I ran 6 half marathons the same year I wrote my college thesis. While I was interviewing prison inmates, writing about them and having my thesis constantly examined and questioned by college professors, the miles I spent on the road gave me the boost I needed. The half marathon is a good running distance for both the mind and the body. The distance is not too long to take over your whole schedule or drain your energy, but still provides the benefits of calorie busting, fitness building, and mental strength.
A slow cooker fits into a busy week the same way. The prep happens in the morning, the cooker runs on low while you’re at work, and dinner is ready when you get home. These are the slow cooker dinners I’d plan a week like that around, from pot roast and carnitas to a three-bean chili with no meat in it.
Pot Roast
Chuck roast is the cut to use here, since the long, low heat breaks down the connective tissue that makes it tough in a hot pan. Carrots, potatoes and onions go in the bottom, because vegetables cook slower than the meat, and the beef sits on top. FSIS says to always thaw meat or poultry before it goes into a slow cooker, so move the roast from the freezer to the fridge a day or two ahead. Plan on about 8 hours on low.
Lemon Herb Whole Chicken
A 4 to 5 pound chicken fits in a 6 quart slow cooker with a halved lemon, garlic and thyme tucked inside. It cooks on low for about 6 hours, until the meat pulls away from the bone. Check the thickest part of the thigh with a thermometer, since all poultry needs to reach 165°F. The skin stays soft in a slow cooker, so a few minutes under the broiler crisps it if you want that.
Chicken Chili Verde
Chicken thighs, salsa verde, green chiles, onion and cumin cook down into a green chili that’s brighter and thinner than a red one. Thighs stay moist over a long cook where breasts can dry out. Shred the chicken in the pot with 2 forks, then top each bowl with sour cream and cilantro.
Pork Carnitas
Pork shoulder cooks with orange juice, lime, garlic and cumin for 8 to 10 hours on low, until it shreds with a fork. The step that makes it carnitas comes at the end: spread the pork on a sheet pan and broil it for a few minutes so the edges crisp. Serve it in warm corn tortillas with diced onion, cilantro and salsa.
Building Mileage Without Getting Hurt
Building mileage while training for a marathon is a very serious business. Building too quickly, or not quickly enough, can leave you injured and ineffective on race day. A training program for a marathon should last between 3 and 5 months. Shorter than this might cause injury from building too quickly, while prolonged training might cause injury from over training. Personally, I have fallen into the latter category more than once. My first race cost me tibial stress fractures due to overtraining.
I got so addicted to the runner’s high, and so nervous about making mileage that I over trained. In my zeal, I pushed through my shin splints (with a ridiculous “no pain no gain” mentality) and ran until I literally could not take another step. A trip to the doctor confirmed my worst fears; tibial stress fractures. I spent the next 6 months in bilateral casts instead of running shoes.
Your training week should consist of 4 to 5 days per week running, hitting 2 to 5 miles on 2 days (with speed work), 8 miles on 1 day, and a long run which is gradually built over time. Alternate days should be reserved for cross training or strength training. You should also take 1 day per week off of working out altogether, to rest.
Texas Chili
Texas chili leaves out the beans and leans on beef and dried chiles. Cubed chuck holds up better than ground beef over 8 hours and stays in bite-size pieces. Cheddar and chopped onion on top are enough.
Potato Leek Soup
Leeks, potatoes, garlic and broth cook on low for about 6 hours, then get blended smooth with a splash of cream. Rinse the sliced leeks in a bowl of water first, since grit hides between the layers. Top it with chives and black pepper. It’s a meatless dinner built from some of the cheapest vegetables in the store.
Sloppy Joes
Brown the ground beef in a skillet first, then let it simmer in the slow cooker with ketchup, tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire and a little brown sugar for 4 hours on low. Leave the lid off for the last 30 minutes if the sauce needs to thicken. Pile it on toasted buns with pickles on the side.
Sausage and Peppers
Italian sausage links, sliced bell peppers and onions cook in a jar of marinara for 4 to 5 hours on low. Eat it over pasta, in a hoagie roll or on its own in a bowl. Using 3 colors of peppers keeps the dish from looking all one shade of red.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken breasts, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, green chiles and broth go in together, and the chicken gets shredded and stirred back in before serving. The crunch comes from the toppings: tortilla strips, avocado, cheese and a squeeze of lime. Keep the toppings separate if you’re saving some for lunch so the strips stay crisp.
Spaghetti Bolognese
Bolognese is a sauce that gets better the longer it cooks, which makes it a natural fit for a slow cooker. Ground beef and pork, onion, carrot, celery, crushed tomatoes and a splash of milk cook for 6 to 8 hours on low. Boil the spaghetti right before you eat, and freeze any extra sauce in portions.
Pasta, Grains and Protein in a Training Diet
Gone are the days of endless bowls of pasta to keep you in top running shape. Carbohydrates are absolutely important, but they can take many forms. Protein is also equally important for the marathoner in training. Balancing these can be difficult, but it is certainly not rocket science.
Pastas and grains are certainly not off limits, but they should not be the main focus of each meal. Eating small meals frequently throughout the day keeps your body fueled. This is also ideal for muscle rebuilding, as your body will need protein following a training run or speed workout. Once the tissue breaks down, lean protein such as peas, fish or chicken is ideal to start the repair process.
