Woohoo! I finished a 90-minute run today! Yayyyy!
Ok, I can’t say I felt totally awesome during all of it, but I kept trucking along and finished with a smile on my face. And, hey, that’s the important part, right? Plus, it’s always fun to accomplish a “new” running goal. Well, technically, I’ve run these distances many times in the past, but not since October 2013 when I was pregnant, so it’s all new-ish to me again!
Before I headed out to run, I snacked on banana with some almond butter and finished my iced coffee from breakfast. I needed a little something in my stomach before I hit the pavement. Running on an empty stomach = no bueno.
While getting ready to run, I broke out my stash of GU from my marathon training days more than 3 years ago. I hadn’t taken GU on my long runs until now, but I figured I might as well for a 90-minute one. I mean, if I didn’t need it, I didn’t have to eat it, ya know? Better safe than sorry!
In my Spibelt: GU, Chapstick, headphones, and gloves, which, weren’t actually inside my Spibelt, but I brought them along just in case I needed them. (I drove to Southfield to do my run, so I stashed a few things in my car while I ran.)
It was 42 degrees and sunny, so I didn’t wear my gloves. I also left my water bottle in the car just in case I needed a water-stop during my run.
My run went fairly well. Although, right from the beginning, I could tell it was going to be a rough one. I just didn’t have a ton of energy and my legs felt so heavy. I ended up struggling through the first few miles and then around 40 minutes decided to take my packet of GU. It actually helped, and I felt pretty good for the rest of the run. Not super speedy, but definitely better than I had felt at the beginning!
After my run, I was cold and hungry, so I warmed up in the car. My hands were so stiff, I wasn’t sure if I could drive right away. (I should have worn my gloves!) Once I was good and warm, I headed to Whole Foods to grab lunch. I pretty much housed my salad when I got home. I really wanted to take a hot shower because I was so cold, but I knew I needed to refuel my muscles ASAP, so I chowed down. (Btw, my hot shower was amazing after I finished eating!)
On my run today, I wore a running headband from the folks at Janji, a running apparel company that provides clean water around the world. Each purchase of their apparel provides anywhere between 3 months to 3 years worth of clean water to a person in need. How amazing is that?
I really love the headband that they sent me. It’s funky, right? And reversible, so it has a cool design on the inside too! It acted as headband, keeping my hair off my face, as well as an ear-warmer, which was especially important on my chilly (and holy windy) run today.
I thought you guys might also dig Janji’s gear and what they are all about, so we’re offering one lucky CNC reader a $50 gift certificate to buy whatever they’d like from the Janji website!
To enter: Click over to Janji, check out their running gear, and a leave a comment on one piece that you really love and would likely buy if you win the gift certificate. I’ll randomly pick a winner on Monday. Good luck!