Marathon Madness Monday: Week 10

Marathon training is 1/2 over - 9 weeks down, 9 to go! Portland here we come...

This week, I have an equation and a recipe to share with you!

An equation for a hot mess:

A running path with long stretches that have no shade whatsoever

+ Starting temperature/humidity of 76 degrees F, 91% humidity

+ 17 miles

+ Ending temperature/humidity of 85 degrees F, 70% humidity

= ONE HOT MESS

Actually, I need a new word to describe what I looked like at the end of the run; hot mess just doesn't do it justice, honestly.

I know might garner a response that will be the equivalent a whole lot of tomatoes being thrown at me through the interwebs, but I just have to say it.

I am so ready for fall.

On my run yesterday, I was so hot, I was begging & praying for it to rain on me.

Scratch that, I was fantasizing about how a good a snow fall would feel.

I guess running 17 miles in heat/humidity makes a person a bit delusional. But really, doesn't snow sound delightful? I don't know how people who live in hotter/more humid areas of the country train for marathons in the summer.

I do, however, have a recipe for recovery...

Part I: Foam Rolling

If you are a runner, and you don't foam roll - you really should. I will warn you, it's gasp-out-loud painful when you start using it, but once you get the worst of the knots worked out, it's not nearly as painful. I honestly think my knees have been healthy while marathon training because of this foam roller.

Part II: Post-Run Recovery Ritual

Now, you might be scratching you head and wondering what gatorade, chocolate milk, leftover pasta, a bag of ice, and the movie, "Definitely, Maybe" have to do with each other...

These items, my friends, are the ingredients for my post run ritual. When the long runs get into the 15+ range, after foam rolling, I heat up leftover pasta, put in an entertaining chick flick, and take an ice bath while eating leftovers and drinking gatorade and/or chocolate milk.

The ice bath is not exactly pleasant, but it helps with the muscle recovery. To take my mind off the fact that I am sitting in a bath full of ice water, I eat some yummy leftovers. And I just happen to have a bird's eye view of my tv from the comfort of my tub.

I realize this is an odd ritual. But each their own. Runners are a quirky bunch - and I guess this ice bath ritual is one of my many, many quirks.

*************
Training Tally:
Miles ran last week: 33
Training-to-date mileage: 245