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Chicken breasts cook in barbecue sauce with a little apple cider vinegar until they shred with a fork, about 4 hours on low. Pile the chicken on buns and add coleslaw on top for crunch. About 2 pounds of chicken makes 8 sandwiches.
Short Ribs With Mashed Potatoes
Bone-in short ribs braise in beef broth and red wine with garlic and tomato paste. After 8 hours on low the meat slides off the bone. Searing the ribs first takes 10 minutes and gives the sauce more color. Spoon the sauce over mashed potatoes.
Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili
Black, kidney and pinto beans make up the base, with diced tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and chili powder. With no meat to brown, it goes from can opener to slow cooker in about 15 minutes. Avocado and a spoon of Greek yogurt go on top.
Pozole
Pozole rojo is a Mexican pork and hominy stew built on dried red chiles. Pork shoulder cooks in the chile broth until it falls apart, and canned hominy goes in for the last hour. The garnishes are part of the dish: sliced radish, shredded cabbage, lime and oregano.
Stuffed Peppers
Bell peppers get filled with ground beef, cooked rice, tomato sauce and cheese, then stand upright in the slow cooker with a little sauce poured around them. They take about 6 hours on low. Use rice that’s already cooked, or it stays hard in the middle.
Spaghetti Squash With Meat Sauce
A whole spaghetti squash fits in most 6 quart slow cookers. Pierce it a few times with a knife, cook it on low for about 6 hours, then cut it open and scrape out the strands with a fork. Top it with meat sauce for a lower-carb version of spaghetti night.
How Many Miles to Run the Week Before a Marathon
Tapering refers directly to the reduction of mileage that takes place in preparation for the last week of training. It goes against what you might think, but rest is more productive than running when it comes to this vital part of your training. This is the time to rest and still make gains. Less is more. Chill.
The general rule is to run about 40% of your usual mileage the week before, with the previous 2 weeks consisting of 60% and 80%:
- 3 weeks out: about 80% of your usual mileage
- 2 weeks out: about 60%
- Race week: about 40%
For example, if you typically run 50 miles a week, the week before the marathon you should be running about 20 miles. That doesn’t seem like much if you’re used to much more, but it’s all in your head. Nutrition should be scaled to the amount of exercise you’re doing, your mental state should be focused, and your routine should be intact.
Baby Back Ribs
Rub the ribs with brown sugar, paprika, garlic and salt, then stand the rack on its side, curled around the inside of the cooker. After 6 to 7 hours on low, brush them with barbecue sauce and broil them for a few minutes to set the glaze. Serve them with baked beans and a roll.
Chicken Fajitas
Sliced chicken, bell peppers and onions cook with lime juice, chili powder and cumin for about 4 hours on low. The peppers soften more than they would in a skillet, so add them for the last hour if you want some bite left. Serve it in flour tortillas with sour cream and salsa.
Butternut Squash Soup
Cubed butternut squash, carrot, onion, apple and vegetable broth cook until soft, then an immersion blender turns it smooth right in the pot. A swirl of cream goes on top. Buying the squash already peeled and cubed saves the hardest 15 minutes of the job.
Pork Loin Roast
A pork loin cooks on low with garlic, onion, rosemary and a cup of broth, and comes out sliceable instead of shredded. Loin is lean, so it needs about 4 hours, not a full workday. Pork roasts are done at 145°F followed by a 3 minute rest. Slice it thin and spoon the cooking liquid over the top.
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Corn tortillas, shredded chicken, black beans, enchilada sauce and cheese get layered like a lasagna. It cooks on low for about 4 hours, until the cheese melts and the edges bubble. Cut it into squares and add cilantro and sour cream on top.
Spacing a Half Marathon Before a Full Marathon
You can run a half marathon before a marathon. The trick is to space the races as far away as possible. Generally, you can run a half marathon about a month before a full one. This time frame should give your body enough time to rest and regenerate. Still, the further the races are from each other, the better.
If you plan on running both races after the age of 30, it may be best to wait about 2 months between each race. You may not need the full rest period, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
One of the most crucial aspects of any marathon training is nutrition. Many runners focus on carbohydrate-loading before a big race. Still, it’s also important to eat all the other food groups.
BBQ Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin cooks in barbecue sauce for about 3 hours on low, then gets sliced into medallions instead of shredded. Brush more sauce on before serving. This is the one to start after lunch, since a lean tenderloin dries out over a full day.
Tomato Soup
Canned whole tomatoes, onion, garlic and broth cook for about 4 hours on low, then get blended with a splash of cream and a handful of basil. A grilled cheese made on the stove while the blender runs turns it into dinner. The soup freezes well in single portions.
Brisket
A flat-cut brisket rubbed with paprika, brown sugar, garlic and black pepper cooks fat side up for 8 to 10 hours on low. Let it rest before slicing, and cut against the grain. Skim the fat off the juices left in the pot and use them as the sauce.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat them on the stove or in the microwave to 165°F, not in the slow cooker. Sliced brisket keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
Pork and Potato Stew
Cubed pork shoulder, potatoes, carrots, onion and broth cook together until the pork is tender enough to cut with a spoon. A slice of garlic bread on the side is all it needs. Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge.