March 15, 2018 – 2.98 Mile Run

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

This was a typical Maintenance Run. It was just Lina and me this morning, and that’s ok.

Cuz all you need for a party are equal parts Lina and Sabrina. We go together like Wine & Cheese, Socks & Shoes, Mornings & Running. In fact, our Couple Mash-Up Name is still just……. SABRINA.

It was dark out, but not too cold, which was nice. We walked the first half, which was well for me because it had been about a week since I’d been running. It felt good to start off slowly. After the first mile and a half, we started running. Lina slowed her roll and finished the run with me.

We chatted and caught up a little bit. And you know what that is? That’s GROWTH!!

Not only that, it speaks to how much I really love Lina. Because everybody knows that the quickest way to end a friendship with Sabrina is to speak to her whilst she’s running.

Nobody else can do it, but Lina gets a pass because I love her and she is my running Sole Mate. Not that one needs to be as lovely as Lina to run with me. I would run with Conrad Murray if he were in my Pace Group and could shut the eff up!!


On To The Run…
This run was important for a number of reasons. For one, it was the first morning run I’d done since Daylight Savings started. Daylight Savings is typically a turning point for me. It USED to mean that I could choose to run in the morning or after work and still get some daylight. Now that I’m training for a Tri, it means that I will need to figure out whether I want to run in the mornings and swim or ride at night.

I will have to figure out the best way to proceed. As I understand it, it is always best to swim first to avoid cramps. Swimming in the morning sounds just terrible!

Secondly, I was starting to experiment with nutrition. I have a pretty good idea of what will work for me during a foot race, but I have discovered that I my needs are almost completely different when I’m riding and different-er still, when I’m swimming.

If I’m running fewer than 4 miles, I’ll hydrate before the run and carry nothing but MJ on my playlist and three forms of Fitness Tracking. I know. It’s crazy, but there it is. I almost never have any solid food before a run fewer than 4 miles.

When I’m riding, I have discovered that, no matter the distance, I need to fuel up with lean protein and some kind of carb. I like to have a couple pieces of chicken breast and orange slices. And even on a short ride, I always seem to need water. Bikes are annoying.

With swimming – I never eat before a swim and I seem to perform best when I have a bottle of Gatorade (as opposed to plain water) at the head of the lane, so I can take a sip after about 4 laps. I get *extremely* dehydrated when I swim, which I didn’t expect and find very odd. Also, swimming WEARS ME OUT!! Swimming is the worst!

Basically, what this means is that I have to forget everything I ever knew about my own nutritional needs. During the race, swimming is the first leg, then the bike, then the run. And while I am well-versed on what I’ll need for a 2-mile run, I have NO idea what I’ll need for a 2-mile run AFTER a 500 meter swim AND a 6-mile ride.

Anyway…. This morning, I fueled up with just a sip of Gatorade and two of these:

These are Energy Balls. A friend of mine made them for me. They are made with almond butter, chia seeds, figs, organic cacao nibs and honey. They’re tasty enough without being too sweet. Substantial, without being too heavy. And very easy to take on the go. My concern is that they won’t stand up to jostling and high temperatures.

They were perfect for this run, which was at 5:30am on a cold morning, where I left from my house and ate them as I drove to the route. But how will they do sitting in a Transition Station for how ever long it takes me to finish the swim and the bike? On an August afternoon?!

I fear that the structural integrity will be compromised to the point where I will end up with something resembling the contents of a baby’s diaper.

But we’ll see. I’ll keep training with them and let you know how it goes.


See you on the next run.