Sunny 6 Mile Sunday

Happy Sunday! I just got home from my 6 mile long run and it was beautiful!  I was so excited about the sun and the temp today because both of my short runs we're done inside this week. I ran 4 miles on the treadmill Tuesday because I was waiting for UPS to deliver my replacement phone and knew if I left they would come and not leave it.  Then yesterday I did 2.5 miles on the indoor track at the Y. That run was supposed to happen in Thursday, but I wanted to Zumba and didn't have time for both that night. Which, now that I think about it is funny because I ended up doing both yesterday. :)  I really would rather run outside any day.  It is too easy to quit on the treadmill and the track gets really boring, really fast, especially if you have to run several miles.

When we left for church this morning it was pretty foggy and dreary, but it cleared up in time for my run. It was sunny and 55*. I even wore a tank top, which I never would've done 50 lbs ago.

The run was good. I felt strong for the first 2-3 miles. Then I took a short walking break and ate some chocolate covered blueberries.  Eating on the run doesn't sound good, does it? I had to make myself do it, though, because if you are running for more than an hour, your body needs the extra energy to keep going.  There are all kinds of energy gels and sports jelly beans to help you fuel, but I have avoided buying them.  I liked the blueberries, but I don't think they did the trick today.  By the end of my run my legs were so heavy and I was tired.  My pace had slowed down, as well.  This evening, I went ahead and got some energy gels from Academy.  I'm going to try them on my next long run and see if it makes a difference in my energy level.

I set up my long run today so that I would pass my house a little over halfway through so that I didn't have to carry as much water with me.  When I got back to my drive, in addition to the water I had left there, I found these.

My husband thought he would leave me a little snack, just in case. :) Isn't he sweet?

Post run, I refueled with some cottage cheese and pineapple to get some protein in me.  My pace ended up being around 15:48, which is slower than I have been running, but still faster than the 16 minute cutoff of the race I will be doing. By the way, if you want to run with me, you can find information on the race here.  Only 55 more days to MY Half-Marathon!

How do you fuel on long runs?
Did you get nice weather today?

Thanks for reading!
Jamie