On Sunday I ran the Cap10K for the 2nd time and did 6 minutes better than last year! 48 minutes flat. I have turned over a new leaf with running recently and truly enjoy getting out in the community, meeting new people, racing with clients and friends, and simply having fun. No pressure. Just run. The end results have been beyond rewarding.
As I say time and time again, CrossFit prepares you for anything. No long-distance training at all for this race. 4x per week of CrossFit workouts and 1x per week track workout, and I was fully prepared. The best part of this race was it was the opposite direction from the half-marathon. Every hill I battled in February was a piece of cake on Sunday.
I challenge you to pick one of the upcoming races from the Relentless Race Calendar, and watch how well you are prepared to do any fitness test thrown your way.
Over the past few months I have competed in more 5Ks, 10Ks, adventure races, and even a half-marathon. I am always entertained when I go to these races or attend pre-race parties and hear everyone talking about "carb-loading" the night before the big day, or justifying how they can eat whatever they want post-competition.
NEXT.
Quick recap: The night before the half-marathon I remember eating a regular meal full of green leafy vegetables cooked in coconut oil, grass-fed beef, and avocado. Nothing out of the ordinary. The day of the race I had my normal breakfast of eggs, swiss chard, chicken sausage, and avocado. The only difference for race morning was I ate 1/2 of a banana while walking to the start line. Even post-race nutrition was similar, I drank a protein shake, but also added in some grapes and berries (about 1/2 cup) with my meal of more meat and veggies.
A big question I have been asked is if I consumed lots of water, electrolyte drinks, or goo when running. The answer is a resounding NO. I literally took 1 water break the entire race and never felt the need for an energy jolt of goo. I made certain to hydrate well the week before with lots of water, and it worked.
When you start fueling your body with lean meats, vegetables, good fats, and some fruit, you will be amazed at the results you see physically AND in performance.
The old mentality of "carb-loading" on pasta, bread, rice and eating copious amounts of crap after a race is a faux pas. I challenge you to start moving towards a cleaner way of eating and watch for yourself.
Today was my first ever 10K race. My BFF/partner-in-crime/showout goddess, Whitney, and I ran the Cap10K. I must admit Saturday night we were contemplating not doing it and just sleeping in and then we quickly decided NEXT on that idea.
Today was a milestone for me. I saw first hand how CrossFit does prepare you for all kinds of athletic events. I was a bit frightened to run 6.2 miles since I have not run more than a 5K in years. I did not do any training outside of my regular CrossFit regimen and still did great and felt better than I imagined after it was all over. I ran 53:50 and that was with the untimed group. To preface, my 1st 2 miles were quite entertaining and slow since I was dodging all the walkers, people pushing strollers, and the 20,000 athletes that ran. It felt good to push pass the negative mental barrier of long distance running that I have developed over the past few years and actually have fun. The energy from the runners was contagious and made the race fly. Each mile was faster than the one prior which made me super excited. Whit- so glad we got to share our 1st 10K run together. Go Showouts!!!
Below is Whit's recap from today.
Today I ran the Cap10 with my partner in crime Megan. I admit, Saturday night we were a bit grumpy about getting up the next morning and running but Megan knew that we would be mad at ourselves if we didn't do this. So we were good girls, went home early and were ready to run the next morning. Thank you Megan for pushing me! I had no idea I'd have so much fun running 6.2 miles! I ran it in 62 minutes and pretty much kept the same pace throughout the race. It was like playing human dodge ball at times but the energy from all of these people running through my city was amazing and kept me pumped up. I truly did enjoy all 62 minutes of my run.
I can't speak for Megan but my "training" for this consisted of one 4 mile run a few weeks ago and a couple of other 2 mile runs in the past 2 months. That was it for distance. But I have been CrossFitting for the last 2 years consistently 4-5 times a week. I do a combination of boot camp classes and the indoor classes. I also eat paleo about 90% of the time (the other 10% is saved for pizza, peanut M&Ms, chips and salsa) and I resisted the urge to "carb load" prior to the race and stuck to my paleo diet. To be honest I thought that after mile 4 I would be winded and tired; but as a testament to how hard our WODs are and the benefits of eating clean are, I actually felt great! I wasn't tired, I wasn't winded, no stitch in my side, it just felt good. I even had energy at the end to sprint the last .2 miles across the finish line and once across, I felt great. No gasping for air, no urge to throw up, didn't feel like I needed to collapse on the ground in a pile of exhausted goo.
Even though I know I shouldn't be all that surprised, I was. I've done "Angie" I've done "Murph" and yet running 6.2 miles intimidated me and I wasn't sure if I had the mental stamina to get through it. Once again, I've been able to prove to myself that I can do a lot more than I give myself credit for. I am one of those people that can honestly say that they have CrossFit to thank for that and I also owe a huge thank you to my amazing coaches, Megan Parsons, Crystal McReynolds, and Jessica Sharratt. You three ladies have pushed me and trained me for the last two years and I can't tell you how much it means to me. Truly awesome coaches. 3...2...1...Go!
