Running Down a Dream

All of this running has apparently made its way into my subconscious. The last two nights, I've been dreaming about trail running. It might be one of my favorite all-time dreams. I'm flying through Fester's Wander out at Wyco Park, the sun is shining, it's warm out, and since it's only a dream, I don't even get tired. But then I trip, and my legs twitch so hard it wakes me up.

I guess I do this a lot after races and hard workouts. John says after a 1/2 marathon, or my 20 mile runs, that when I sleep my feet twitch. And it's not random twitching, it's more of a left-right-left-right twitch. I think it's hilarious that I run in my sleep but I guess it keeps John up. Oops. He's said that after a hard swim, my arms do the same thing, left-right-left-right. Can I count dream work outs towards my training totals for the week? That would be sweet. Maybe I could write a book about Dream Training. I can already see it will be the next big thing - working out while you sleep.

It is now less than a week until Psycho Wyco and I'm fairly excited. I learned this last weekend eating more makes a big difference. I used 1 GU, which tastes nasty but has a good outcome. I ate 2 Clementines I had peeled previously. They are my new favorite fuel - they taste good, provide a decent amount of sugar, and don't require anything to wash them down since they're mostly water anyway. Score one for nature.

Fig Newtons, on the other hand, scored low. They turned my already-dehydrated mouth into a chalkboard and I had to wash eat bite down with Gatorade. John and I both tried some "chewable energy beans" we had leftover from some race goody bag. They were vanilla latte flavored and awful. While the caffeine was nice, they left a terrible taste in my mouth. Seriously, who thinks coffee is a refreshing flavor at 10 miles?

This is all trial and error, but I think I'm learning. I'm going to peel and take 2-4 Clementines with me on Saturday. I think it will also be nice to have a "treat" to look forward to at one of the aid stations. I also doubled my salt caps this weekend, but that was mostly due to the warmer weather. I'll take extra for Saturday, but I haven't noticed any salt-related issues so far.

For recovery food this weekend (and for my birthday) I made devils food chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cream filling and chocolate ganache frosting. I made too many, so I took a bunch over to all the neighbors. I bet you wish you were my neighbor. :)