Since today I did a long run I'll talk about two of my favorite must haves for my summer long runs.
My Favorites:
1) Elete Electrolyte Add-In: I'd love to take credit for finding this but Santa brought me this last Christmas, what a smart guy he is! Apparently Santa knows my tummy gets very sensitive to sugars while I'm running. The few times I've tried Gu's or sports drinks during or after a run I've ended up doubled over wanting to die. So I've always just stuck with water in the past. The Elete add-in is great for me since there are no sugars, just electrolytes and no colorings or flavors. At first I noticed a slight taste, and I mean really super-de-duper slight, like a very watered down saline solution, but now I don't notice a taste at all. I'm thrilled that it doesn't upset my stomach and I can get electrolyte and mineral replacement that I need during my long runs. I'm excited that I'll get to test it on some really long runs this summer, so far the longest I've done using it is 13 miles, I'm hoping later to test it on some 20 milers and then a marathon!
2) Cool Off Bandanna: My friend Kay found out about this little gem of gear and con
vinced me to get one. This is a bandanna folded in half with a chamois in the middle and sewn together only at the bottom point leaving two openings for you to put ice in. Simple and so genius! Today I ran the first 3 of my 11 miles without it then headed to the car and jammed it full of ice. Ahhhh... gloriously cold ice on my neck was the bomb! The ice lasted just a bit past mile 8 today. This will definitely help me get through a long hot summer filled with marathon training runs. The only down side is that you get absolutely drenched from the melting ice, but hey, it's the south and I would be drenched from the humidity anyway!My not so favorites:
1) I don't like passing billboards on the way to the trail for my long run that have a temperature reading of 76 F at 5:45 in the morning. Really? Is that necessary Mother Nature? The sun isn't even up! Don't you know it should be closer to the 60's?
2) Chaffing anywhere sucks. But it sucks even more in the bikini area. I'm not sure what I did different today. Maybe I wasn't generous enough in the right spots with my Body Glide? I can tell you my shower was extremely painful, you've been there and know that feeling. It's one of the few times I say crazy stuff like, "I'd rather go through labor again than feel that again!" Grocery shopping was unbearable and I've got more powder coated in that area than I'd like to admit. Here's to hoping the next shower doesn't make me want to cry!
