Delicious snacks

To help make up for my lack of posting, you all get an extra bonus two for one deal today!

Pretty much every time I run, I think about the blog post I can make afterwards. And then by the time I get back, get showered, etc, I either get involved in something else and end up not posting, or try to post but forget what I wanted to say.

If only I could blog while running. Somehow I think even a phone with a full qwerty keyboard would make that difficult though.

I ran around Rutgers today. It's still nice and quiet, with the semester not yet having started. For the last 2 miles or so of my run, this ambulance kept passing me. It was kind of odd. I'm not sure if they were doing a usual weekend sweep of the campus to find people lying in ditches from the night before, or maybe just training for a new driver to learn all the roads around campus before the semester begins. I think that second one is probably more likely. I was amusing myself by imagining that it was trying to casually follow me around to make sure I didn't collapse and die, running in the heat and humidity.

So, today I did about 6 miles. Normally I would do a longer run on the weekend, but I missed my run at the end of last week, so I wanted to do another shorter one before I increased miles. I'm off work for the next 3 days (yay!) so I can do a long run on Tuesday instead.

I still haven't crossed that 10 mile mark. I really want to, but I feel my body draining at around 8 or 9. I think it's actually just a matter of me finding the right snack along the way. I've been experimenting with different power boost snacks. Everyone reacts to them a little bit differently, so you just need to find the one that's right for you. There are different brands, different ingredients, different flavors, and different forms. The general idea is that they are quick and easy for your body to process, and give you some calories, electrolytes, caffeine, etc. But again, each one is different, and gives you different things.

Today I tried some cola-flavored chewy gel snacks. Whey they say "chewy" they mean it. I got tired of chewing enough to swallow, and just downed them with a big gulp of drink instead. Next time it's going to be vanilla goo (yes, goo). It comes in a pouch and you squeeze the goo into your mouth and swallow it right down. The consistency is kind of a cross between jello and pudding.

Overall, they're actually pretty gross. The only way I can down them is because by the time I need them, my body needs the fuel enough that I don't really taste much. The same actually goes for Gatorade & similar drinks. You won't ever catch me drinking that stuff just for fun. As it is, when I run alone I cut it with water to reduce the flavor. When there are drink stations out (during group runs or races) I usually grab a cup of the power drink and then chase it with a cup of water.

I find it interesting that my view of food has changed drastically since I began running. Food was always something you ate because you were hungry, or because it was time to eat. You decide what to eat based on who you're with or how delicious the food sounds. Now, food is fuel for my body. This might sound silly...maybe it's common to think of food this way, and I'm just late in the game.

But the evening before a long run, I'm going to make sure I get in certain foods. If I don't, I notice it the next day. That morning, I make sure to have something to eat, and again, what I eat will affect my performance. I love eating pasta the night before, and if I don't get a piece of bread and some peanut butter that morning with my breakfast, I get tired much faster. Even after my run -- a lot of times I'm not really hungry, but I still make sure to get something within an hour of stopping, because otherwise my body will crash. I like bananas for this, and spreading again some peanut butter is good too.

I ran out of bananas, so I had a PB&J today instead. I think I'm going to treat myself to something delicious tonight.