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bigkevmatthews@gmail.com
First time in ages I set the alarm for pre 6am and ran a pre-work, pre-dawn 10k. Sometimes it’s a struggle to get out of a warm bed to run on a cold morning (well cold in Perth anyway). What makes me make the leap of faith is I’ve never finished a run and regretted it, I’ve always been happy I actually made the effort and got out of bed. No change this morning, so close to resetting the alarm but got up and ran a nice steady 10k while watching the sunrise over star swamp. It really doesn’t get any better….
I must admit to having a sweet tooth and like another one of my good running friends, Dave ‘Sugar’ Cane, cannot resist pancakes or crepes. I even dig the American or Canadian version with bacon, maple syrup and scrambled eggs. It just works , big time ! With the current anti sugar revolution going on can we still justify eating pancakes after a long run (or any run really!) ..I hope so. Being a runner you give up many things in life and it is a sacrifice I gladly make. The social diary is empty (must to my Wife’s disgust) , alcohol and junk food is off the menu and all food is interrogated for it attributes and benefits or not. Pancakes though seem to have so how had a stay of execution and are still talked up in the many running mags and internet as the perfect post run nutrition.
This recipe was from Runners World so it must be good…Pancakes the perfect fuel. Thank you Pam Anderson.
MAKES: 16 pancakes
SERVES: 8
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup white flour
1/3 cup each: cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, and old-fashioned rolled oats
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups low-fat buttermilk
½ cup low-fat milk (or water)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing the griddle
1 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS: Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over low heat. Mix flour, whole grains, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Note: white flour is included to provide fluffiness. If you don’t have all three whole grains, pick one and use the following ratios: 1:2 whole wheat to white; 1:1 oats/cornmeal to white. Microwave buttermilk and milk for 30 seconds in a 2-cup measuring cup. Whisk in eggs, oil and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry; whisk until just mixed. Return batter to measuring cup. Increase heat to medium and brush skillet with oil. When oil starts to spider, pour batter 1/4 cup at a time. When pancake bottoms are golden brown and tops start to bubble, after about 2 to 3 minutes, flip pancakes; cook until golden brown on other side. Repeat, brushing skillet or griddle with oil. Serve hot.
KILOJOULES PER SERVING (two pancakes): 1240
CARBS: 26g
FIBRE: 2g
PROTEIN: 8g
FAT: 6g
10 Super Spins On Pam’s Recipe
1 MUSCLE MOTIVATOR
Bake in dates, raisins and cinnamon. The potassium in dates and raisins gives you protection against muscle cramps. Anti-inflammatory cinnamon reduces soreness.
2 STOMACH SOOTHER
Mix fresh apricot and fresh ginger into batter; top pancakes with honey. Fibre from apricots, slow-digesting honey, and ginger can help calm an upset stomach.
3 CRANBERRY OAT
Mix ground oats with white flour (1:1 ratio); add oatmeal, dried cranberries and orange zest to batter; top pancakes with cooked cranberries and cinnamon. Oats provide good-for-you fibre, while vitamin C in cranberries can help convert fatty acids into energy.
4 ESPRESSO DELIVERY
Sub espresso for half the milk; mix cocoa powder and hazelnuts into batter; top with raspberries. Caffeine reduces the brain’s perception of exertion, improving performance. The B vitamins in hazelnuts help your body process energy more efficiently.
5 PB BOOSTER
Use only whole-wheat and white flour (1:2 ratio), mix bananas into batter; top pancakes with peanut butter and apple slices. Whole wheat and peanut butter combine to make a complete protein with all the essential amino acids needed for muscle repair.
6 QUIRKY QUINOA
Mix quinoa and white flour (1:1 ratio); add lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and blueberries to batter; dust with powdered sugar. Quinoa is a quality protein because it contains all essential amino acids, ideal for vegetarians.
7 GREEN MONSTER
Mix chopped baby spinach leaves into batter; top with strawberry puree and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Strawberries are packed with vitamin C, and spinach provides a heavy dose of vitamin K for bone health.
8 GUAC IT OUT
Mix corn kernels into batter; top pancakes with homemade guacamole. Avocados contain good fats to lower bad cholesterol. Corn’s high fibre and B-complex vitamins have been shown to help regulate blood sugar.
9 AZTEC WARRIOR
Mix chilli pepper, unsweetened cocoa powder and chopped dark chocolate (70 per cent cacao) into batter. Chilli peppers contain capsaicin, which can relieve a stuffy nose. The flavonoids in dark chocolate can help lower high blood pressure.
10 FIG & PEAR FIBRECAKE
Mix figs, pears and walnuts into batter; top with vanilla Greek yoghurt. Figs, pears and walnuts pack in the fibre, while protein-rich Greek yoghurt satisfies your appetite.
After meeting my mate Luke for a sneaky afternoon latte my evening run felt a lot easier and the pace a tad quicker than the norm. Was it the second coffee for the day or just my legs recovering from the City to Surf marathon ? I know my friend Dave ‘Sugar’ Cane likes a sneaky coffee pre-racing but never really tried this myself. There has been numerous studies linking the mental boost the coffee gives you and this has the added benefit of a physical benefit to-boot. So it sounds all too good to be true. maybe one of the few stimulants we can still legally take.
