Getting Faster Without Running: part 1

This past week we've experienced some beautiful days here in Connecticut, and all I've wanted to do is head out for a nice 6-mile run. Unfortunately I'm still in my walking boot and my leg is still on the mend, so I have to find other ways to satiate my desire to run. And although I have a long time until I'll be able to run, whatever I can do now to get and stay healthy and fit will help speed my recovery process down the line. Along the way, I heard someone call these things the "critical nonessentials," actions you can take that aren't essential to making you faster (only by running will you run faster/farther/whatever), but you will become a much stronger and more balanced person and athlete by taking the time to do all of these. Often the difference between a mediocre runner and a truly successful runner is not the running, but rather what he or she does off the track. Since I won't be blogging about my running any time soon, I'm going to spend the next couple of posts giving my professional and personal opinions about other aspects of the sport.

Today: sleep and nutrition.

I would argue that most important thing you can do besides running is to get enough sleep. Sleep is key for recovery as well as tackling the next hard workout. I'm no scientist so I'm not going to preach about how impaired you become after x-number of hours of sleep, but when your cognitive functioning goes down, so does your reaction time. Think about that next time you're running on a road with no shoulder and the car doesn't swerve fast enough! I love naps (and cats, coincidence?) but naps don't really take the place of a good night's sleep. For better or for worse I am a night owl and do my best work/lesson planning/Pinteresting after dark. I usually get to bed around midnight and wake up around 7:30. My body hates this, though. I am one of those people who needs a minimum of 8 hours of sleep, or I start to feel like I've been hit by a bus. I should be going to bed earlier, especially because hours of sleep before midnight are more valuable than those after midnight. Sleeping 2 AM to 10 AM is definitely not the same as sleeping 11 PM to 7 AM, wouldn't you agree? The other important aspect of sleep that I wholeheartedly ascribe to is the idea of a 2 day sleep cycle. When we were racing Saturdays in college, I would always get my best night's sleep on a Thursday and worry less about the night before. I remind my runners now about that as well, and it's just generally an important consideration for leading a healthy and balanced life. Many of my colleagues rely on strong coffee to get through the day, but I would rather be energized by a good night's sleep than by a caffeinated hot cup.

Another easy way to improve any sort of performance is to eat better and with more purpose. I don't necessarily "eat clean," (whatever that even means) and I don't eat paleo or low-fat or ascribe to any diet. Again, I'm not registered dietitian, but I do know about macro- and micronutrients and recognize that what I put into my body is not purely for my enjoyment. Ideally I enjoy my vegetables and fruit, eat protein (I keep kosher so this often means no meat), and incorporate whole grains. But I always eat dessert. And some days I eat two servings of mac and cheese and ice cream for dinner. Whatever! I always make sure to eat enough calories. I get crabby and tired when I don't eat enough and who wants that? Not eating will not make me skinnier and will not make me faster; for me it is just not worth it. I do take a multivitamin for "nutritional insurance" but I would so much rather reap the benefits of nutrients from eating well than from a manufactured pill. I don't stress about what I eat too much because I know that at the end of the day, I have a surplus of healthy foods and enjoy my refined sugar desserts.

Some examples of homemade food that I enjoy:

Apple pie with hand picked, local apples

Whole wheat bagel with zucchini, green bean and goat cheese scramble

Homemade kale chips

Stay tuned for more critical nonessentials in the coming weeks. Up next: yoga and compression socks!