Weekly MM: Beginning of the End

*Welcome to one of my weekly MM (Marathon & Meals) posts! Starting in August, one post each week will include updates as I train for my first marathon! This challenge is part of my 2013 Personal Goals. I will be running the Anthem Richmond Marathon on November 16th.*

Last week started with the unpleasant discovery on Tuesday morning: my Garmin hadn't actually been charging overnight like I had believed. It died a little over halfway through my 1.5 hour run, but I was lucky in that it happened right after completing my two 5 minute on / 3 minutes off intervals. I'm a runner motivated by distances, rather than time, so my loss in technology was a bit upsetting and demotivating. Fast-forward a few days and we get an email from our instructor challenging us to run gadget-less for the next few weeks. One step of the game? Alright. (But, really. I learned my lesson!)

Other than that minor hick-up, my week in training went well: I got up early, no major aches and pains, I pushed myself during intervals. Then instead of working out with Seal Team on Friday, I opted for a happy hour with Boyfriend, followed a heavy dinner of eggplant parmesan and spaghetti. All signs pointed to a miserable Saturday morning run...

I've come to a realization that, starting NOW, I need a better night-before routine. Up until this week, I have been flexible and a bit of a gambler with my Friday evenings. Sometimes I have drinks, eat heavy and greasy food, don't drink enough water, and go to bed later than I want. Valerie, let's stop this. Please. As a girl who likes plans, I'm (finally) feeling the pressure to figure out my perfect "power" meal and stick with it in the remaining 6 weeks. Ideas, anyone?
The run on Saturday went fine, in case you were curious. My slowest mile was around 9:40 minutes and I mainly hovered around 9:20. My over-indulgence was most apparent within the first thirty minutes, but miraculously disappeared for the rest of the run. The last two weeks, there's been an emphasis on nutrition during the long runs, so I reintroduce jelly beans into my running regimen. I've used them for my last two halves with no issues, and I prefer the size and texture to blocs, etc. That being said, my tummy was not feeling great by the time the 2 hours were up. I could feel and taste the extra sodium from the combination of diluted sports drink and jelly beans (and eggplant parmesan???) and it was just too much. Next weekend: I'm sticking with plain water in my Camelbak.

The rest of my weekend was spent with one of my best friends from college. Sarah came down for a Richmond visit, and we fit in some of our favorite activities:

We visit the South of the James farmers market for breakfast (Goatocado), donuts (Mrs. Yoder's), and honey (Alfredo's). I had the Hanover quinoa bowl: quinoa, arugula, swiss, red onions, tomatoes, avocado, stoneground mustard sauce, and a fried egg.

We rock-hopped along the James River for a romantic wine-and-cheese lunch.

We baked--and mastered!--a recipe we butchered back in our early baking college days;, then had cocktails and dinner at a new restaurant (The Daily Kitchen and Bar).

Lastly, we brunched. Stella's was our restaurant of choice, which I truly believe deserves its own post. It was stellar.

This week I've been trying to concentrate on the fact that this really is the beginning of the end of marathon training. Ready or not, a month and a half remaining means it's time to bump up the distance and effort. And I'm ready...definitely. Our two hour runs, while not completely unchallenging, are getting a little old. Like, my body feels comfortably tired--does that makes any sense??? This coming weekend, we bump up to 2.5 hours, followed by 3 hours the following Saturday. Oh, let the fun begin!