This brings me nicely along to the subject of doping in sport. It was unfortunate to see a lot of Kenyan’s falling foul of the testing regimes pre-Olympics but for these athletes they are competing against so many talented runners just for a spot on the team. Add to this the pressure of performing from their families as they really do face life or death struggles. With a slack administration turning a blind eye to the ”chemical advantages” it is difficult to walk away. Finally the knowledge that their team mates may be doping and gaining an advantage and the temptation becomes unbearable. I am not condoned drug testing, but I can see how for some the choice is difficult.
Maybe they should drink more coffee ?
Sometimes a run comes along that defies logic, a run that makes all the hard work . the early mornings, double up days, long runs, time in the pain box, thresholds etc. ; all seem so worthwhile. This years Perth half was one such a run. My half pb stood at 1:16:24 set in 2013 and it was a time I was happy with and one I thought I would never better. Boom ! After a great training block I surprised my myself and broke 1:16 for the first and probably last time. 1:15:55 according to the photo below. Still smiling. Big head wind which made for a good negative split. One of those runs where everything comes together, at my age a rare treat.
A half is a good distance, not too long to disrupt training but long enough to be a good test. Normally set off at 10k pace and try and hang on for as long as possible. On this run hung on until the end.
You know the email ‘call to arms’. 10K easy, recovering from <insert race> or <big week last week> etc.. With my lunchtime running buddies I receive these emails all the time, promising nice relaxing runs all about recovery and the ambience of like minded individual doing what they enjoy. Don’t be fooled, somewhere in the group there will be someone who has not read the email and then it’s on.. Today our 10k easy ended up with a 4:16min/k average, just under 43 minutes. Easy for Mo Farrah maybe, not me.! It was a glorious day and we had a tail wind before the hills but seriously…
I run with a group called the “St. Georges Terrace Running Club” as we are all based on, you guessed it, St. Georges Terrace in Perth. We’ve even had some tops made, pretty serious.
Attached is a shot of the usual suspects on one of our many pre-marathon ‘pb runs’ as we call them…
In August this year I ran my 8th Perth City to Surf marathon. After my 2:47 at Perth earlier in the year I put in a massive training block of about 8 weeks to get ready for this one, including a record 620k cumulative month. It all came together on the day with a 1:19 half and a finish time of 2:41:41, just 30 seconds outside my PB. Maybe the sub 2:40 dream is back on at 50 years old; 50 is the new 20 apparently.
On the back of this I have changed my training to extra distance and more double-up days. Still some speed work but more 80% -20% between distance and speed. Lots of racing in-between marathons has also helped.
It must have been the pressure of now being a ‘running blogger’ but in-between blogging and getting to grips with wordpress, themes, widgets, categories and all things blogging, I managed to run 14 times and clock up 166.6k.
All tracked on Strava. Remember one of my golden rules. Track everything, time distance, pace, heart rate, elevation, cadence. It’s all valuable ammunition which you can draw upon as you improve. Stave is life, the rest is details.
Not rocket science really but always nice to have your ideas confirmed, if only by the Sunday Times in Perth. May inspire me to go for a run once in a while……
Right here they are, the rules I abide to and will help you achieve your goal when it comes to running marathons, or any distance really. I’ll spend time on each in more detail but for the moment I’ve set them out in a list below.
- Run Further. Add distance, not speed.
- Run Faster. This is about adding pace after you have got your foundation after rule 1.
- Don’t get injured. This is the hardest rule to obey as you always want to do more of rule 1 and 2 which can result in an injury. (I even hate typing the word!)
- Nutrition, nutrition and nutrition… Did I mention nutrition. It’s all about the proper fuel.
- Weight. So important, use to believe because I ran 100k+ a week I could eat what I wanted. Not true.
- Baseline, document and evaluate everything. If it isn’t on www.strava.com it didn’t happen. Once you set a goal you have to be able to know how far you have come to achieving this, small steps but constant feedback. So buy a Garmin and start recording , everything !!!
- Sleep. So underestimated but the bodies way of refuelling and preparing for the next day of running. Common sense but so often ignored.
- Consistency. No point running 100k one week and then nothing. Marathon fitness is built up over time and this works hand in hand with rule number 1.
- It’s all in the mind. After 32k a marathon is down to mental strength and the ability to persuade your body you can still perform at your desired pace without falling to fatigue, which is the minds way of protecting itself. Never underestimate the power of the mind in long distance racing.
Feel I should be able to find 1 more rule. It’s always 10 rules right ? I wonder what happened over the years to all good rules number 11 which never made the cut.
Easy 12k this morning , making just over 154k for the week and the opportunity to break my all time distance record if I can fit in one more run this afternoon. Also for the first time I’ll have run twice a day every day for a week, 14 runs.. It’s going to happen. For the moment this was just a run to reflect on the achievements for the week and what to plan for next week. This was the second week after the Perth City to Surf marathon so it’s all about recovery and distance, no speed. The speed will be reintroduced next week. Until then it’s plodding along…