Write it Down

"If you bite it, write it."

All the best advice says not to make resolutions this time of year, because it's almost like setting yourself up for failure, like tying New Year's Day to your life changes is a jinx.  So, I'm not going to say that today's post is about resolutions, but it is about a significant change I want to make as I start up a new training cycle for the Providence Marathon.

Clearly, I like to write, so this isn't a huge stretch for me, but I want to write down more about my training and nutrition.  Coach Rick's set-up for my workouts is a great avenue to reflect on the workouts themselves, so I have been adding some more detail to my back-and-forth communication with him, both for my own information and to help him plan my training.  I have also started writing down exactly what my training plan would be for the following day, as opposed to flying by the seat of my pants that day.  It provides great focus for the workout, and then I follow-up by telling him exactly what I did.  There's a definite increase in accountability there, and I think it'll support my hope to blend strength with endurance this time around.

In terms of the nutrition piece, I have never really written all of that down before, so this will be a new habit that I hope I can keep up with on a consistent basis.  This strategy has a few different benefits, depending on your goals.

• For those aiming to lose weight, writing down what you eat helps keep calories in check and helps you reflect on the nutritional value of what you are eating.  Believe it or not, it is important for those trying to lose weight to also make sure they are eating enough throughout the day and balancing what you are consuming to maintain nutritional balance.
• On a day before a long run, I am going to want to be sure to take in the highest quality nutrients and sufficient calories to support my effort.  Writing it down keeps it all in the forefront of my mind, and I think it'll help me be more aware of my intake, quality and quantity.  Though I didn't write it down for NYC training, I did have a sense of caloric deficiency at times, and I would add a protein shake somewhere in the day to get some good stuff in easily.
• On the morning of a long run, it'll be great to write down what I ate before, and then reflect on what I had eaten and how I felt during the run.  I could very well find some patterns that will help my overall performance.
• A big part of the psychology of having an eating disorder is the constant feeling of being overweight.  Logically, I know I have not been overweight for a long time, but that isn't enough to make that feeling go away.  As I'd mentioned in the My True Story post, I have been on a long streak of not acting on this feeling, and I think that writing down what I'm eating will be yet another way to stay on track, because it will become readily apparent if I'm not taking in enough calories.  I'm so healthy right now, but I will always have to be on guard, and writing it down is a strategy I think will be beneficial.

I've only done this a few times so far, but I can honestly say that it does make me stop and think about what I am eating as the day goes on, helps me make good choices and know when I've earned a treat...like my trip to Coldstone Creamery this week!