100 calories

I had an excellent run on Friday. I increased the distance by a half mile and still felt great when I got back to the office. The last little bit was a mental challenge to keep running and not slow to a walk but I did it. Yahoo!

I did something different on both of these runs than my norm. You see, I'm not a great first-thing-in-the-morning breakfast person. On weekdays I usually have a cup of English Breakfast tea with smidge of half 'n half and honey. Then I'll add a newton (fig or raspberry) so I can take my vitamins. This is all between 4:30 and 5:00 AM. I am then good to go until about 8 AM when I have my Food for Life muffin smeared with peanut butter and apple butter.

I read something in my Health Magazine (thanks Mom!) recently that got me to thinking maybe I should have something more to eat before heading out. On Wednesday I tested the theory by eating half of a "power" bar (about 100 calories) 20-30 minutes before I left to run. What a difference. I had energy for the whole thing and felt super when I was finished. I think I've stumbled onto something here. It seems to help physically and mentally.

The other thing is good music. The better my selection of tunes as I move, the better my motivation to keep going. I love my Shuffle for this purpose. It's been a great investment for my running attire. I wonder how I'll do next weekend without it...