also being careful to ice and stretch achy parts of the body immediately after I feel any discomfort. I also try to foam roll during the week and of course proper hydration is a must. Let’s see if I can make it to race day unscathed. Yikes!

Eating enough and eating the right kinds of food are also very important parts of training. Runners burn about 100 calories per mile. This week I burned approximately 6,000 calories and I know that I am not eating enough calories for the amount of calories I put out. So I am being more attentive about my nutritional needs, trying to increase my protein intake while balancing it out with carbs and vegetables. Here are two delicious recipes I prepared today: lemon garlic brussels sprouts with sprinkled Gruyere cheese on top, and shrimp and veggies on top of whole-wheat angel hair pasta. So yummy and healthy!

More about my Eugene training experience later….