Pre-Race Prep and Pasta

Daily Creativity: Recipe invention!

Definitely feeling the pre-race nerves.  I actually really don’t like races.  Some people can do 15-20 a year easily.  I feel overwhelmed by two!  My  last real race was last May.  I think that part of the problem is that my endurance is so good and my speed so bad that I don’t usually race very fast.  I could probably beat most of the people in the half-marathon if we had to run 30 or 40 miles.    But at least it’s a half-marathon and not a 5k.  Those are the worst.

When I was a swimmer in high school and we would do fast sets,  I would always go faster in practice than in a meet.  For example, if we had to do 10×100’s all out, almost every single one of those 100s would be faster than a single 100 in a meet.  Is that weird?  I think so.  But at the same time, I know that my body thrives off of endurance.  Ultimately, I am an endurance athlete.  I actually have a secret dream of doing an ironman some day.  Well it’s not a secret anymore, I guess.

My plan of attack for tomorrow: DO NOT GO OUT FAST.  I think my first mile or two should be in the mid-nines, and by mile four and five, I’s like to be hitting consistent nines.  By nine and ten, I’d like to be mid-eights.  Hopefully, this will allow me to beat my current PR of 1:58.44.  But I’m not going to beat myself up if I don’t beat this time; that will just make me feel anxious and sad and we all know I don’t need any more of that in my life!

This is really random, but I am so excited to eat chia seeds tomorrow morning.  After reading Born To Run, I’m hoping they’ll give me a little extra kick 🙂

Supplies:

In case you can’t see, I’m number 7366 (this sounds lucky, right??) and will be wearing blue shorts and a blue-green top.  It’s supposed to be in the 50s and 60s, so I should be okay, I hope.  If you will be at the race and you see me running, feel free to say hello or cheer or whatever 🙂

The course makes a full loop of CP and then some, then heads South and West and finishes near Battery Park.  My first half was hillier than CP, but I am still a bit nervous about tackling the hills at speed.  Although we will be going down my least favorite hill, in the middle of the East Side of the main loop (anyone know what I’m talking about?  With the crazy panther statue on top of the rock wall on the side?), so this is nice.

I made an awesome pre-race dinner for myself tonight.  Would have been nice to have someone to share it with, but oh well.  More veggies for me I suppose.  This dish would actually just be a great family-friendly healthy dinner.  It only took about half an hour and is full of healthy things.

Perfect Pre-Race Pasta (alliteration anyone?):

Note: This recipe is written for one person; simply double it for two, etc.

1 serving whole wheat pasta (I used WF shells)

1 tbsp EVOO

1-2 apple chicken sausages, depending on how much meat you want (I had 1.5)

2 C washed and sliced baby bella mushrooms

1 C washed and chopped broccoli

2 big handfuls washed spinach

2 tbsp favorite hummus

Boil water for the pasta.  Pour EVOO into a non stick skillet and add sausages; I like to cut mine in half lengthwise first so they cook faster.  While sausage cooks and water boils, wash and cut up veggies. When sausages are a bit browned on the outside, add mushrooms.  Break up the sausages into bite-sized pieces with a spatula.  Water should be boiling at this point; add serving of pasta (about 3/4 of a cup).  Add rest of veggies to pan and sautee everything.  Toss in hummus and make sure it evenly coats the entire mixture.  When done, put into a large-ish bowl and set aside.  Let pasta finish cooking, mine took about twelve minutes, and drain.  Mix with veggies/sausage.  Enjoy!

This is an ideal pre-race dinner for runners who want to get some carb action, but don’t want to miss out on micro or macro nutrients or consume a ton of refined carbs.  Simply scrummy!

Alright, time for me to get ready for bed.  Good luck to anyone else running the half!

Have you ever done a race?  Do you love racing, or are you totally non-competitive?