"Fasted" Morning Cardio

Distance: 10.5 miles   Time: 1:46:23   Avg Pace: 10:07

So, today I experimented with a new idea: a fasted morning run. It's fancy lingo, but basically it just means that you get up and go for a run without eating breakfast first.

I do my long runs on Saturday mornings, usually starting about 6 am, and that means getting up at 5-5:30 to force down some breakfast before my run. I try to get up as early as possible to put as much time as I can between my meal and my run, but I hate feeling like I am wasting my morning. It's 5:45 am. I could be running! I could be sleeping! I could be doing any number of things, but instead I am sitting in my kitchen waiting for my food to digest. Literally.

And the thing is, it doesn't. It takes a couple of hours for food to truly digest, so I would end up running on a full stomach. For the most part, that has been okay (I'm not squatting by the side of the road or anything on my long runs), but I am definitely slower after a meal. And there have been times where I have felt like maybe I might puke.

Anyway. The point is, I wanted to try running on a (relatively) empty stomach to see if it would help alleviate some of these concerns. So this morning I got up at 5:45 and downed nothing but a Clif Shot before hitting the pavement for what I had thought would be a relatively easy 10.5 miler. I planned to run a little bit shorter and made sure there was a rest stop along the way, just in case a fasted run turned out to be an epic failure and I had to call Matt to pick me up.

What I failed to pay attention to when I planned my run was that although the mileage was easy, the terrain was rough. And by rough, I mean OH. MY. WORD. RELENTLESS. I ran a pretty steep hill for the Shamrock, but this was a similar climb lasting almost a third of the total run. Whoopsy daisy. Also, the rest stop I has planned on was about 1/3 way into my run, before I had even really gotten to the hard part.

Long story short, I ended up running some of my slowest miles ever- an avg pace of 10:07. I am trying really hard not to be disappointed with that number, because there were so many contributing factors on today's run. The terrain, the fasting, and my glutes and hamstrings have been stiff and sore since my workout on Thursday. Plus, I didn't stop to rest and refuel like I probably should have.

I'm not ready to write off fasted long runs, but next week I think I will pick a course I have run before so that I can compare my results.

On an unrelated note, the route I ran today, although tough and hilly, was also breathtakingly beautiful. It was fun to run a totally new route, and I got to run a mile or two through the powerline park. At one point, I paused briefly to look back and enjoy the view... it was like all of Beaverton was spread out in front of me. I wish I had a camera. I also got to run by Cooper Mt Nature park, which looked like such a peaceful spot for a rest & refuel (now that I know the terrain a bit better). And even though it was a challenge, I felt pretty good. Just a little hip pain toward the end, and no shin splints bugging me. I will definitely run this route again, but next time I will be better prepared for the challenge.

P.S. Breakfast was a welcome finale after a long and hungry workout! :)