I did get in an 11+ mile run on Saturday. Hooray!
Sunday never warmed up out of the 40s, it was overcast, and very windy. Not the kind of weather that motivates me to get my bike out.
My 11-miler went well. It turned out to be 11.27 miles!
I brought along my Clif Shot Bloks
, in Strawberry, which I loved back the fall. Now, I'm not so sure I love them though... They are ok, but I have really come around to liking Gu
. I remember reading stuff online where people said they just didn't like chewing the Shot Bloks. I didn't feel that way 6 months ago, but kind of felt that way on my Saturday run. I like the flavor, but just kind of wanted to get the process over with faster.3 shot bloks = 100 calories = 1 gu.
I couldn't deal with eating 3 at a time though. I had one at 3.8 miles, one at 4.3, then one at 6.5 and one at 8.5.
In order to fit them in my fabulous Camelbak handheld water bottle, I had to cut the package of 6 in half:
Here were my lap times.
My paces are what I would consider to be significantly faster than my long easy run from about 5 weeks ago, when my long run was between 8 and 9 miles. Improvement in pace: approximately :30.
When I returned from my run, my husband directed me to look in the fridge, so I did:
Ahhhhh!! Dunkin Donuts Nonfat Iced Caramel Latte. Such a nice treat for after my run!
Sunday we were lazy.
We went out for brunch at our favorite restaurant a 2 minute walk away.
Then came back home where we waited for it to warm up for our bike ride. It never did.
Instead, I played Old Lady Neighbor and watched people in the apartment building next to us move.
Does this look like a stable way to transport a couch?
That's right, no bungees. Cushions loose in the back.
I will make such a great retired person 40 years from now.
Energy gel/gu/chomps/bloks/pbj/whatever question for you:
What do you like to eat on long runs??
Also, how frequently do you eat something on long runs?
As I said, I used to like Clif Shot Bloks, but think I am moving in the direction of gu. Mint chocolate is a strong contender for my favorite flavor, at the moment. I was going to pick some up at a bike shop on my way home but didn't remember. But while at the grocery store today, I found some Clif Shot energy gel in the Nature's Marketplace section:
The Two on the Left are the "new formula." The one on the right is the old one (it was on sale). I picked up a strawberry, mocha, and razz.
We'll see which I like better: Gu or Clif Shot Gel.
I think with Gu, I'm learning that I like it around 4.5 miles/50 minutes into my run, assuming I've eaten within a couple hours of running. My plan for my half marathon is to take something at about mile 4.5 and again around mile 9ish.
I'd love to hear what you do for your long runs!!
Last year I tried jelly beans and hard candies. It actually sort of worked. Haven't tried the shot blocks and have a pack of gu's that I'm waiting to try out this weekend. So I guess I'm not much help, huh? :)
ReplyDeleteI've been using shot blocks too and sort of hate chewing them on my one minute walk breaks because it takes too long while I'm trying to catch my breath. I've been biting them in two and just eating half at a time but this weekend I got the cliff shots to try out on my next long run. I got the Mocha but I'm worried I'll hate the texture. is it jelly like?
ReplyDeleteI love the Wegmans Vegetable Stock in your fridge. That's right, I recognize it. Dropping :30 off your pace is seriously incredible, all your speedwork is paying off! That's a huge change! I am all about the Gus, I don't like the whole chewing thing - I usually just take them while I am running without stopping, so it has to be quick and easy. I went to a nutrition talk and they said on long runs that you should decrease the amount of time between each gel because you will burn more calories the more you run. So like on a 20 miler, I would Gu at mile 6, 11, and 17 or something like that. I used to try to use as few as possible, but the nutrition talk said if you think you need one, it's probably too late. So now I just plan out the miles I'll take them ahead of time and do it no matter what. I usually only have one Gu on a half, so I am curious to see how you feel about two, because I'll do anything to improve my performance! Sorry for the super long comment.
ReplyDeleteI like GU's for long runs, but on shorter runs or long runs where I feel like supplementing with something in between GU's I'd say Sharkies, Sports Beans, or Luna Moons were my favs. I found Shot Blocks to be kind of huge and too much to chew. I also liked the honey stingers because they dissolve better than the other ones so you don't have to chew as long, but they are SO sticky, that it was kind of an issue.
ReplyDeleteStephanie- haha, that's ok! I'll be curious to hear how you like the gu.
ReplyDeleteLulumum- The texture is weird...I would say it's thicker than jelly? Somewhere in between jelly and frosting.
Alyssa- Nice find! :) I don't think I *really* realized the change in long run pace until I looked through my activities on Garmin Connect last night. Where did you find a nutrition talk!? I've been waffling on the gu. I had no nutrition during my April half except for some gatorade at some of the water stops. For my September half I might have overdone it. I think I decided to take gu at mile 4.5ish because they say every 45 minutes (and 4.5 on my long runs is like 50ish minutes). I waited til somewhere between 5.5 and 6 (around 1:05) for one of my recent runs and I think that was a little too long. Good thing I still have a couple more weeks to figure it out! And there's nothing wrong with a long comment!
Brittney- Ooh, haven't tried Sharkies or Luna Moons. Sports Beans got a little sticky for me, but it was also summer when I tried them. When in your long runs do you usually take them?
I just had my first 2 runs using carb supps! Last run I took a handful of "sharkies" which here really good. Like very soft chewy candy. This morning I had some Clif shot blocks before the run since it was on an empty stomach. Similar consistency. I liked the Sharkies better, only because they had a fun shape <: ) I like things I can chew. I even chew yogourt, so I don't think I could just swallow goo!
ReplyDeleteI have issues with gu texture, but I am going to keep trying them. I do like the shot blocks, but I eat them 2 at a time, 3 seems like too much. On my last 12 miler I ate them at 5 miles 8 miles and 10 miles. I think I would spread them out better next time , and I might not have needed them all! 8 and under I don't use anything. I am going to have to play around with the gu and such though for my marathon training coming up.
ReplyDeleteI like Gu for long runs. I'll eat Gu every 40 min up to an hour. It really depends how hard I push myself. During races I do every 30 minutes.
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends brings grapenuts and salt packets on her long runs haha. And another one of mine brings a luna bar sometimes.
Aw, what a nice surprise waiting for you in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteExcept it made me want a Dunkin' Donut. Heh.
I really hate the texture of Gu, so my preference is Shot Bloks or Jelly Belly sport beans. The other week, trying to save money, I tried Swedish Fish. Bad idea. I thought I was going to throw up the whole time I was running. Not pleasant.
ReplyDeleteAlison- Never tried sharkies before! So many different brands out there to try...
ReplyDeleteVicky- I didn't like the gu consistency when I first tried it either. I don't know what changed...maybe I just needed to find a flavor I liked better?
Little Miss Runshine- I'm finding ~45 minutes seems to be right for me too. I can't imagine eating grape nuts while running!
Green Girl- mmm, donuts...
Abbie - I tried the Sport beans once... They rattled around a lot and got kind of sticky. Il iked the flavor though. That's funny about Swedish fish... I had a handful of them the other day before a run, not for energy, but because I love Swedish fish...and I kept burping Swedish fish throughout my run...blech!