We all get to a point in our lives, whether we've been working long hours, exercising very hard or just staying up late and getting up early that we realize that we need to take time to rest and recover from whatever it is that's wearing us down. Well, I certainly needed some rest and recovery time after Sunday's run. While my body hasn't been extremely sore it has definitely been extremely tired. It's amazing the wonderful effect that rest has. I can feel my energy coming back and I'm definitely ready to get back to working out.
During my rest time I've been doing some reading on nutrition and the dangers of a low carb diet. I read that if your body doesn't have enough carbs to use as fuel then it uses protein as its main energy source which isn't good because your body needs the protein to build muscle and repair tissue. Why did I find this so interesting? Maybe because I know that so many people have gone on low or no carb diets and after reading that I realized that not only is it not good for you, but it's counter productive as well. If the goal is to be healthy, then we can't cut out any important nutrients. We have to make sure we have a well balanced diet at all times.
Tonight I rode my bike after work. It was my first 'real' ride of the year since I've been spending most of my time running. I rode about 12 miles from home to downtown and back. I thought for sure that my legs would hurt, that I'd struggle up the hills and that I'd be so winded that I'd have to take breaks along the way. But to my surprise (and enjoyment) none of that happened. It was a nice comfortable ride, even on the uphills. There must be something to this whole cross training thing.
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Congratulations on your successful marathon run. You really made great time. How fantastic it must have felt to reach that finish line. Glad you missed the rain too. I'm with you 100% on your findings concerning low carb / no carb diets. Our bodies cannot live long term, in a healthy state, without carbohydrates. Sure if you cut carbs out, you'll lose a good amount of weight but as soon as you reintroduce them to your diet, the weight which was lost will come back with a vengeance. Personally, I am a carbaholic. I LOVE carbs. Moderation is key. I am one of those people who is fortunate to be able to eat most anything, without it negatively impacting my weight. I do notice, however, that if I eat too many sweets or foods high in sugar, the next day, I don't feel so well and rather on the sluggish side. Okay, you've got the running and the cycling down pat, throw in some swimming and you'll soon be competing in a triathlon.
Hi - I actually did do a triathlon last year. I did the Sherox sprint triathlon. I had to learn to swim first, so I took lesson at the Y and went to the Y almost every day for two months to practice. I managed to complete the triathlon, but I have to say that it was probably the most humbling day of my life, but it definitely felt good. I'll probably do it again since I didn't even get to wear my wetsuit since the water was about 85 degrees that day.
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