Overcome Long Run Boredom!

It's no secret that I enjoy running long distances over shorter ones. There's just something about being out there on the road for a long amount of time and just letting your body feel the run! It always takes me 3-4 miles to get warmed up so I do not enjoy short runs as much.

But...running long distances can get boring at times no matter how much you love it! Here are some ways that I overcome the long run boredom!

• Run With Friends. I rarely run a long run alone. I try to plan my long runs around the times when my running friends are also running. We call it therapy! We run, talk, and laugh! It's my girl time!
• Listen to Music. I only run with music when I'm running solo. I've been known to listen to several movie or television soundtracks....like Frozen, Twilight, and my new favorite, Nashville! I also love listening to praise and worship music while I run. 
• Pray. When I'm running alone I love to take the time and pray to God. I feel closer to Him when I am running in the beautiful world He created. It helps pass the time because it's just like I'm talking to a friend.
• Play Games. My friend Paige introduced me to the Alphabet Game on one of our race road trips. This is a game where you find words or objects that begin with each letter of the alphabet. My boys love playing it in the car. When I'm running long I will find myself playing this game to help keep my mind off the miles. I also like the Counting Game...where I count lightpoles, mailboxes, cracks in the sidewalk, etc.
• Listen to an Audiobook. This is one of my favorite things to do when I am running a long run by myself. It really helps pass the time...and miles...because I am so focused on what is happening in the book instead of how many miles I have left to run. 

These are the things I do to help myself get through those long runs that can be boring! 

QOTD: How do you overcome long run boredom? Any ideas I didn't mention?

Fall Training Schedule

Many of you ask me how I train. I typically run 3-4 times a week. I find that is the best for my body. If I run any more than that I tend to get injured.

I don't do a ton of speedwork. I know I should do more but I just don't. :-/

As you saw from yesterday's post, I have 4 races that I am running this fall. So my training schedule can get pretty tricky. I make out a calendar for each month and try to stick to it the best that I can.

I try to increase my long run by at least one mile each weekend. I may do a slow and easy recovery run on Sunday. Or I may run a fast mile on Monday. Then the rest of the week I run two short runs of 3-4 miles. Some of those short runs will incorporate speed work.

Here's my training schedule for the next 5 months...what I'm calling the fall season! :-)

So that's my tentative training schedule for the next few months! I say tentative because I may change things if I add another race in there, if I get sick, etc. For example...this week I've gone astray from the plan because I chose to do a one mile speedwork run on Tuesday because Sunday's run was a fast 3 miles instead of a recovery run. In my opinion the most important run is the long run when you are training for a half marathon or marathon. So I try to not miss those runs. Yay for training!!!

QOTD: Do you follow a specific training schedule? Do you make your own schedule or use one of the popular ones you can find online?

Huma Chia Energy Gel Review and Giveaway!

Not too long ago my friend Larisa from Zero to Twenty Six Point Two sent me a text asking me if I wanted to try a new energy gel for my runs. Well being the running blogger that I am I love trying new things! But first I did a little research because I didn't want to say yes if I knew that it would be a product that I wasn't interested in. So she told me the name of the gel...Huma Chia Energy Gel...and I immediately googled it. When I saw the words "chia" and "all natural" I knew I definitely wanted to try this gel.

I got in contact with Ian from Huma Gel and he quickly sent me 4 gels to try!

I love the story behind Huma. Lieutenant McCollum was in Iraq and reading a book about the Tarahumara, a tribe of Mexican Indians who compete in 100+ mile races as part of their culture. To fuel themselves on these ultramarathons they use a special blend of chia seeds. He decided to see if this would work for him in Iraq. It indeed worked and it lead to the creation of Huma!

So what is Huma all about? (click on the image below to enlarge it)

Made with chia, tastes great, and 100% natural...what more could you want?

It comes in two flavors: Strawberries and Apples & Cinnamon!

I've talked about how I fuel for my long runs and how GU is the gel I use. A lot of my friends can't use GU because it upsets their stomach during the run. I've never had that problem during the run. It happens to me AFTER the run. I've just come to accept that my tummy is going to hurt for a few hours after a long run. But...I've learned through Huma Chia Energy Gel that it doesn't have to be that way!

I first tried Huma on a 12 mile training run. The course was very hilly and I knew I was going to need that fuel to get me through it. I usually take my gels about every 45 minutes...Huma suggests the same thing...and to drink lots of water with it. So around that time I consumed my first ever Huma gel...the Strawberries one.

It was so yummy! It tasted like strawberry puree. And I didn't notice the chia seeds at all. The big plus is that it wasn't hard getting it down. With other gels I always have a hard time getting them down...and the texture usually makes me want to gag. Not Huma! The next few miles...and hills...of the run were great! I could feel the burst of energy from the gel...and my tummy felt fine!

