Half marathon Saturday
As I sit here and type this I can feel my legs starting to tense up a bit. Although every minute was so. worth. it!!
My early morning run was amazing today!! Ok, I don’t know if I would go as far as saying amazing but it was realllly good!
I started out a little different today. I was a bit nervous but went with it and am so glad I did. Coach B gave us a sample of Chi 3 Energy drink, so I drank that before my run. Thanks Coach B! Normally I’m not one to change things up on long runs. I guess I should tell you that I have never had an energy drink in my life, no Red Bull or anything. Some days I can barely have a cup of coffee without getting the shakes from the caffeine (which is why I’m not a regular coffee drinker). Sad, I know.
I was pleasantly suprised with this Chi 3. The difference between this and other energy drinks is that it’s not full of sugar, the ingredients are natural and it has no artificial color or flavors. You can read more about it here if you like but here is a quick comparison between the Chi 3 and other popular energy drinks:
I would definitely try this again to change things up a bit. I didn’t feel shakey at all and did feel like it gave me a good boost.
So I ran 22km in two hours and feel great!! Thankfully it wasn’t as cold out as the last few days. The footing however, wasn’t the greatest and the wind was just a blow’n. The first 11km was a little bit tough and I could really feel the effects from my hill workout on Thursday. It didn’t help that we were running against the wind the entire time.
When we turned around at 11km things started to look brighter. Literally! The sun came out and it was so beautiful. I even had to take my jacket off because I was too warm. We had a tail wind and I felt a bit refreshed from knowing I only had 11km more to go. Both of my knees were bothering me a bit but I’m hoping that its just from the cold. Fingers crossed that’s all it is.
I also wore my waterbelt (not the Nathan Speed 2 I was talking about the other day) that I’ve had since I first started running. I’m SO glad I had it although at times it was a little annoying.
Biff is part of the Runners' Edge crew.. always out to support!
The bottle went flying out of the holder twice and I had to run back a get it. Once I tightened the belt as tight as it could go it was so much better. It really did make a difference having water throughout my entire run. I tried to remind myself to take a sip about every ten minutes. It helped to wash down the four clif shot bloks I had throughout my run. Due to the conditions today we weren’t really concerned about pace or time which was really nice! My pace was about thirty seconds more than what it normally is which was fine with me. Coach B said to focus on form, footing and hydration and I’m so glad I listened to him. I found on the hills today that it really does help if I look up and focus on one spot until I reach the top rather than thinking “oh man this is killer”. Imagine that!
graceful pose for the camera
pumping up the last hill. i promise those aren't rolls.. i put my gloves in my pocket
made it! time for another picture.. ha!
After todays run I was thinking that if it was race day, I would have only had 8km more to go. I’m feeling that my goal is more achievable and that makes me so excited! The mind can do some crazy things in those last 8km though can’t it…..
Tags: around the bay, beautiful day, clif shot bloks, energy drink, GMan, inspire, lsd run, runners edge
oh my gosh that look so cold. You need to come down to Austin so you run in warmth. Never heard of CHI drink. I like all the B vitamins though. Much healthier that red bull!
I have never been to Austin… I’m always up for an adventure tho and all about warmth!!
The Chi3 is definitely a lot healthier than redbull ..i plan on trying it again on my next long run.
Great job, Sabrina! Doesn’t getting a good long run in feel incredible? You looked like you were just rockin’ right along too…love it! :)
I’ve actually never tried an energy drink myself either…glad to hear good things about the CHI drink! I’m pretty bad with drinking on a run – I have ZERO hydration system, but in a way it’s okay with me unless I’m doing a 1/2 marathon or longer (now I can say that after my 17 miler! lol)…but to hear how much it helped makes me want to get a belt like that. Even though your bottle popped out a few times, would you recommend it? Just curious.
And do you find the shot bloks help a lot? I need to get some type of system down for eating/drinking while running!
Have fun with your man tomorrow! :D
Thanks Bonnie!!
About the water belt, one thing I did notice on Saturday is that even though it bounced a bit, it didn’t move around as much as previous times because of the clothes I had on. I had about 4 layers on top (that includes my jacket), so that made it more snug. any other time that i’ve used the belt was in the summer so i would only have a really light shirt or just my running bra on. so that’s something to think about when buying one. i would recommend one though, at least that way the water is there whenever you need it and if you don’t need it.. well, it’s better to be safe than sorry, right :)
i find that the shot bloks do help. It keeps my mind occupied a bit too lol. maybe it even tricks my mind/stomach thinking it has food? really it’s like a jubjube, they’re good! I used to use GU gels but the texture of it made me gag and i found it hard to swallow.. which is why i made the switch. everyone is so different though so what works for one person may not work for the other. Let me know if you try something and how you like it! Good luck!
You are impressive. I feel cold just looking at your run!
Thanks, Tina :)
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