Training Supplement – May 31, 2017

I saw a lot of sites during my runs this Memorial Day weekend.  Cancelled my Stridebox subscription and signed up for Runners World Box to try something new.  Happy for Runner’s World David Willey‘s sub-3:30!

Clothing & Gear

Sports Bras.  Lululemon TaTa Tamer III.  I’ve heard great things about this bra and thought I’d try it.  It’s comfortable enough and, as was pointed out to me by the woman I share the ride to Hopkinton with at this year’s Boston Marathon, if you take the cutlets out, you can use the pockets for storage.  If you want to run shirtless, I think it looks more like a bra than a top from the back and it’s not racer back if you care about such things.

Skin care.  Body Glide.  After the chaffing I experienced at the Boston Marathon, I bought a slick of the stuff and have been slathering it on before my long runs on hot days.

Arm bands.  MoKo Water Resistant Running Case.  Now that it’s warmer and I’m mostly wearing tank tops, my arm band has been STINKY!  I ordered another one so I can wash and rotate them.  Plus, the Velcro has already started giving out after about 6 months.

GPS watches.  Garmin Forerunner 220.  I gave this model away after I couldn’t get it to pair with my watch.  I’ve been happy with my Garmin FR 630, so I don’t think I’ll miss it.

(My Complete Clothes & Gear Page.)

Nutrition & Hydration 

Gels.  I’ve been happy with Crank Sport e-Gels but thought I’d try some of the gels from my Stridebox stockpile.

Spring Long Haul.  The base for this gel is Basmati rice and it makes for tiny chunks in the gel.  It wasn’t bad once I got used to it but I was surprised.  The packet was 100 calories, 14g of carbohydrate and 1g of protein and fat.  I thought the carbs seemed low and wondered it was a good product for running.  I’d try it again.

Carb Boom!.  I gave this product another try.  It’s 110 calories, 26g of carbs, with no protein or fat.  This time, the gel was Vanilla Orange flavor.  I had the same reaction to the odd flavor and didn’t finish it.

Post-workout Nutrition.  I also thought I’d work through some of the sports nutrition bars.

Picky Bars.  I’ve tried this bar before but thought I’d give it another try.  I really just don’t like the consistency of this bar.  It’s too mushy for me.  But, I loved the “Chai and Catch Me” flavor.  Nutritionally, the bar has 28g of carbohydrate, 7g of protein, and 8g of fat for 200 calories total.  It’s also gluten-free, which from listening to this week’s Runner’s World podcast, is the point.

Bonk Breaker Bar.  This was another gluten-free bar with a soft consistency.  It’s also 200 calories but has 31g of carbs, 5g of protein, and 7g of fat.  The mint chocolate chip flavor was strong on the mint and light on the chocolate.

Jimmy Bar!  (Is adding an exclamation mark after your product name a thing?)  My favorite type of pre-meal bar is crispy rice, so I liked this one.  The peanut butter ice cream flavor was a little bland but I didn’t mind.  It’s 240 calories, 17g of carbs, 21g of protein, and 7g of fat.

Stridebox.  After over a year of received them, I cancelled my Stridebox subscription and signed up for the Runners World Box.  I didn’t have any problems with Stridebox, I just thought it would be good to try something new.

Routes

Sights.  On the Saturday before Memorial Day, I ran to the Marine Corps War Memorial.  I realized, even though I ran the Marine Corps Marathon a few years ago, I didn’t think I’d ever stood this close to the memorial itself.

On Memorial Day, I ran along the National Mall and ended up at the World War II Memorial.  I wanted to be respectful, but I also wanted a picture.

Media & Motivation

Music. “Pocketful of Sunshine,” by Natasha Bedingfield.  I’ve been in a pop song mood lately during my runs.

(My “Songs of the Week” playlist on Spotify.)

Podcasts.  “Episode 55: What Still Drives Lauren Fleshman,” from Runner’s World Show.  Last Saturday, I remembered this was David Willey‘s marathon day!  I skipped the part about Lauren Fleshman and went straight to his training update.  To my ears, his training hadn’t gone well, so I have to admit I was surprised to see he did in fact run a sub-3:30 marathon given the injuries he had.  I was also jealous.  I didn’t manage sub-3:30 at the Eugene Marathon and my training cycle was pretty good.

Websites and Blogs.  “Why is it so hard to lose the last few pounds?“, from Running for Real.  Having listened to Tina Muir for hours and hours on the RunnersConnect Run to the Top podcast, I’m glad she’s happier now that she’s speaking out about how running at such a high level for long took a toll on her body.  But, I didn’t care for this post very much.  I’m sure that’s because I’m trying to lose 5 vanity pounds right now and not under the impression that I’ll be any happier if I were to lose them.  I know that money is what leads to true happiness.  (Just kidding.)  Weight issues are thorny and I hope she finds a way to navigate it without distracting from her overall message.

Motivation.  “Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” – Vince Lombardi

I thrive as a runner when I’m racing a lot.  I thought I would try racing every weekend until I start training for the New York City Marathon in July to bring back that competitive hunger.

Are you gearing up for summer, yet?