Over the Moon(s)

This morning I was determined to get out and do hill training despite calls for wind, rain and flooding. I dressed appropriately, including a great ASICS lightweight running jacket that I bought at the Expo before my 5K race in April. It felt much colder than 44 degrees when I stepped out to run. The skies were dark gray and I could not get a lock on a GPS signal with MotionX but I hit start anyway, then pressed go on my Garmin and headed out. I made a bee line to the industrial park and chose the steeper circuit running counter-clockwise which takes you uphill about 2/3rds of the run and downhill the other third.

I had planned on doing a couple of circuits and heading back since the weather was getting worse every minute. I had brought along a package of Luna Moon Energy Chews, described by the manufacturer as "provid[ing] women athletes with essential carbohydrates, electrolytes and vitamins for increased energy while exercising." I bought them at Target despite the gender bias of the packaging since the only gender-neutral choice was Sharkies. In comparison, Sharkies Organic Energy Chews contained much more sugar per serving.

I had been thinking about how I typically feel tired and depleted after 30 minutes but usually rebound after five minutes or so. I experimented with the energy chews, trying 3 about midway through my run. I can't say how much they helped as I felt no energy surge after eating them but I did a third circuit up the hill and I don't know if I would have been able to do that unaided. I was feeling tired and soggy by the time I finished the third loop but happy the hills were behind me for the day. I headed back home and saw that I'd completed 4.75 miles at 9:09, a good part of that uphill. I used the Active Wrap on my quads this morning (heat) and I'm thinking that helped loosen up my muscles that were still recovering from yesterday's 6.5 miler. Today was probably the last run I'll do over 4 miles until Sunday's race and I feel good about my conditioning going into my final week's taper. I'm curious to know what weather conditions we'll face on the 25th. If it's cold and wet I know I can handle it. Hot and humid, that's another story.