Honey Stingers

Last week I went shopping at REI for Gu replacements to try on my long run yesterday. I decided to try energy chews - I got a couple packs of Honey Stingers and a pack of Luna Moons. I took the pomegranate flavored Honey Stingers with me to the lake and they were delicious! You are supposed to have 5-10 chews every hour, so I had 5 at :45 and 5 again at 1:15. I am not sure if they had the same effect as the Gu, but I do think they gave me a little kick. The only problem with them is the size of the bag compared to the size of the Gu packet. If you are looking to try something new, I highly recommend these - even if you're just going hiking, biking, etc., it's good to have that boost of energy.

My next step is to buy a running belt so I don't have to carry my chews and energy drink whilst I run.

Goal Achieved

Yesterday I finally accomplished a goal I've had for a while now: I ran around White Rock Lake. The weather was perfect and it was crowded. I love seeing other people exercise whether on foot, on a bike, or in rollerblades. The course is about 9.1 miles, and being that I had to run 9 miles, it worked out perfectly. It was also my first time to try Gu. I wouldn't say that was a good experience. I had the tri-berry flavor, but couldn't finish it off - I probably had about 75% of it. But that 75% really helped me push through and finish. I think this weekend I'm gonna try the Gu Energy Chomps instead. Hopefully I can stand it and it has the same effect.

Another thing that got me through the run was the whole wheat bagel and banana I ate about 2 hours before I ran. I highly recommend eating these before your next long run. Last week before I ran 8 miles, I tried just having coffee and a protein bar and my stomach was not happy with me.

If you have any running routes that are 8+ miles, please share. I like to change things up.

Stinky

Our nephew, a.k.a. Stinky, was a skunk this year for Halloween. We got to have lunch with all of the fam on Saturday for Josh and Jason's birthdays. Happy 30th to my old, wise husband and happy early birthday to Jason!

Here are some pictures of Noah is his costume: