One week to go...

It's been a busy week. School, work, running (ok, not so much on the running but that's ok at this point)...time has been flyin by.

The race is next week and thus the taper portion of my training comes to a peak. For a marathon, a taper starts about 3 weeks before race day, after the longest run of 20 miles. It allows the body to rebuild, recover and prepare (little does it know) for race day. For a beginner, 20 miles is sufficient, or so I've read because 1-it's better to go in slightly undertrained than overtrained to the event and 2-the "rush" of race day will help to carry you through the remaining, unchartered miles. I've read that in so many places, I almost believe it.

With one week left there are a few parameters that need to be followed:
1-absolutely under no circumstances do not do or eat anything new: it would suck to get injured the last week before the race when I've managed to avoid it thus far. I think I'll manage crossing off another item from my life-list until after race day.
2-don't try to make up for lost training by doing extra this week: not a problem there
3-Avoid, if at all possible, anyone who looks like they might be sick: as the body is repairing and rebuilding, the immune system is already busy and you are more susceptible to colds, etc. another thing I've avoided all through training so alas, I'll do my best to not let it happen now.
4-With 3 days to go, my diet will be 65-70% carbohydrates: Most of you might think this is great but it does serve a purpose.

My muscles will soak up this energy, storing it as glycogen for use on race day. It's a slow process so 3 days of this, along with a breakfast of toast/oatmeal or something of the like on race day, will ensure my body has topped off it's so-called "gas tank" of energy. as much as I'd like to gorge myself on french fries and other carb-laden goodies, it's in my best interest to make these complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, pasta, and potatoes (not the fried kind - those can be saved for the post-race feelings of entitlement).

Last Friday I went and had a physical fitness assessment done. It was a lot information, some of which I was happy to hear, some I was not.

The good points - my cholesterol & blood pressure are good; I am somewhat above average when it comes to physical strength for my age (per the wall sit test and the 1-minute of sit-ups test); and I now have a better understanding of what paces I should run for the type of run I might be doing that day (easy runs, "tempo" runs, 10k races etc). All of which I wanted to know before I went into the test.

The bad - ok, not bad but stuff that's hard to hear when you already know it then having someone with an "M.D." or "Ph.D" after their name tell you about it in detail. After being poked and prodded, I discovered my body fat is too high (27.8%) and alas, I don't eat enough vegetables.

It was recommended (post-marathon) that my calorie intake not exceed 1800 cal/ day, including exercise (of which i was recommended - 4-6 days a week of running and 2-3 days of strength training). Based on my 3-day food log that I submitted prior to the test, I was averaging about 2200 calories a day (that I hadn't been aware of - wow!). A far cry from the 1800 but I chalked it up to those 3 days being days after I had just run 20 miles. No amount of excuses could get rid of the fact that even though I had run 20 miles, my choice of calories could've been better.

The nutritionist also said if I was feeling good, I could go as low as 1600 cal/day but to be aware of how I was feeling as far as energy, exercise, etc. My weight loss should be ~1 lb a week - enough to see results but not enough to feel deprived. My ratios would be about 55% carbs, 20-25% protein, and 20-25% from fat.

I've started using a program called fitday.com to help me out in tracking my calories based on her recommendations to make sure I'm on track and meeting my goal of a 10 lb. weight loss over the next few months. For now, I'm using the free program until I know I'm using it regularly and can justify the $20 for the full version.

You can create goals based on weight loss, a particular nutrient you might be lacking in, or your water intake. The search function takes some getting used to - instead of "Doritos" for example, you search by "tortilla chips, nacho cheese." You can also enter customized foods for more accuracy, or you can use their suggestions as an estimate. One of the better free programs I've found if you want to see how you're doing in you're overall health and not just by the calories you're eating.

So, after the race concludes and I'm back to just running for fun, my diet will take some overhaul. Nothing drastic at first (a few veggies in my eggs, more veggies at dinner) but something is always better than nothing. The holidays are fast approaching so the sooner I start making these small changes, the better prepared I'll be for the onslaught of goodies that awaits.

Hope everyone is well...