Monday, June 14, 2010

my other crack cocaine

three things got me through hot weekend runs:
  1. convincing myself that if i suffered for just a few more runs, i'd be used to it and it won't feel so deathly.
  2. running through every single sprinkler encountered.
  3. ice cold gu brew and all the gu flavors a runner could want.

a few weeks ago my friends at gu/outside pr sent me the gu performance sampler pack. getting gu in the mail is like christmas - i am almost as cracked-out on gu chomps as i am on m&m's. so maybe sometimes i eat chomps as a snack instead of pre-/mid-run fuel... is that such a bad thing? oh and mint chocolate - how did i ever go so long without you! so glad you are now available all year long. if only you came in roctane form... i'd run 4:30-miles :)


purchase your own a sampler pack of gu:
GU Performance Energy Sample Pack


anyway. after melting on a 7+ miler saturday, i mixed up a bottle of blueberry pomegranate brew (2x the sodium - i figured i'd need it) before my "long" run sunday. it was hot and humid, and i wanted to ensure i didn't quit early so i played a few mind games with myself. i planned out 2 loops through the neighborhoods that would enable me to stop back by the house in between for a gu and some cold brew. my bottle of brew went into the fridge and i stepped out into the sticky, gross air. i would have carried it with me, but lately it makes me cranky and more likely to quit. the promise of cold brew and any flavor gu lured me through each mile, and i successfully survived (much) longer than last week.

so far i haven't met a gu flavor i haven't liked, but i also haven't tried them all yet. most recently i befriended tri-berry and orange burst, and thought they'd make excellent gu-popsicles. of course this would just make more gu products i eat as regular food instead of running food...

saturday (6/12) noon run: 7.3 miles, 1:08:14 (avg pace 9:21), 85* (65% humidity)
(i highly recommend not running at noon. no shade, no sprinklers. i took a page from frayed laces and stopped at the clubhouse for some ice to dump down my bra. my boobs have finally proven some value as an ice holder.)

sunday (6/13) am run: 9.3 miles, 1:28:34 (avg pace 9:31), 84* (88% humidity)
i must admit i did walk a little - it was just brutal. but, i guess the running was at a decent pace 'cause my overall pace didn't tank as much as i thought it would.

25 comments:

  1. I will have to try that gu stuff!

    Ugh...running in the humidity is the WORST! I should not whine about my gray rainy weekend because it made for good running weather.

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  2. Oh my gosh, I can't believe you ran at noon! YUCK!

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  3. Tri-berry is AMAZING...a triberry popsicle...YUM!

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  4. I have a race coming up in July where the RD has already sent everyone an email warning us that temps may be in th 100's by the finish. I supposed I should get out for some heat training. You're saying Gu Brew has copious amounts of sodium? I need to start experimenting with sodium replacement....

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  5. Lots of yummy Gu flavors! Way to push through the heat and humidity. Contrary to most people, that is the weather I most like to run in!

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  6. MMMMM, love me some Gu! Look at that loot! *jealous*

    Nice work on the runs.

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  7. Thank goodness you've found a purpose for the boobs! I know I shouldn't complain about the heat since living at elevtion, all one has to do is get up at 4a.m. and run while it's still in the 60's....but who the heck likes to do that? But maybe a better alternative to the noon-time running, girl!!! Woohoo on the GU score...I need friends like that! Stay cool this week!!

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  8. Those are great runs...you did WAY better than me...um, I didn't run at all this weekend. Ack!!

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  9. I feel you on the heat! I woke up at 5am for my run yesterday in an attempt to beat the sun for my 10 miler, but it was still 78* with 88% humidity when I started out! Ugh... You did better on your times than I did though. Way to go! :)

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  10. You have me totally cracked out on Gu Chomps as well. I got a strawberry sample in a race packet and I literally squealed. Scared the poor volunteer to death.

    Dear God woman, how do you run at 88% humidity?! Isn't that called swimming?

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  11. Ice holder - LOL.
    Love the GU stuff and diff flav.
    Heat & humidity is tuff, but you are doing it and building mental and physical toughness in the process.

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  12. You are amazing enduring those conditions!
    Nice score on the GU!!

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  13. You can only improve upon feeling "deathly"

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  14. I love it. Another person hooked on GU Gels and the like. lol. Are the blocks a replacement for the M&Ms? For GU in mid run, I have them mixed in the G2 Low Cal Gaterade. Lime with Lime, Orange with Orange, though, I think I am going to start mixing them up, but then again, I wonder if that would screw up my running with flavors only Willie WOnka could even think of. THey should make a GU Ball, like an everlasting gob stopper. Good job on getting out there in the swamp ass heat.

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  15. I thought you mentioned at some point that you were not a good cook? What the hell-making GU popsicles?? Chef Lindsay!

    I absolutely love the Chomps-especially the orange or cranberry apple. Much easier on the gut versus the gel-which works great for me on a long one, but I pay for it later-big time!

    My run this morning was in 98% humidity. Temp was 62 and dewpoint was 60-shit I froze and sweated all at the same time-absolutely disgusting!

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  16. I always thought boobs would get in the way, but I never thought to use them as an ice holder.

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  17. the weather has been so brutal for the past week or so. I've gotten up really early a couple of days and it's not even worth running early because it's already 70 degrees and 80% humidity. good job getting out there.

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  18. Glad you're having as much fun with the heat as I am. The prospect of three more months of this is not good. I feel like I'm melting and I'm not even doing any kind of serious training.

    I'm definitely looking forward to heading to the Smoky Mountains in two weeks. Hills be damned! I'll take the cooler weather.

    Oh, and you have a FB group invite...

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  19. Ooh! All that GU!

    Kudos to you for running at noon, Lindsay...I couldn't do it. I sweat like a pig, running at dawn.

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  20. All that heat makes running sound not so fun. Do you freeze the gu?

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  21. Your post title certainly caught my attention, you little addict, you!
    Nice running in the heat!

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  22. i would like to try some of this, but here in Spain... Don't worry I only take 'geles' when I run marathons... Well that isn't real truth when I do my long training day too!

    I see your running days are better so I'm happy!

    A complet box of Gu! Mamma mia

    Thanks for the picture and to show your tricks to run better and faster!

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  23. I didn't know Gu makes drinks? But I have to be honest, the last few times I've used Gu, they've well, not worked well for me, let's just leave it at that (they've made me want to duck under every bush possible)

    Ice on the girls, huh? I just may have to try that...

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  24. I have a whole car pouch dedicated to Clif-Gels. They are my favorite of all gels but they're not particularly enjoyable to eat while running.

    I'd love to miraculously turn them into gummies (which I love) but have no idea what steps to take to do this.

    Any ideas would be very much appreciated.

    Have a great weekend!

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