Prepping for the Rockville 10K

Believe it or not, this is actually my first 10K. I’ve ran many 5Ks and one 15K, but this was a distance that I did not want to leave out. 6.2 miles seems like a good “middle ground” for me since I’m still planning on running the Team Challenge Chron’s and Colitis next year. (BTW-I just found out that there are two Team Challenge races next summer-one in Boston on June 27 and the other in the Napa Valley on July 18. The Boilermaker 15K is July 11. Would running the Boilermaker two weeks after the Boston 1/2 be too much?)

I decided to run the 34th annual Rockville 10K because it is in Rockville, MD which would give me an excuse to meet up with newfound friend Cat. I met Cat and Jess at the Blog Summit this past summer and we’ve kept in touch ever since.

Me, Jess, and Cat

I was so excited when she agreed to run this race with me, and I’ve been prepping all week for it. However, there are a few things that I will be doing differently for this race than those of the past.

My favorite race day breakfast consists of 2 Kashi Go Lean waffles topped with PB, plain Greek yogurt, and banana. The reason? The combo of carbs/protein is perfect for me. The staying power of this breakfast is amazing and it’s very portable. I ate this in the car ride over to the Boilermaker last year and it was perfect. BUT-since I forgot to pick up waffles at the store (kicking myself as we speak) I will have to improvise….by making a bowl of overnight oats instead.

In a bowl I mixed 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt, 1/2 water, 1/4 tsp. vanilla and some pumpkin spice together. I promptly put a lid on it and placed it in the fridge to sit for the night. This recipe was stolen a while back from Kath. It’s an awesome way to eat your oats when you’re in a hurry, or just eat them cold if you’re hot.

On top of my oats tomorrow morning I will sprinkle my regular 1T flax, 1/2 banana and 1 heaping tsp of PB, mix, and eat (probably on the way.) I’m really hoping this breakfast stays with me as well as the waffles do. It’s about 425 calories, so I’m assuming this will work just as well.

Another new addition to tomorrow’s race is coconut water. Caitlin used coconut water in her CamelPak a while back as a natural electrolyte. I used Agave water during a long run a few weeks back and it really helped keep me stabilized, so I decided to try Caitlin’s idea. I bought an 11 oz. carton of Zico 100% organic pure coconut water and poured it in my water bottle, then added about 11-12 oz. water to dilute it.

Here are some facts I dug up on coconut water:

Drinking coconut water has many benefits. Coconut Water is naturally

• Low in Carbs
• 99% Fat Free
• Low in sugars

Coconut water contains organic compounds possessing healthy growth promoting properties that have been known to help

1. Keep the body cool and at the proper temperature.
2. Orally re-hydrate your body, it is an all natural isotonic beverage.
3. Carry nutrients and oxygen to cells.
4. Naturally replenish your body's fluids after exercising.
5. Raise your metabolism.
6. Promote weight loss.
7. Boost your immune system.
8. Detoxify and fight viruses.
9. Cleanse your digestive tract.
10. Control diabetes.
11. Aid your body in fighting viruses that cause the flu, herpes, and AIDS.
12. Balance your PH and reduce risk of cancer.
13. Treat kidney and urethral stones.
14. Boost poor circulation.

Damn, those are a lot of great benefits! I can’t wait to see how well this works tomorrow.

My clothes are laid out, my breakfast is ready, my coffee maker is set, and my GPS is programmed. All I need to do now is get a good night’s sleep and be up by 5:30…which will seem like 6:30 since we put the clocks back tonight. (the only time I will ever enjoy putting the clocks back) Trying to get over the pre-run jitters is always the hardest part.

Can’t wait to share my race re-cap with you tomorrow!