Greatest Day and MixMyGranola Giveaway
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Tips for making it through your long run…
These days, fitting in my long runs has been quite difficult between the awful weather, my travel schedule, and timing. But, today I finally sucesfully completed a 10 mile run and think these tips may help a lot of beginning runners out there who are scared of their first double digit run.
1) Hydrate for 24 hours before. Everyone knows it’s important to either follow a route that has water fountains or carry water during your run so you may stay hydrated but it’s equally, if not more important to hydrate before the run as well. Today while running in the sunshine at 70 degree weather I was thankful that my body was so hydrated.
2) Be realistic! If you’ve been running on the treadmill all winter at 6.0 it’s not very likely that you’ll be able to keep the same pace outside especially if it’s your first or second outdoor run of the season. The outside elements such as hills, stoplights, exhaust, heat, wind, and sunshine can all affect your run. Keep this in mind while you’re running, especially if you have a Polar or Garmin which shows you your pace. You don’t want to start thinking negatively during your run.
3) Fuel yourself properly Make sure to eat a mix of carbs and fat before your run as the carbs will provide energy and the fat will last during the run and help sustain your energy. Many runners enjoy bread with peanut butter before a run. In addition, make sure to carry something with you whether it’s a gu, shotblock, gummy bears, etc so around mile 6 or 7 you can add more fuel to the tank.
4) Posture While running make sure that you are engaging your abs, relaxing your shoulders, using your arms to propel you forward, and not tensing up. I know it’s hard to remember all this while you’re running but it really helps as it allows your body to use your energy more efficiently. Notice in this picture which depicts proper posture, the runner is looking ahead 4-5 feet, using arms, and engaging the abs.
5) Have a reward in mind Today during my run I spent half the time powering through the hills thinking about my five hour spa day tomorrow. I knew I would enjoy the massage and pedicure portion even more after I had completed my long run. Once I reached mile eight I was already getting excited about my post-run shake! I’ve truly started to crave my post run shakes during the week and look forward to them! Having something to help power you through the hills or tough minutes will help.
My favorite post-run recovery smoothie is as follows:
1 scoop lean dessert whey protein powder (13o cals)
2 handfulls ice
1 small banana
1 TBSP PB2
1/2 c water
1/2 c Plain, light soy milk
Blend well, sip, and enjoy!
Mighty Maple is Quickly Becoming a Staple
We hope that many of you have heard of Peanut Butter & Company (please note the awesome web address www.ilovepeanutbutter.com) because the culinary magic that they are able to create with a single nut (or legume if you prefer) is simply mind boggling. I have not historically been a nut butter fan although I got into almond butter when Whole Foods installed the fresh grinding machines. Still though, I never was able to develop a taste for Almond Butter’s more commonly ingested cousin Peanut Butter. The creations of Peanut Butter & Company have completely changed this. We’ve recently seen the jars on grocery store shelves (Gristedes, Kroger) but yesterday we found ourselves near Washington Square Park with some time to kill and realized that we were only three blocks away from the PB&Co “Headquarters.” This is really only a very small counter-style restaurant that serves the most creative Peanut Butter sandwiches of which you’ve every heard or fathomed. We didn’t indulge at the time as we try to limit our peanut butter intake but we bought a jar of Mighty Maple and it served its purpose to fuel us for the 10K that we ran this morning. Mighty Maple reminds me of peanut butter with maple candy blended in (this sounds horrible for you but (pause here to dip my paw in for a little taste (I’m horrible I know)) the simple all-natural ingredients contribute to this helping us be healthier, happier bears. Ash will now tell you all about the ingredients…
We both like that the ingredient list is short and sweet. It includes: peanuts, evaporated cane juice, maple syrup, natural maple flavor, palm fruit oil, and finally salt. There is no refined sugar, gluten or hydrogenated oil. While we realize this isn’t as healthy as our old freshly ground almond butter from Whole Foods we enjoy it a great deal more!
If you’ve never had the opportunity to sample this amazing treat then stay tuned. The bears bought two extra jars yesterday so that one of our lucky readers can sample it along with some of our other favorites. We’ll be posting the details for the giveaway this week!
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