Hunger Pains

It NEVER Ends

I just finished an entire plate of salad, fresh veggies, chicken, and mozzarella balls. That was my appetizer (my work catered in lunch today).

Next, I plan on digging into the pasta salad, having a few slices of beef tenderloin, and filling the remainder of my plate with another pile of salad. I'll watch  coworkers eat cookies and brownies after, and then I'll be prompted to get a third helping of salad (and mozzarella balls). Don't judge; I just don't really like sweets. I prefer to eat as much nutritional value as possible for my high calorie intake. 

I wake up ravenous. After a big dinner I lay down for sleep ravenous. I'm hungry while I'm running, I'm hungry when I'm done. When I'm eating, I think about what I'm going to eat next. From what I understand this is much like pregnancy, but I can't imagine how a 5-6 lb fetus could make up for all of the extra food I'm eating these days. 

I day dream about food. How I'm going to cook it. When I'm going to eat it. After what work out I'll plan what meal. Where I should go for lunch today, lunch tomorrow. Where should we eat dinner on Friday night, or where should I go for lunch Saturday when I finish my super long run? It's become an insatiable desire; my new addiction. I love rice and pasta and cheese and beef and bread and pork and all of the foods I rarely let myself ever indulge in. I can't tell if I'm gaining or losing weight anymore, and I don't really care. As my mileage increases so does my appetite. I can't stop it...

Training

As training for Richmond comes to its peak, I am well aware the dreaded  taper is not far behind, and I'll have to adjust my calorie intake accordingly. This week I will finish my longest training run, which will be somewhere between 20-22 miles (depending how I am feeling). Then I will begin cutting my mileage and resting my muscles. Race day is 11/12. I can't believe how close it is!

My next marathon, The Blue Ridge Marathon, will be on April 22, 2017. Which means training will begin in mid January. Which means I will have 2 months of exercise without following a dictated schedule. Thank you God!! During these 2 months I hope to get my eating under control and lose any extra weight I've put on .

How do you keep hunger under control? Should I even worry about it when I'm putting in 40+ miles per week? More importantly, how do you slow down the hunger pains when the miles cut back?

So full and sleepy now....

India