Thursday, August 8, 2013

Protein Power

I joined my running group at 5.15am (ugh!) this morning and we set off on a slightly hilly 10k loop. I even opted to go the extra few k's with two other gals. At the 5k mark we broke off from the others to loop around a park. Of the three of us who went around the loop together, one felt terrible, one felt okay, and I felt great. So mathematically speaking, we averaged out nicely.
It was a gorgeous morning - misty and quiet. One of the other gals gushed about the beautiful smells but since my nose was blocked for most of the run (due to the cold weather), I had to take her word for it. Still, it was such a lovely area to run in I could certainly imagine it would smell nice.
Total distance: 11.5km
Total time: about 75min

The pace felt easy and I felt strong. I could have pushed it faster and harder throughout the run, but I enjoyed the company and was just grateful I didn't get lost, running in a new area and all.
I'm trying to think of why I've felt so great this week, and I think it's because after Sunday's disaster I have stepped up my healthy eating...or at least, I've been trying to do so. But I've most definitely stepped up my protein intake!
Many of you may remember how not eating enough protein is my Achilles heel when it comes to training. Well, since coming back from holidays in June I admit I wasn't thinking much about protein. I was thinking more about chocolate, and peanut butter, and not wanting to cook (take-away, anyone?).
But Sunday's race was a kick in the bum that I needed, and I've decided that if I continue to eat badly I'll continue to run badly. So I've stocked up on high protein snacks, cleared my kitchen of unhealthy chocolate and raisin bread and red wine (yum, yum!), and now back on the healthy eating bandwagon I go!

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