10 Running Tidbits

I copied this list from my friend Jan over at Running on Fumes who copied it from Carrie at Family Fitness Food. I don't think the original author realized that she had created a questionnaire of sorts, but I'm all out of things to blog about this week, so I thought I'd blog about one of my favorite (although abandoned here recently) past times).

 

My favorite running:

 

1. Fuel: I'm probably the wrong person to give nutrition advice as I only use it on super-long runs (20+ miles). If I'm on my own, I prefer Sport Beans (yum!) but if I'm on a race course I look for the banana-station. I had a piece of Nestle Crunch bar at about mile 22 of a marathon once and thought I was going to throw up... not such a great idea. I also grabbed an icee-pop from a random spectator during the Flying Pig Half this year and that was pretty awesome.

 

2. Race Length: 5k, 10k, 1/2 Marathon, Marathon, Ultra or Other? I did my first 10K this summer and loved it. I'm not fast enough to place well in a 5K and have a long way to go before I can do anything spectacular in a 1/2 or full marathon. In a 10K, I feel like I can compete, although for me that just means beating my own personal records. I like to compete with myself.

 

3. Workout Bottoms: Capri running tights are my favorite, but I dress for the weather.

 

4. Sports Drink: I'll grab the Gatorade on a race course, but if I'm on a training run it's usually just water. I also alternate sports drinks and water during a race... too much Gatorade-type stuff makes my belly hurt.

 

5. Running Temperatures: HEAT or COLD? Probably heat. Maybe that's because the bulk of my marathon training in the course of my life has been done in South Florida... in the summer.

 

6. Running Shoe Brands: Asics or Nike, although I should probably go to the running store here and get my feet looked at again. If you're going to start adding major mileage, getting your foot fitted to the right shoe is key.

 

7. Pre-race meal: A half a bagel with peanut butter, a banana (if it's a half-marathon or more), and coffee. If you're a coffee drinker, do not skip it on race day!

 

8. Rest Days: I firmly believe in rest days. Not just because they're good for recovery, but because sometimes I'd just rather sit on the couch.

 

9. Music: I've always trained with someone until now, so I'm adjusting to running with headphones. I spend most of my time changing the song though so I get really frustrated very fast. I was recently told about the website RockMyRun and think I will be downloading some mixes in the very near future!

 

10. #1 reason for running: It's my escape... sure, it's tough sometimes and some days your body just doesn't cooperate the way you wish it would, but my best thinking time can be done on the open road, especially now that I have kids. Now if I could just find some time to have it in my routine again, I'd be all set! Hopefully doing this questionnaire will give me some motivation to get back out there.

What about you.... why do you love to run?