By Ashley Worobec
September 24th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Not quite a happy face.
This week was daunting because I knew I had a 33km long run to complete on Sunday morning. I haven’t run over 30km in a couple of years, and yesterday’s weather was very challenging.
This is what 33 kms looks like.
Our route included nearly 1200 feet of ascent (we did a lot of those escarpment hill climbs outside of Dundas!) and even though we started at 6:30am, the weather was unseasonably hot and humid. I didn’t feel well throughout the run and ran slower than usual to account for that.
Thankfully, my running group always has aid stations on the route, so we were met at two different points with water and Gatorade refills. Those were a lifesaver, and I made sure to over-hydrate on Saturday, leading into Sunday’s run, and then over-hydrate on Sunday afternoon to account for the extreme fluid loss.
I spent a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon on my couch with my legs elevated and my compression socks on.
Prescription-grade compression socks are a must.
I wear prescription-grade compression socks (15-20mm Hg is the mercury reading) on Sundays after my long runs and I really feel like they help my legs to recover. Elevating the legs also helps recovery, as does an afternoon nap!
Veggies for their nutrients and protein
I’ve been focused on my nutrition lately, really having to dial it in with the increasing mileage. My appetite has increased, and I’m focusing on lots of veggies for their nutrients and protein to offset the catabolic nature of distance-running (catabolism refers to the body breaking down muscle, which is what happens on these long endurance runs).
It’s very important to have an increased protein intake to offset this muscle loss and help with injury prevention.
New York is now less than 6 week away!
Ashley Worobec is a chiropractor who specializes in sports medicine. A former Boston marathoner, Dr. Worobec often runs the Chilly Half marathon and Around the Bay 30K. She has lived in Burlington for ten years with her husband and their two children. She qualified to run in the New York City Marathon iin November.
