That is, until I actually starting running. From about 200m in my legs were heavy and sore, still feeling the effects of Saturday's long run. Keeping a 6:00/km pace felt nearly impossible and I quickly felt myself running out of gas.
What the hell? After a relatively short long run and a rest day I shouldn't have been feeling so sluggish. Was a secretly running in my sleep and thus overusing my muscles and depleting my energy stores? Probably not. So what exactly was the cause for this?
And then it hit me! I hadn't properly fueled after my run on Saturday. Where I normally ingest some form of carb/protein combo within 30 minutes to an hour of a vigorous bout of exercise I hadn't done that this weekend. In fact, with everything going on I hadn't eaten for hours after my run wrapped up. Fueling fail!
Realizing that quickly explained the excessive muscle fatigue. I hadn't given my body what it needed to heal so it hadn't, at least not completely. So now I know better and applied the very sound logic immediately
Greek yogurt, berries and fibre cereal? Now that should do the trick! Here's to muscle recovery and a better run tomorrow..
While we are on the topic of fuel and energy I wanted to try my hand at the Dough Balls or Energy Bites that I have seen may times around blogland. Thanks to the good people at Enjoy Life Foods I had a bag of chocolate chips that needed a recipe and I'd found just the one:
Mama Pea's Dough Balls...with a twist
Instead of limiting them to raw almonds and cashews I decided to throw a whole mixture of different seeds, nuts and fruits into the batch.
And along with dates and vanilla extract I added 2tsp of sunflower butter. And of course a good dose of chocolate chips.
I love that the chocolate chips (like most Enjoy Life products) are free of dairy, egg, soy, gluten and nuts. While I chose to add them to a mixture full of nuts they are a great option for people with these dietary restrictions as well.
Naturally I did my due diligence and tasted a handful beforehand to make sure they were palatable. And they are, although I am not adverse to another taste test if anyone needs reassurance.
As we speak the balls are busy chilling in the fridge but by all accounts I expect them to be delicious little burst of energy, perfect for pre or post run fueling.
My muscles will be so happy.
And Mama would be proud!
So tell me, how do you fuel after exercise?
I usually eat a banana right when I get home from a long run and drink a big class of water. Then I stretch and ice, shower, and then eat more of a meal once I start to feel hungry. I'm not sure if this is the proper way to do it, but I usually feel good after this method. I'm always so surprised how much of a difference proper fueling makes!
ReplyDeleteI hear ya, if I don't fuel right it really messes with my blood sugar levels. When I do longer runs I like to come home and have a huge protein shake with fruit, yogurt, and pb alongside several rice cakes...usually within another hour I am eating again.
ReplyDeleteThat's good that you were able to identify the problem so you can be prepared for your next run!
ReplyDeleteYum looks good!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely tell the difference right away if I didn't fuel properly or I overfueled. Glad you were able to nip the problem in the bud :)
Your fiber parfait looks like the perfect refueling meal. I refuel with just a bit of protein because I can't eat a full breakfast for about 1.5 to 2 hours after a workout. A scoop of protein powder or a hardboiled egg are it for me.
ReplyDelete