Mojo

Turned out to be a pretty fun-filled weekend - more so than I expected it would be due to some catch up I've been playing at the office.  Rob convinced me to head out for a run in RCP with him Saturday morning, and it turned out to be decent.  I was fully prepared to put the brakes on should any issues arise, but things never got out of control and my feet felt pretty good during and after.  35 minutes isn't much, but I'll take it in hopes of maybe stretching that out a bit as Spring approaches.  Spent the remainder of the morning cruising around the tri-county area checking out a couple of local farmer's markets.

In exchange for the run yesterday, I got Rob on board for the Bike Rack's Sunday morning group ride.  We headed out around 8:30 for what ended up being a fairly social ride.  There were definitely some intense moments, and the Falls Rd hill still hurts pretty bad.  The experiment with zero food intake before & during worked out in my favor, and I felt strong during the entire ride.  Last thing I ate was dinner on Saturday evening, so I left the house on Sunday in somewhat of a fasted state.  But not hungry, owing to the supremely satiating dinner the night before (the winter stew I've been dipping into for the past few weeks, which gets a thick layer of congealed fatty goodness on top if left to cool...mmmmm).

Ended up being about 3 hours, so it seems the sugary supplements just aren't necessary for me up to that point.  It felt kind of relieving not taking anything as the rest of the riders sucked on blocks, gels, drinks, whatever other little crutches we're convinced that we all of the sudden need to do what we humans have been doing for thousands upon thousands of years.  Not sure what happens after the three-hour mark, but my guess is that things might begin to deteriorate around 3.5 hrs.  I'll probably be strategic about eating during the ride next weekend, since it'll probably be 5+ hours.  I'm tempted to go without, but not sure it's the proper venue to risk a complete bonk.  So it's not that I'm completely denying that nutrition is important during a long event, but rather that strategy (in both a macro and micro sense, i.e. what & how you eat in the months leading up, and then the hours and minutes during) is key.  One thing I've noticed is that there's a period of about 15 minutes at the outset of any ride or run where my body feels slow and sluggish, like I'm warming up the engine.  But after that it's a steady, controlled burn.  Perhaps this is what many folks come to after doing this sort of thing for a while, and if that's the case, then I chalk it up to my inexperience.  But with all the crap at the checkout counter of your local running store, and the daily emails I get from various reliable sources suggesting I'm naturally lacking the basic tools to thrive, that these performance enhancers are essential, somehow I'm not convinced this is the case.

Got to double dip again yesterday with a hike in RCP before dinner.  Have a crazy week ahead of me, but I'll be looking to check in pretty regularly.

Going Somewhere, Maybe?

Still transitioning here, although I'm not sure where I'm headed.  Not a whole lot of running to report, but I am doing fairly regular hill sprints during my morning walks in Rock Creek.  I'm very excited for the spring and summer when I can get out there earlier and with more sunlight.  Maybe I'll even get back into some real runs.

I've committed to a 50-mile mountain bike race weekend after next (26th) down in Richmond.  No serious training, although I've gotten out for a few group road rides and a couple solo extended commutes on the bike.  Part of the motivation was a 3 hour mountain bike ride I did on New Year's Day - first time I've ever been on one of these goofy two wheelers.  Now I understand.  Wish I could do it more, but I don't have a mountain bike and the closest trails are a drive away.  Beyond the group and extended solo ride, just been my typical morning evening commutes with some intensity injected when I feel like it.

The 50-miler will be an interesting experiment on multiple fronts - given that it'll be the second time I've ever ridden a mountain bike.  It'll also be the first endurance event I've done since the marathon last year, and the first I've ever done since I gave up grains, sugars, and processed foods.  Speaking of diet, I've been eating a TON of fat lately, namely saturated fats such as clarified butter, organ meats (!), coconut oil, and even some cultured whole fat yogurt.  How have I been missing this for so long? 

Otherwise, feeling absolutely full of energy, even under all the work and life stress.  Even been successful at reducing that a bit, and improving my sleep some.  All these things really seem to be compounding, and I'm loving it.