So, I need to preface this that while I do have several years of experience with training for and running half marathons, especially postpartum, I’m by no means an expert or a coach. I do have some amazing friends who are running coaches, so if you read through this and want to seek out additional support and training help, I would happily refer you to them.
I started running halfs after I had my first child, and had faced my lowest part of life in terms of stress, lack of energy and self care. I thought I was destined to just feel miserable and be exhausted all the time as a mother of young ones. Well, I had also not really thought about long distances as possible for my body, and I had always gravitated towards shorter distances when I was younger…in track and field days I did the 50 yard dash, and shied away from the 440 and other longer distance. I tried running cross country in highschool and wasn’t that into it. Perhaps I had yet to learn the value of patience, perseverance and sticking with something before seeing results.
BUT since I’d always played competitive soccer, I did have the stamina and enjoyed the feeling of being able to run all game (playing midfield)…and when my soccer career wound down after highschool I took up running as an easy way I could stay in shape literally anywhere I was. I think I actually started the habit while living abroad with my family, with not too many options for local gyms, etc. So I ran some 10Ks and other fun races with my dad and brother, but hadn’t taken on anything longer than lets say an 8 mile run. I was intimidated by the fueling/hydrating aspect needed for those distances, and just left it alone, but I always admired and appreciated endurance athletes. I could tell they were tapping into a part of the human spirit that I deeply love–of testing our real physical and mental limits, and then showing us what happens beyond those limits!
So when Emma was one and a half, I had a small health crisis which I talk more about in the about me page–and that led me to a deeper focus on self-care, proper nutrition for me, handling and cleansing from my life long sugar addiction–and then, on the other side of it, with my new health tools that summer (2012), I felt AMAZING and found myself wanting to run longer and longer distances! So I signed up for an October half marathon in DC (near my family) and proceeded to training–in the final hot weeks of summer. It was tough, but I realized, as I realized every time, that it’s a largely mental game…and its about preparing your body properly, but also convincing yourself that you can do this, you’ve got everything you need, and bringing in the proper support both in the areas of nutrition, accountability and support from friends and family, and even the other holistic support for your body as you build these new habits–for example, physical therapy has been huge for me in running races after my births (and with history of back/pelvic challenges), and recently, reflexology (obsessed!) and massage have become an important part of the process…as well as–lots of yoga and stretching! Approaching it as a priority and habit that will pay dividends in other areas of life also helps my husband and I when we start me into a new training cycle–the sacrifice of time is real, but most things in life of value do require that delicate re-balancing and re-prioritizing, and it all comes back to WHY.
Nutritional baseline and changes for training
Here are some of the nutrition tools I use for my half training. and adjustments I make to my “usual”. Being a health coach and all, I certainly like to consider some of the details that will enhance the experience, especially being injury free and enjoying the process without alot of mental energy towards it (3 kids will do that to ya). Building up strength and endurance properly is an art that can be learned. Especially, for beginners, the temptation is to overtrain and thus to tax your muscles and joints to the point of pain or injury. I purposefully do a less aggressive training (mileage) schedule and make sure my base fitness is in place, and work alot on core, stretching, alignment and some fast twitch muscle strength through HIIT etc. Some people like to swim for cross training (lungs, low impact) and others do more low impact exercises like pilates, yoga and barre. Mix it up and see what works best for you…keeping in mind that the mental game of knowing your body can run the miles on race day (with lots of added adrenaline) is just as important as the physical component of the training.
Make a training schedule that makes sense for your life and commitments…and go from there. Tons of resources out there–I consulted some good friends who had experience, and there are many many online programs—but I can’t vouch for any of them–if you have ones you recommend–comment below and I’ll add them to a recommended page/roundup.
In addition to the runs and the other cross-training, the other two main areas to focus on would be nutrition and sleep.
If you’re like me and you tend to eat lower carb normally, you’re going to need to increase your carb intake for training, and balance it with lots of healthy starches—making sure these are making an appearance especially before long runs and on recovery days! I’m also breastfeeding, and have been for my past 2 training cycles so it changes what you need as well:) I have some nice weekly meal plans geared for runners with various nutritional profiles/needs, so msg me if you want me to share them.
Examples of my favorite training cycle healthy starches and carbs:
(background, I primarily eat gluten free, but I’m flexible about it as needed–yay for a healing gut, overcoming some sensitivities that aren’t fun to live with).
*Sweet potatoes, roasted
*Brown rice (stir fry lover over here!)
*gluten free crackers, rice cakes (usually loaded with almond butter or avocado)
*gluten free/paleo pancakes 🙂
*Some kinds of seed bread or GF bread—Dave’s we like, and a few other brands that care the source of their grains.
