Friday, January 24, 2014

Five Things about my Long Run

1. It happened on a Wednesday.  I was snowed in my apartment complex (I don't go anywhere when it snows) and decided to go to the gym to just get out for a little bit.  I kind of joked to my sister that I might as well get my long run out of the way, but didn't really think it would end up happening.  Then, I got to the gym and it was a ghost town.  I figured no reason not to do it when there was no telling what the options for a run would be this weekend (it's so cold.  I'm pretty sure the trails won't be passable and the 'mills are always more packed on the weekends).

2. Yep.  It happened on a treadmill.  11 miles.

3. I broke it into two sessions of 5.5.  It made it seem a little more bearable that way.  I listened to Wait! Wait! for the first half and my music for the second half.  I started with my Shot Bloks at miles 3 and took one every mile and a half to two miles with some water.  I didn't feel perfect afterwards, but I didn't feel absolutely disgusting either.  Maybe I'm starting to figure it out?


4. It felt pretty good (especially the first 6 miles).  I took the whole "long runs shouldn't be a race" thing to heart and took it nice and slow.  I really want Race Day (less than 50 days away now!) to go well and if it takes holding back a little on long run days then so be it.

5. Maaaan I wish I would have planned ahead a little better.  None of my "good" sports bras were clean so I just went with a random one I hardly ever wear (not the best choice) and when I got home I found that none of my sweat pants were clean.  You can't run 11 miles on a snowy day and put on clothes other than sweat pants.

Maddux says all that matters is that you nap afterwards.

Any fueling advice?  I think I need to start using Gatorade on my runs in addition to water, but I'm wondering if I should switch it up from Shot Bloks a little.  They've been working ok, but I'm thinking there might be a better option.


Does this count??

Happy Friday! Be sure to swing by the blogs of the Friday Five hosts: Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia!  You will not be disappointed!

16 comments:

  1. haha, Maddux is adorable. I like the breaking up of your long run!

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    1. Thanks! Haha, he uses it against me often. I had to break up the run for my sanity--PLUS the 'mill times out at 99 min and it would have frustrated me to have to reset at that point :-)

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  2. What a great idea to break up the longrun on the trendmill (I know it would be so much easier mentally)

    Haha I SOO wish cookies could fuel me during long runs :)

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    1. So much better! It would be amazing if cookies worked!

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  3. Hi, i'm visiting from the Friday 5 link up! I admire you for doing a long run on a treadmill. I can barely get past 5 miles on them. Good job! I agree with you dog!

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    1. Thanks for reading! I don't really like spending that much time with the 'mill, BUT it's been so cold and icy that I wanted to make sure it got done! :-)

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  4. Nice work! I HATE the treadmill and can barely get past 3 miles on them -- very impressive!

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    1. Haha, thanks! I don't know how I used to do it so often, but it helped having half with a podcast and half with music. It made it go by much faster!

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  5. Treadmill running is tough! Breaking it up is a good strategy. I like to fuel with honey stingers; I normally "dose" every hour of activity.

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    1. I've heard that a lot of people like those! I'll have to look into them :-)

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    2. I second the Honey Stingers! Try the honey waffles, they're practically cookies ;) I personally think they feel better on long runs because it's more than just water and gel sloshing around in your stomach!

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    3. Haha, you know I'm a fan of cookies! I'll keep my eye out for them!

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  6. Great job on your long run, especially on the treadmill!! If you are going to add Gatorade to your fueling, just dont use it to chase your Gu or Shot Blocks, you should only take them with water or you can risk some bad gastro problems. I used to use Gu a lot, and then alternate with gatorade or another electolyte drink. Now, I am using ENERGYbits and really like them a lot. Keep up the awesome work!

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  7. Great job getting in 11 TM miles!

    I too use ENERGYbits, and I personally really like them. A lot of people complain about the price, but I have a code, (SPEED), for 30% off. A bag has 1,000 bits in it, so even if you take them everyday, (which I personally don't), they'll last over a month!
    If you break it down, they're only $3 for a single serving, which is cheaper than the GU Roctane I used to use exclusively. Anyway, I always order a bag in single serving packets, that I sell on my blog for $3, so people can try them, before committing to an entire bag if you're interested, head on over.

    Happy running, and try to stay warm!

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    1. Thanks, Kristy! I will have to look into them!

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