The next 45 minutes I tried a second Huma gel...the Apples & Cinnamon one. Oh my goodness this one was my favorite! It tasted like Apple Cinnamon applesauce or apple butter! And for all you texture people out there...the texture is just like applesauce. I actually could feel that I was putting something healthy in my body! I was in love...with Huma!

The next weekend I ran the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon. What fuel did I use? The other two Huma gels that Ian sent me! And...I had a great race!

The next weekend I was running the Seaside Half Marathon and I could NOT make myself go back to GU. So I was on the hunt for Huma! Luckily, using the Store Locator section of their website, I found a place locally that sells it!!! And you can bet I stocked up! As you can tell, the Apples & Cinnamon is my favorite!!!

And do you remember that little race called Seaside? Where I PRed???? Yeah...I give all the credit to Huma!!!

My pace partner, Holly from Running and Baking Oh My, won some Huma gel in a giveaway and I was sooo excited for her! This tweet from her sums up how well Huma Gel worked for me in Seaside.

@mindybobe @asphaltnosher @humagel I know! I'm so excited, after seeing how great it fueled you at Seaside, you were a machine!!
— Holly (@running_baking) March 13, 2013

So....are you sold yet? Don't you want to try Huma Chia Energy Gel??? Well here's your chance to win some! Ian has offered 2 four-gel sample pack prizes to giveaway to my readers! Yeah!!! All you have to do is enter below (please be sure to follow all the guidelines...I will be checking). Note: this giveaway is only open to continental US residents. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Don't want to wait so long to try Huma? They sell the four pack sample packs on their website. Ian has again been so generous and is offering my readers FREE SHIPPING on one four sample pack! Just use the code ROADRUNNERGIRL at checkout. :-) Hurry because this code will expire April 7th!

If you try Huma...please let me know what you think! It is now my number 1 choice for fueling my long runs!

Disclaimer: Huma Chia Energy Gel sent me samples of their product to taste and review. I received no other compensation. All opinions in the above post are mine and mine alone!

LSD Is For Me!

Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a phone call from my Dad who is a retired cop after he sees this title!!! I'm not talking drugs people....I'm talking "long slow distance!" If you're a runner you already know that!!! I just LOVE long runs! I always feel so much better in these runs...in fact...I really don't like short runs. I know they are a big part of training but they suck. I think it's because my short runs are usually 3-4 miles...and it takes that long for me to even warm up! So I struggle through those runs a lot more than my long runs. Now I'm not saying long runs aren't hard for me...they are. Especially when I get into those 16, 18, 20, and 22 milers in marathon training. But I prefer them to short runs any day! I know I can push through. And feel super accomplished in the end!

Now I am not a fast runner by no means. Fast for me is in the 9's...and I don't run this pace often. My average pace for short runs is between 10-10:30. My average pace for long runs is between 11-11:30. I know that is super slow for a lot of you but it works for me and I'm proud of it!

That being said...today was a long run day for me. It was the last long run before I start tapering for my half on Sept. 30th. It was the last long run for these amazing women called the Sole2Soul Sisters that I've been training for their first half marathon...and they are ROCKING!!! I'm so proud of them and how great they have done with their training!

This run was awesome!!!! We ran one of my favorite routes that's down by the bay. My goal for this run was to take it slow and easy and try to stay at an 11:30 pace. The first 3 miles I ran a little faster...I was in the 10's but kept telling myself to slow down. The last half a mile of this route there is a gradual, never ending hill and I knew I wouldn't make it if I didn't pace myself. So I kept slowing myself down to an 11:30 pace. Around mile 4 it started sprinkling. I was super surprised because the rain chance was only 10%! I don't mind running in the rain but my iPhone was in my belt and I was super worried about it!!! (Hey don't judge! I LOVE my iPhone!) Luckily, my friend Donna came to my rescue and gave me a ziploc bag to put my iPhone in...thanks so much Donna!  And boy am I glad I had that ziploc bag because at mile 9....the rain started coming down heavy! It was like a monsoon out there! But it felt GREAT! Very refreshing when you are super hot!

Can you see the drops of rain???

Wouldn't you know it would rain pour when I had a white shirt on!!! That's my luck lol! 

I had 3 miles left and I wasn't stopping...and neither were my Sole2Soul Sisters! I was so proud of them for sticking it out in the rain! We made it to the end (and yes I KICKED that hill in the booty) and the sun came out!!! Yay!!!

Here's the scenery I had to look at while running today...so gorgeous!!!

Jennie and Me after the run!

After the run, the sun had come out, and I was SOAKED!!!

Just in case you are a numbers person like me...here are my stats:

12 miles, 2:19:24, average pace 11:38

QOTD: Do you prefer long or short runs? My shoes are SOAKED...any suggestions on how to dry them out?

Don't forget to enter my Energy Bits Giveaway! Ends tomorrow night!