*Quinoa—especially with veggies/protein or mixed in a big salad
I also add in more sugars than I normally have in my paleo-ish (intuitive eating) lifestyle—more on that in another post for sure-I’m not a macro counting girl, and I’ve tried all the strict diets and found them to not be helpful for me (mentally)….so I go with an #intuitiveeating philosophy, mostly clean, not too restrictive, and also do (and suggest) regular cleansing so I can really trust what my body is telling me…probably worthy of another post so I’ll write that one up soon, and there’s some more thoughts here.
ANYWAY, keep the sugars healthy, from fruit etc, when you can, and make sure you’re getting lots of veggies–fiber, and protein. I like the life shakes for quick and easy protein after long runs (rebuilding muscles). There’s a formal BCAA in the sports nutrition line but I don’t tend to use it as often since it’s whey based…but it’s very high quality (grassfed) and my friends get great results with it. To each his own 🙂
Sleep!
This is probably the hardest area for me right now to stay disciplined in (getting enough—since I love staying up late, AND getting up to use the morning hours)…but I found the PM recovery below to be a huge help with getting super deep/restful sleep, and in the midst of this training cycle my husband and I agreed it was time to get my 18 month old to sleep longer stretches at night so we worked on that, and I really worked on getting away from screens an hour before I wanted to be asleep, and getting myself into bed as close to 11 as I could (though usually later, and reluctantly:)) But being tired out from training runs does help for getting good sleep patterns in place—I’m curious what others have done, and I hope you’ll share!
This is my favorite way to relax my muscles after a long run and makes for a nice night time ritual even when not training—magnesium and lavender promote a very restful and deep sleep. Perfect way to end any day. I like this brand that has vitamin C and chamomile too.
Baseline and Sports Nutrition tools
From my favorite brand partner. I’ve used these for each of my 4 half marathons in recent years, and they really do make all the difference in that extra energy, overall support and recovery when doing a training cycle that demands more of you. Feel free to do a personal health consult first if you’re not sure where to start….or reach out to me if any of these catch you eye!
This is the vitalizer strip I use daily. It helps with complete nutrition covering all the bases so I know I’m covered for omegas/ joint and bone health, energy, probiotics for healthy gut, and much more. It’s truly a best in class supplement and after 6 years using it, I know I’m never going to be without it–my husband and I both notice if we ever skip a day…that’s how powerful the sustained energy and effect is.
This is my other key product that I can’t imagine training or living without (ok, well all of them are really)…this is your natural electrolyte drink that is low calorie/sugar, and so much healthier for you than gatorade (gag). It comes in lemon lime and orange. We drink it daily around here and the kids get it whenever they want–they call it “shaklee juice” and it’s covering so many important bases for all of us with balancing electrolytes before, during, after workouts and in just daily living that involves summer sun, sweating and more. Try it if you’re intrigued!
I love alfalfa for so many reasons—but in this case it’s a powerful energy source (think horses eating alfalfa for stamina), and a super green, it reduces inflammation and even pain, and helps alot with my recovery time after a workout.
So this pm recovery product is less than a year on the market–and it might be my biggest game changer…I often will take it for better sleep, even if I didn’t do an intense workout.
I ran my half, came home to a long magnesium and lavendar bath, but was still hobbling around with soreness yesterday. Then, I took 2 of these at bedtime, fell into a deep sleep (the tart cherry is known for that) and woke up not sore at all! (just a little tightness in a calf that I walked out). Truly incredible and everyone who uses it says the same thing. I don’t track my sleep, but those with the REM cycle trackers have noticed a big change in their level of deep sleep and getting into the cycles faster…pretty cool.
This is your perfect pre workout boost (or even for a generally busy day). It’s quite a buzz (very little caffeine but lots of green tea and B vitamins in it), so be prepared! Love that it’s totally natural and it mixes well with the hydrate too. I’ll use the chews version to carry in my pocket for races too, for late in the game energy boosts.
OK, the energizing tea is one of my daily products for energy and overall balance–but I definitely pack it into my water bottle for race day–and blend it with the hydrate for all my long runs. It is sweetened with stevia, has amino acids that feed your brain…for alertness without a caffeine crash, and I also love it (when not running), with chia seeds for a super healthy and awesome midday pick-me-up.
Finally—it’s good to invest in a foam roller as well when training, as you can do a quick massage/release of tight muscles, especially helpful for IT bands, calves and glutes, to prevent injury.
There are a variety of them out there…you can read reviews on amazon and pick the ones that make most sense for your needs.
It’s been such a gift to be able to learn how to do training for endurance sports. I know for me the effects are in all areas of my life, which I write about over here. With the right tools, baseline health, support team and motivation, so many folks can do more with their bodies in terms of fitness and lifestyle goals…and I hope that my own journey inspires even just one person along a path to a healthier and happier life.
Let me know what you’re preparing for, or if you’re inspired and a bit more motivated- this time of year—or after reading how this mom decided to just start becoming an endurance athlete.
I’ll cheer you on, whatever your goals!