"...One zero zero, One zero zero, One zero zero 100 days of school/
One hundred days of learning/
One hundred days of knowing/
One hundred days of trying/
One hundred days of growing...."
Well, if you don't get how this song will stay with me forever, watch a class perform it; life changing I tell you, life changing. Anyway, all this talk about 100 leads to kind of a big deal that happened yesterday...
I COMPLETED 100 MILES
IN THE MONTH OF AUGUST!
Failure? I think not. I had done a 7 mile run yesterday morning, August 31, and when I entered my mileage into my log, I was semi-sad. Shoot. 97.8 miles for the month of August. A nice round 100 would have been nice. Later on that day, while at school helping my work wife and birthday girl set up her room, I got to talking about my high mileage with some coworkers. My friends husband Richie said, "Why not run the extra 2 miles for 100?" I replied, while setting up bulletin board after bulletin board, "I was tired after 7 miles, and I didn't have time to crawl out the extra two." His response? "Excuses are the nails in the house of failure." UH, ok, 2 miles need to happen NOW. The second I got home, I walked the puppy pirate and then set out on my merry way. A slow and relaxed 2.3 mile run (Just in case I missed a tenth somewhere...), and I reached 100 miles!!! I never thought I would be able to run this much! I am humbled. I am excited. I am FUELED!
100 miles means a lot of fuel. This is the truest statement ever. Above is a picture of all things fuel in my life. I will briefly go through and tell you what I've got up my sleeve. I'm still experimenting with some things, and let it be known that I really want to try Nuun. I've been reading a lot of blogs whose authors ran the Hood to Coast Relay on Team After-Nuun Delight (Like this one, and this one, and this one!) and I can't wait to get my hands on some Nuun and give it a go!!! Also, check out this amazing giveaway, from another Nuun relay runner. I really don't want you to ruin my chances, but it's too fabulous to keep a secret. Ok, back to fueling. (Describing Left to Right, in orderly fashion of course!)
Hammer Gel: I use this stuff like water. I really like it. I may be biased, but I think it's a bit smoother than Gu. I have a sensitive stomach, and Gu and Gatorade mess me up something awful; Hammer Gel passes the test. My stomach can handle it. I may feel a little upset for a minute or two after taking a gel, but it always passes. Darn stomach. Get it together, will ya! I prefer the Apple Cinnamon or Espresso. I received a few samples with my order, including Mountain Berry and Strawberry, which I'm saving for a special day when I need an extra push to lace up and get on the pavement! Also, the little squirt bottles hold FIVE GELS! A great thing for long distances, because my sweaty inept hands CAN NOT open those DARN PLASTIC PACKETS! So, if you go bulk, you'll receive the squirt bottle. I have some of the plastic packets for runs where I only need one or two. I can open them then. I think.
Recoverite: My dad went to the store to pick one up for my sister as a favor, and the cool bike guy said, "This stuff is like crack. Once you start you can't stop." Now my dad, a non runner/biker/exerciser, has not stopped joking about it ever since. However, it's TRUE! I started using this two weeks ago and it truly helps. I feel more energized, less likely to need a 4 hour nap after a long run, and my soreness is down significantly. The first time you have it, the taste is a little powdery, but now that I know what it does for me, I live for that stuff!!! Check it out. You won't regret it.
Endurolytes: Like I mentioned before, I hate Gatorade. Really, I do. The sugary mess makes my stomach turn while running. In fact, I once took some in a race because I was hot and sweaty, and because I hadn't trained with it, my run/stomach went downhill from there. These are GREAT. You take 2-3 pills for every hour you're running. They are easy to swallow, and work like a charm. I used them on two long runs (12 miles and 13 miles) and two midweek semi-long runs (6 miles and 7 miles), and felt confident and hydrated the whole time.
Women's Ultra Mega Active Multi Vitamin: I needed a multi vitamin, so a friend who worked for GNC recommended this one. Now, I'm not saying it was just because I took the multi vitamin, but I get sick ALL.THE.TIME. Like teacher-kids-sneezing-and-coughing-on-me sick. Since become a teacher almost four years ago, I have gotten 5 infections of some sort; bronchial, sinus; you name it, I got it. I started taking this CONSISTENTLY last school year, and I had ONE COLD the whole year. Coincidence? I don't know. I will say this gives me an extra (natural) boost in the morning, and I'm down to one cup of coffee a day. It also has helped with my stomach and digestion, which I greatly appreciated!
be-HOT GNC Exercise Enhancing Turbo Pak: DISCLAIMER: This does NOT help you lose weight. This is not a fat burner. This is simply a bunch of all natural stuff for people living a healthy lifestyle. I started using this last year and love it. The main goal of this Pak is to support a person leading an active healthy life with natural supplements you may already take all in one Pak, such as fish oil, cranberry extract, green tea extract etc. I love this thing. I take it in the afternoon, and get a boost from the natural vitamins in it. I've stopped getting a mid afternoon coffee. The only problem is I have gotten heartburn from taking 5 big pills, and it's not fun despite chugging lots of water. However, the benefits outweigh the downfalls. Read up on GNC's website to see all the aspects of this vitamin Pak.
So, there you have it. Fuel for life! Let me know what you do, any helpful suggestions etc. I'm going to try a suggestion I read on a blog and make a pb&j and cut it into fourths. Essentially it has the same nutrients as a gel, I figure 10 miles this weekend would be a good test run for it!
Runners World, you mind reader. RW actually sent out an email today all about fueling, oddly enough! Here are two links on fueling:
65 days until the ING NYC Marathon!!!
...and I know it's preseason still, but GO PACK GO!
1 comment:
I can't believe you can stomach Hammer products haha!! I used to have to chase recoverite with orange juice!! Glad to see your training is going well. I'm going to give you a call this week, look for a 907 area code!!
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