Me and GU

Today I began my half marathon training. In my never ending quest to get skinny, faster, and be able to run further, I have entered the world of energy supplements. I have always been against supplements, because I was raised that the food you eat is the only fuel you need. However, as I read, I discover more and more folks using these products successfully. So I figured, what the heck. I read up a few different energy gels and decided to try GU. I ran over to EMS and bought a six-pack of Tri-Berry flavor. I used it as directed and was off....

I'm not sure if it was the gel or just in my head, but I do feel as though I had more energy throughout the run. After 4 miles (my goal for today), I still felt as though I could have gone on. I'm not totally convinced it was the gel, but I figure that I will try this for awhile to see if it enhances my performance. At only 100 calories, it works into my "points budget".

On to today's run....

Temp: 72
Weather: Sunny, Warm

Time/Pace 41:14/10:18
Avg Heart Rate: 149

Couple things to note on this run. First of all, I have been experiencing some pain in my shins. It hasn't gotten worse in the past month, but still is annoying. Today, instead of running on the path I ran along side of it in the grass. This was a bit tougher, due to the resistance of the grass. I also am now running with a water bottle (the kind that straps to your hand). I am trying to get comfortable with this, as I will need this as my mileage increases. It was a bit awkward at first, but midway through the run, I didn't notice it as much. Because I don't usually hydrate until after my run, I had to force myself to drink throughout the run.

All in all, a comfortable run.