On Saturday Sarah and I went to the Nature Center for 8 miles. We got there around 7:15 a.m. and the parking lot was FREAKING PACKED. Apparently Saturday was the start of trout fishing season and everyone and their dad was there fishing along the creek. We couldn't find a parking spot in the parking lot so we parked right next to the actual Nature Center in what looked to be a parking lot (more about that later). After some quick stretching we were on our way. I felt good for it being so early in the morning. I ate half of a Clif bar on the way over and drank a half a bottle of water. I need to drink more water though.
So we've decided that many fishermen have never seen females before. We ran along the trail and all we heard was "good morning, ladies" blah blah blah. I waved, but, Sarah, on the other hand was not pleased. On our way back she definitely called them out - typical Sarah. haha
At about the three mile mark we headed up two large hills. I felt strong going up and I credit that to all of the cycling and RPM classes I've been doing.
I've decided I really like early-morning runs. It was so peaceful with the birds chirping and the water flowing down the creek. I love White Clay Creek.
So overall I had a really good run. We finished in 1:34 - we stopped a few times to stretch and the two hills did slow us down a bit. To the right is Sarah's new Garmin GPS watch. I need to get me one of these babies. It keeps track of pace, distance and time - pretty awesome. I think this will be really helpful as I start building my mileage up as I get ready for the marathon. There are going to be times I'm going to have to run alone and I'm not running in the woods alone. If I'm running through neighborhoods or open parks, I can keep track of my mileage with this. So, if anyone wants to buy this for my birthday, please do.
So when we got back to the car, a surprise was waiting for us on our windshield - a warning ticket from the jerk park ranger. This park ranger (I will leave out names) thinks he is God of the Delaware State Park system. He used to give my brother a hard time whenever he went to the park and overall, he just sucks at life. To the left is my warning ticket for parking in an "illegal" spot.
So that was Saturday's workout. Every other time I did this 8-mile run I felt really sore the next day. This morning I woke up and felt fine. Yesterday I decided I would do an easy three-mile run today. I went to the park and did three miles and then walked about a mile and stretched. Tomorrow I'm doing five miles with Julie and then I'm planning to take a day or so off.
I've been reading about energy gels and blocks this weekend. I am going to start training with them so I can see how my body reacts before I use them during a race. In two weeks I'm going to do a 10-mile run and want to test out Clif Shot Bloks or GU Energy Gel. I'm going to use it at the 5-mile mark and probably take one before I start. What do you runners recommend?
So I'm getting close to my upcoming runs - Broad Street is in 28 days and the half marathon is in 42 days. The thought of running 10 or even 13.1 miles doesn't intimidate me (I don't think I would have ever said that). Registration is open for the Baltimore Marathon and 26.2 miles and running for more than four hours sounds pretty scary right now. I have a long way to go before I'm there, but as each day passes I feel stronger and more ready for the May runs!
Peace. Love. Run.
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