The third gear, birds and plants

Since I could still feel the downhill running from yesterday in my quads, not too bad just noticeable, so it was an all recovery day today. I think I found a new slow pace! My watch shows an average 135 heart rate at 9:35 min/km. This means I now have 3 gears! First gear is my recovery gear, where I don’t even know I am running. It’s great to practice cadence as well. Second gear is my MAF pace, which I am trying to make easier and then there is the “higher” gears. Some of them I didn’t yet dare to touch, so I’ll group ’em all just as third gear for now 🙂

As you can see in my latest posts and today’s featured image, I’m fascinated by the birds. Take a look at the picture in your browser or zoom in. You can see the typical rock where the gang hangs out everyday. They spread their majestic wings and seem to enjoy the slight breeze – or dry their feathers, not sure. Sometimes they all take off on a whim, after not having moved for very long. They hunt and glide over the ocean, effortlessly. This is how I want to run.

Today is Wednesday! I know it’s a shock, wish somebody had told me. Wednesday is one of my favorite days because I get my weekly organic veg delivered. I love to find out what’s in the boxes this week and get all excited! As I am in vacation-mode I ran later than usual and so I was hungry when I came back, seeing all the fresh veg in front of my door. After I had roasted some broccoli and devoured it, I noticed something. (Stick with me it will take a bit to explain).

Usually I only run “long” on Saturday. Every Friday I make a giant portion of Baba Ganoush and have some baguette (yeah the easy carb white flour gluten stuff). I eat the left-overs on Saturday on my long runs. During the week, I eat whenever I am hungry and usually some veg. After yesterday’s run I didn’t have any Baba Ganoush *shock*, but I wanted to eat something. (I found out the sooner after a run I eat whatever my body wants, the better I recover). As it was Tuesday, I had no more veg left, so I did my typical “fast food”. Brown rice in rice cooker, heat up some baked beans, mush it all together in the rice cooker once the rice is done and put some relish I fancy in there (the relish contains loads of veg, but it’s not fresh so no choppin’). So … long talk … the point being that after yesterday’s 3 hours I fancied loads of carbs, today after my easy recovery run I didn’t want much more than yummy broccoli with olive oil, salt and pepper. I guess that’s probably quite obvious to the more experiences runners and I don’t know if it has any significance, but I want to write down my observations here to possibly learn from it, so that is what I am doing. While thinking about nutrition, I also might add, that I ate and drank something on the run yesterday for the first time. One of the barriers to going longer seems to be gone and I did like the drink I made as well as the dates/vegan cocoa bricks. I look forward to test and play with different sugar types for energy soon. I think I’m pretty spot on with the dates. They are like natures energy gel and don’t have a plastic packaging. Unfortunately they come at the price of sweetness. That’s what I made the cocoa bricks for. I think after yesterday I at least have a picture of my ideal fuel source. I know the exact consistency I want to get and the taste. I also have a rough idea how to do it. Maybe I get some done before the weekend.