To race or not to race.

Happy Birthday to Danna! Here we are with a few friends at Dear Lizzie!

It's Kristin here.

This last week's medium run we did 7 miles. (Suz wasn't with us- refusing to subject her lungs to the nasty inverted air quality of last week. I don't blame her.) It was a fantastic run for me! I felt great the whole run- just relishing that runner's high, and the feeling of catharsis that comes with a good long run. This was the first run in months that wasn't a struggle. To be honest, I've been in a bit of a funk. Lately running has been so...grueling for me. I've tried to keep up with D and S, but my body's clearly not in as good of shape as theirs lately. This whole foot injury resting thing has taken me backward big time. Sometimes I hate to admit this, knowing people may hear it and think, "You struggled for months until you got back into the groove? No thanks- running's not for me." But it's worth it! The company was worth it, and the feeling after the run, the caloric burning, the sense of discipline and accomplishment, the fellowship with other runners. Anyway, Iw as so happy to finally be feeling great again! Hang in there new runners, it's so worth it.

On our long run we ran a different trail- one we haven't run in a while. We talked about work, family, cute husbands, running itself (as always), blogging, future races. Danna's really interested in running the Wasatch Back this year- a killer 2-day relay race through the mountain passes that is a blast. Anyone done it? I'm so tempted, bu THE HILLS! I'm so not a hill person. We are also considering the San Francisco Nike women's marathon in the fall (also very hilly of course- San Francisco) where you get a Tiffany Necklace at the end as your medal, served on a silver platter by the local firemen dressed in tuxes. How can a girl resist. Oh hills, why must you torment me? But for the little robin's egg blue box, I think I just might. Suzy, wanna come?


I say run while you can! What if next year you're pregnant? Or have a (non-running-induced) injury? Or what if the air quality makes running impossible? Or... You just never know.

I was totally inspired by this video I found this morning. This guy video taped his Disneyworld Marathon. The nostalgia actually brought tears to my eyes- especially watching the starting line (warning: hand-held camera=shaky running footage), seeing the other runners, the crowd, the whole marathon atmosphere. Can't wait to do it again.



Ksenia left a question on our last post:
Great resolutions! Sorry I couldn't make it for the run with you guys this week. I did about 6 miles today! I feel great. There is nothing better than that feeling of achievement when I finish my run. I agree with you that I really start enjoying it fully only after mile 3!

If I run in the morning, at around 8-9, do I need to eat breakfast? My stomach seems to deal with the run better if I don't. What is the official runner's doctrine on that?

Thanks! You guys are my inspiration!

My thoughts are as follows: We 3 think eating before the race is a good idea, as it settles your stomach. Gels and Gatorade are hard on the stomach. However if you are going to do this you need to practice on the long training runs. We liked a half or full piece of (dry) toast, (D likes a hard-boiled egg), and 1/2 a banana. We also practiced with bananas and pretzels mid-run since that's what the aid stations hand out. Avoid fatty foods, dairy, too much protein, too much fiber/roughage. Also, drink liquids (6-8 oz) as soon as you get up, then 6-8 oz/hour (Galloway's Book on Running p. 90) before you run. I have never been able to eat before a run until I started practicing. I had to put the toast in the toaster the second I got up so I wasn't eating too close to the run.

XOXO

~K