Week 8: Four miles

20:40 sec run/walk ratio
1:05 hours
4.38 miles
15.1 minutes/mile

What a day. Slept in late, started out late—didn't get out the door until 10 AM. Couldn't get motivated. Couldn't decide where to run until the last minute, but finally went to Meadowbrook Park as usual. I was going to try to take some water with me using a plastic flask I'd bought, so I was emptying some of the water so I could try to fold it up and fit it in my running belt, and spilled water on my crotch. Decided it would probably dry enough by the time I got to the park, so I didn't go back to change. Started out the run with wet tights. The flask wouldn't fit in my belt anyway, so I stll need to figure out a way to carry water with me. Forgot to turn the GPS on until I was almost half a mile into my run, so I had to restart my workout.

Still, I got my run in, and it went pretty well once I got going. Good thing it was only a four-miler today. (Although, I suspect I'd have been less lackadaisical about it if it had been a longer run.) My tights did dry out fairly quickly once I started running, so that was no problem. I ate part of a Clif Bar before I started my run, so I could see how my stomach did on it, and it was fine. I ate the rest of it after I finished. I think it's a good idea to bring something with me to eat after I finish my run, otherwise I don't get anything until I get home and change clothes, which is over half an hour later. Also need to figure out what to bring with me to eat during the long runs. I took a Clif Bar with me last week, planning to eat some when I had two miles left, but I misjudged how far into the run I was and was nearly done by the time I ate it, so I couldn't really tell. I did find that it was hard to eat it without any water to wash it down, so I definitely need to have some water with me, or just wait to eat until I can take a detour through the parking lot to the bathroom. During the actual marathon, there will be water stations every few miles, so I won't need to bring my own, but in training I'll need water.

I have two new items of running gear this week: a couple of long-sleeved dri-fit tee-shirts I got on Amazon for running in cooler weather. They fit great and feel great and they're safety green and VERY BRIGHT, and they were cheap, two for around $17. Good deal. I almost wore one today, since it was windy, but it was starting to warm up a bit by the time I hit the road, so I went back to my usual short-sleeved shirt, which turned out to be a good decision. It wasn't hot, but it was warm enough that my arms didn't get cold. I think the long-sleeves would have been fine, too, but I'd rather err on the cool side.

The other thing I bought was a pair of Yurbuds earbuds, which have special covers to fit snugly in your ears so they don't come loose while you're working out. I'd heard very mixed reviews—some people just loved them, others said they didn't work at all—but I decided to give them a try. I like them a lot! They came with two sizes of covers, and I needed the larger size, but with those, they fit my ears very well and really don't fall out! I tried them on one of my short runs this week, and then again today, and didn't have to adjust them or push them back in my ears at all! I got the more expensive model that has a mic and volume controls on the cord, and that was handy, too. So that was a good investment.

Next thing is to figure out a way to carry water with me! Will have to do some research on that.