Hi friends,

It’s Clayton’s half birthday, which coincidentally falls on pi day. It’s a fun double reason to celebrate with yummy food! I’ll use some peaches that I froze from last season to make a peach crumble in a pie pan.

Cheating? Maybe. Delicious? Yes. :)

Peak training

We’ve reached the peak of Clayton’s training block: weeks 10 to 14 will be the highest mileage and the highest intensity of this 16-week build to the Boston marathon. In key workouts, Clayton will practice sustaining his predicted marathon pace for longer.

The fatigue is settling in.

How does he keep training and pushing his limits when he’s still recovering from pushing yesterday’s limits?

It’s the same game as it’s been this whole build, but with more intention: recovery.

What does recovery look like?

Sleep.

Hydration.

Refueling.

To be honest, we’re already doing a lot to promote recovery, so it doesn’t mean very much to “increase” or “prioritize” things in these areas.

Mostly it’s just recommitting to the habits that are already in place.

Here’s what we’ll continue to do:

• Focus on carbs the night before a workout or long run.

• Refuel as soon as possible after workouts with carbs and protein.

• Consistently replenish calories: eat before runs, eat soon after runs, take in carbs during intense marathon-focused workouts.

• Constantly hydrate with electrolytes.

• Sleep and sleep and sleep—focusing on naps and earlier bedtimes.

If you’re also gearing for your spring marathon . . . good luck!

Good reads

It’s been a satisfying reading week. Clayton and I listened to David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell. So many fascinating ideas to discuss!

The girls and I are in the last few chapters of Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis. I think I’m loving it more as an adult than I did as a kid. Lucy’s interactions with Aslan are so instructive.

I immediately jumped into another Gladwell book called Miracle and Wonder. It’s a straight-to-audio book in which Gladwell interviews Paul Simon and discusses the stories and creative genius behind Simon’s music. I’ve had “Bridge over Troubled Water” and “The Boxer” playing all week, and I’m loving what I’m learning about process over product, being stuck, and memory.

Yummy eats

Hope you find something you’re excited to make this week! The oatmeal banana PB bars are calling my name, and the crockpot roast sounds like the ultimate comfort food right now.

Take care,

Ashley

Breakfast

Clayton runs twice a day, and his morning run is usually 10-12 miles. So breakfast is a big event! We aim for protein and lots of carbs, particularly carbs now that his training is intensifying. In addition to this week’s options, we’ll serve things like toast, hash browns, and granola each morning.

Lunch

Clayton usually eats big breakfasts (post morning run) and big dinners (post afternoon run), so we keep lunch time pretty simple. His typical go-to is turkey sandwiches with pretzels or chips. We’ll include a serving of tuna this week for omega-3s as well.

Snack

Those melty chocolate chips just look so good!

Dinner

Monday: easy mileage

Anything with pesto is always well received by the fam, so I’m excited about this one. I’ll be serving it over noodles since Clayton will have a workout the next day. It would also taste great over rice, I just opted for noodles since there will be rice twice later in the week.

Tuesday: workout

I’m really happy about this one! Black beans are a favorite food at our house. We often serve them straight out of the can, but sometimes I like to make them a little fancier. Thanks to Annie and Olivia at Begin with Balance for helping perfect this recipe!

It’s easy to throw the ingredients all together in a pot, and you can let it simmer while you prep the rest of the dinner. I like to make this side when I’m not sure how the girls will feel about the main dish. I know they’ll always eat these beans over rice!

Wednesday: easy mileage

Pesto bruschetta chicken leftovers

Thursday: workout

Friday: easy mileage

Serve this over rice if you’re preparing for a long run the next day.

Saturday: long run

Crockpot chuck roast leftovers

Sunday: recovery day

Sweet potato ground turkey skillet leftovers