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Ten weeks of marathon training are in the bank. Eight weeks are left. And my training is up to 6500 + calories per week. This will be the third week in a row I get that number. I know most people talk in terms of miles or kilometers. That's boring and six thousand five hundred of anything sounds impressive. The reason why I decided to use calories is to remind myself of proper nutrition. In order to run well, you need to recover and fuel properly. Weight has never been a problem for me since I started running. So I simply eat when I'm hungry.
After hard days or long runs, I try to get some carbs and protein back into my system within forty five minutes. It usually comes in the form of chocolate milk. I'm not neurotic about the rest of the food that I eat. I just try to keep a good balance of carbs, lean protein and fiber. Occasionally, I'll take some vitamin supplements if I'm feeling run down or note that I haven't been getting enough of something. Vitamin C, D or an iron pill fills in what I might be missing at a given time. Iron is always better absorbed when combined with Vitamin C so I'll usually take those two together.
Training is going really well. If you must know weekly mileage, it has been 54 for the last two weeks. I should hit 57 this week with a 22 miler on the weekend. This is higher mileage than the Pfitz 18/55 calls for but since I've completed that plan twice I decided to add a few more miles here and there. I know I can run an 8 minute pace but since I was blasted by the wind in Green Bay, I didn't have much left after 20 miles there. I'm seeking revenge on Chicago this year and want to do everything in my power to have the proper endurance. More miles = more better.