20-Time Post #2

The first step to running well is improving your body, so this week I really wanted to focus on my health. I researched some good snacks that apparently are good for runners; one of them was almonds. Almonds are a good source of vitamin E, which is really good for active people, so I now pack a small bag of almonds everyday in my lunch. Whole-grain cereals are also very good for you, so instead of having a quick granola bar in the morning, I now make sure to wake up five minutes earlier every morning to save time to eat a real breakfast. The Special K cereals are delicious! I also used to go to Pizza Sams three times a week for lunch, but I made myself pack a lunch every day this week. My lunches have consisted of lunch meat (in a bag because I don't like sandwiches) almonds, a granola bar, fruit snacks, and a banana. Hopefully I can keep it up next week, it's so hard because I love junk food, but I just constantly remind myself that in order to become a stronger athlete, I must keep myself healthy. Another really cool thing that I learned was starting blocks! Only sprinters use starting blocks, so I had never been introduced to them. The other day my coach thought it would be funny to see how the long distance runners would do with them, and to his surprise (and mine) I got them on my first try! I guess I must just be a natural at sprinting ;) My coach also let me practice with the sprinters on Tuesday, it was super hard because he put me with the best group for my first time, I was so sore the next day I barely had feeling in my legs. It was very different from what we do for long distance practices. We sprinted the 100 meter dash six times, starting at 18 seconds and getting down to 14 on our last one. Harder than it sounds! Hopefully I will be able to have more opportunities to do these workouts in future practices.