1. FUEL: Shot Bloks, GU, Energy Chews, Candy or Other?
So
far, I’ve only used gels. But I like them. I have some energy chews
that I bought but haven’t used yet. On the gels, I’ve mostly used the
PowerBar
brand gels and my favorite of those is the tangerine. I got a bunch of
the chocolate ones because they were on clearance. When I ran the
Autism Speaks 8K the other day, the race packet included 2 gels by
Clif. One was chocolate and the other was “razz.”
I really like the chocolate one…it was way better than the PowerBar
chocolate. I haven’t yet tried the “razz” one. And I have some Gu
brand gels that I haven’t tried yet as well.
2. Race Length: 5k, 10k, 1/2 Marathon, Marathon, Ultra or Other?
5K’s
are nice, but they’re so short that, to me, they’re almost not worth
the money you spend on the registration fee. I really like 10K’s,
though.
I haven’t done anything beyond a 10K…yet. But I have plans to do the
Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon in San Antonio, TX this November and I’m
really excited about that.
3. Workout Bottoms: Skirts, Running Shorts, Capris, Pants or Other?
I used to wear spandex shorts that came to about mid-thigh. Now, I absolutely love running tight capris.
4. Sports Drink: Gatorade, Powerade, Cytomax, you stick to water when you run or Other?
I
bought a huge thing of the Gatorade powder and I use that in my water
bottle. If I have to eat a gel, I make sure I take a second bottle with
me
that has only water in it, or I plan my run to include water fountains
near where I need to eat a gel because it’s not good to mix a gel with a
sports drink.
5. Running Temperatures: HEAT or COLD?
My favorite temperature to run is about 50 degrees.
But,
being in Texas, most of the year, I run in warmer temps. This is my
first year of running, so I’m still getting used to the different temps
I have to run in. I’m okay up to about 80 degrees. Anything above 80
(and where I’m not able to run primarily in the shade) and I find I have
to make some rest stops to let my heart rate come down. I also have to
drink more water to keep myself from getting
overheated.
6. Running Shoe Brands: Saucony, Mizuno, Nike, Brooks, Asics or Other?
My
first pair of running shoes were Mizunos. When it was time to buy a
new pair of shoes, I went with Sauconys. I like both of them pretty
much equally.
They both fit my feet nicely. Neither one causes blisters or chafing
of any sort. I haven’t tried actually running in any of the other
brands, so I have no opinion on them.
7. Pre-race meal: Oatmeal, Bagel, Banana, Eggs, Cereal or Other?
On
a race day, I’ll actually usually skip my standard breakfast and eat a
Clif Bar or a gel right before the race start. I know most people say
to
swear by your standard, but my standard pre-run meal, I eat it and then
within 45 minutes I’m heading out the door to run. On race days, it
could be upward of 2 hours after I eat before I start running; that’s
why I opt for the bar or gel instead. But, for
the record, currently, my standard pre-run meal is 2 multi-grain
waffles with 3 Tbsp of chocolate PB2 spread on them with sliced bananas
on top.
8. Rest Days: 1x per week, 2x per week, never ever ever or Other?
In
my perfect world, there are no rest days. I LOVE working out every
day. However, life gets in the way and I usually have anywhere from 1
to 3 days
where I don’t exercise…and this is usually due to pulling double shifts
at work so I literally don’t have time to work out on those days…hell, I
barely have time to sleep!
9. Music: Have to have it or go without it?
I
ALWAYS have music…except for the one time that I forgot to bring my
earbuds to a 10K I was running a couple months ago. I thought I would
be incredibly
bored and even briefly thought about not running the race, thinking
that it would be horrible to run without music. However, I found it to
NOT be boring or in any way horrible. While it’s not something I would
do on purpose, I won’t “freak out” if I forget
my earbuds again.
10.
#1 reason for running: stress-relief, endorphins, you love to race, so
you can eat all the cupcakes you want, weight-loss, love running for
social
reasons or Other?
I
love this question. I run for just about every reason listed except
for the social aspects and that’s only because I haven’t found a group
to run
with. I’ve tried Meet Up and I’ve tried looking into local running
groups where you pay a membership fee. However, none of them have a
schedule that works for me or if they do have a schedule that works,
they meet clear on the other side of the city (around
20+ miles) from me and are therefore not convenient. Also, another
thing I looked into was a half marathon/marathon training program. I
was not impressed by the fact that their long runs were only 6-8 miles
and that, in the pace group I would have been in,
they take walk breaks. No thanks…I’ll just continue to train on my
own; I seem to be doing a pretty good job of scheduling my runs for
variety and distance. While I’m not the fastest runner, I do enjoy my
runs…and I really enjoy my longer runs (up to almost
10 miles straight now!). But, so far as what is my #1 reason for
running…I would have to say I just plain enjoy it…the sheer pleasure of
it is what gets me.
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