Energy Boost

Over the weekend Darrin and I traveled to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to attend the Fly Fishing Expo. While in town we stopped by Fleet Feet Sports to check out the available selection of GU and other energy supplements.

The staff there was very friendly and knowledgeable and they walked me through the pros and cons of each type of supplement. They also shared their opinions on the various flavors. The supplements ranged in price from $1.35 to $2.25. I purchased a variety of types and flavors to test out during my training.

41 Days to Go - I selected Vanilla Bean GU ($1.40) as my first taste test. This product is intended to be taken 15 minutes before running and every 45 minutes during the run. After hearing stories from other runners about the gag-inducing thick texture of this product, my goal was to get it down and keep it down. I started off by drinking some water. The salesman at Fleet Feet warned me that you should drink plenty of water with GU. The texture was very thick but if you enjoy icing (I do very much!) you'll like it. I sucked down the entire tube of vanilla deliciousness, drank some more water, puttered around the house for 15 minutes and then headed out for a one mile run at a race pace of 9:25. I didn't have any problems during the run; the GU stayed down just fine. After the run I realized that when the salesman said "drink plenty of water," he really meant PLENTY of water. If you are not properly hydrated, GU will absorb water from your body giving you some serious GI issues. After an evening of discomfort, lesson learned.

It's What Runners Do...

This week it was so nice to get back in the swing of things after the crazy winter weather of last week. I enjoyed running with friends, got in three runs and even set a new personal record for my long run on Saturday. Here's how the week went...

46 Days to Go - I was excited to finally get to run with the YMCA's Half-Marathon Training Group again. During our discussions we learned about running supplements like GU and other similar products that give you a boost of energy and electrolytes during the run. It seemed like all the experienced runners in the group had very specific preferences of one brand or flavor over others. The bottom line, our coaches advised that if we plan to use them during the race to try out various supplements early so that we'll know what type we're most comfortable with. (I'm going to a sports store this weekend to purchase a variety of supplements and will have a taste testing session soon. Watch for that in a future post.)

We began the group run by turning left on Starling and running around the block. We turned left on Church Street and ran all the way down the the Farmers' Market then up Main Street before taking a left to go down the hill at Ford Street. We continued down the Uptown Connection Trail until we reached the intersection of the Silverbell Trail and then reversed the route. I enjoy running in Uptown and was happy with this route. One new element for me was Ford Street. Running down it was a breeze but coming back up was a beast. As we began up Ford Street our coach Becky yelled back at us "This is just a hill- you all can do this." My thighs burned. Behind me I could hear Richard shouting "Thank you Ford Street for making me stronger!" That helped me pick up the pace to muscle through it and when we go to the top, I couldn't help but give a joyful shout!

Running with Dr. Leanna Blevins

Finishing her 1st half-marathon.

Leading up to the Martinsville Half-Marathon, 5K & Relay, Run MHC will feature the stories of other runners so you can hear different perspectives on how various people began running and what motivates them. Today's guest blogger is Dr. Leanna Blevins of Martinsville, VA. 

I started running around the time I turned 40.  I was never much of an athlete, so I didn't think I could be a runner.  I am, however, stubborn, so when some girlfriends and I decided to try to train for a half marathon, I figured it would be a physical commitment for a few months and then I could check it off the list.  What I didn't realize was that training and running is as much mental as it is physical.

I am a mom of 3 young children with a full-time job and various volunteer positions in the community.  I thought I was too busy to incorporate regular exercise into my life.  I made the decision to do it temporarily to train, and now I have decided to make it part of my lifestyle.  

Links I Love

Here are some articles and blogs that I've read recently. I hope that you find them helpful, too!

• How to Make it Through the Slump by Meaghan O'Keeffe

• The Rules of Winter Running by Drew Grossman

• Dear New Girl at the Gym by Erica Millard

Happy Running! #WeCanDoThis

Lifetime Record

I am 31 years old and yesterday I ran the longest distance that I have ever run in my life. EVER. It was the most amazing feeling, but before we delve into that I want to tell about the week.

If you want to test your dedication for running (or any hobby for that matter) see how well you fare in a polar vortex. Yes, we've now had two of them this winter. Days and days of freezing cold, ice, snow, repeat. There were days that I longed to run, days that I was willing to run if I had to and then days when asked if I was going to run my response was "No Way!"

After three weeks of continuously increasing my distance with each run I had been feeling great but the past week was just rough in more ways than one.

54 Days to Go - The weather was so nice. Temperatures were in the mid-50's and after publishing my friend Juan's guest post that morning, I was really pumped to run. In fact, I thought about it all day long and could not wait to get home for an afternoon run. An impromptu afternoon meeting kept me at work a little longer than I had planned to be there but it was OK, I'd still have time to do something.

When I arrived home I set out on my run, dressed for 50 degrees, and realized that the temperature was dropping rapidly as the polar vortex set in. My fingers, nose and ears all burned. I decided to pick up the pace and make the most of this one-mile route. I finished one lap at a pace of 9:21 per mile. This was a new personal record for that distance.

Running with Juan Archila

Leading up to the Martinsville Half-Marathon, Run MHC will feature the stories of other runners so you can hear different perspectives on how various people began running and what motivates them. Today's guest blogger is Juan Archila of Atlanta, Georgia. Juan is an architect, a husband and a father of two. He has been running for the past three years. 

After years of telling myself that I needed to get back into running, but never finding enough time, a wake-up call came in late 2010 when I was 30 years old.  A cholesterol test revealed that my numbers were great… for an 80-year-old.  At 30, though, I was at a high risk for health problems, and it was due to poor diet and exercise habits.  I love my cheeseburger, though, so adjusting my diet seemed unrealistic, but making time for running was not only something I wanted to do, but now needed to do for my health and for my young family. 

On January 1, 2011, I made the commitment to run regularly.  I chose the Couch-to-5k (C25k) running program, and set the Leprechaun Road Race 5K (Dublin, GA) on March 19, 2011 as my goal race.  With knee brace firmly in place on a brisk New Year’s Day morning, I set out on my journey.  Three years later, not only did I finish the 5K, I’ve done the Peachtree Road Race 10K in Atlanta on July 4 (three years in a row), the Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon in Philadelphia, and countless 5Ks, 4-Milers, 10Ks, a 12K and a 15K since.  I am currently training for the Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon in San Francisco after getting over a shin injury late last year. 

5 Mile Milestone!

59 Days to Go - I felt bad not going to the YMCA's training session the night before. I heard that they had a great time running in the snow but where I live, out in a rural community, it's important to get home before the snow sets in. There's a half mile incline between my home and the main road that does not get salted or scraped by VDOT. #CountryLife

58 Days to Go - Our training coaches sent out an email to the group reminding everyone of our training assignments for the week -  I needed to get in a five miler before the next session. They also sent a wonderful story to share from a fellow runner.

“A few years ago I was running in insanely high winds.  The type of wind that pushes you back a foot for every two feet you go. I may have had a little of a runners high or maybe I was just being my insane self but every time the wind would smack me in the face and push me back I would pound my chest and yell (yes literally yell out loud) “That’s all you got”. Last week I ran again in strong winds and this time I thanked the wind.  I literally said out loud “thank you wind for making me stronger”. I welcome opportunities like high winds, rain, snow extreme heat or cold, for I know it makes me stronger, better and tougher. When I finally get to the starting line I know I am ready for anything that day holds.  I also know I will crush my competitors that decided during training that it was too windy, too rainy, too cold or too hot to run. Embrace adversity for it will give you the edge to victory!”

This was definitely something I needed to hear. Reality check - it might be cold or raining on race day and there's no turning back at that point. Training in the elements is important so that you are ready for race day, no matter what mother nature brings. After work I headed to the YMCA to run on the treadmill since it was quickly getting dark outside. I ran two miles before getting bored. Treadmills are nice to have but pale in comparison to actually running outdoors.