January: 136+ miles

In the first four weeks of 2012 I have run over 136 miles.  I should be above 140, but a nasty cold decided to stop by for a visit.  My plan was to run 14 miles yesterday, but I only did 9.8.  This morning I did a strong 7+ in Rossford with Joe, Alex, Tammy, Susan, and Kerri.  Despite all of the ooze coming out of my nose and throat, I could have gone longer.   Not that it's a goal through this running, but I have lost two pounds since the beginning of the month.  It could just be dehydration from the illness, so maybe it's only been one pound if not less.

I am definitely due for some new kicks soon.  My current pair has seen about 300 miles.  They aren't wearing too bad at all and my feel still feel good.  I have noticed a few blisters lately, which I hadn't had for a long while.  Also, I'm really getting used to having 10 toenails, so I need to be proactive to keep them.

I'm thinking about changing my 14 miles for this Saturday to 16.  I can do it, as long as I can twist some arms to continue with me after mile 8.  If I'm going to run that long, I need to experiment with refueling during a run.  I like to have as little on my person as possible while running (big reason I switched from Endomondo on my phone to a Garmin in order to track my runs), but it might be time to start carrying a small water bottle.  Tammy offered up her fuel-belt-thingy.

As far as actual energy, I tried Gu once and did not like it.  If it's normal for gels to be chalky, then I think I need to just stay away from them.  I had Clif Shot Bloks and they weren't so bad insofar as texture and flavor, but I only tried them before a couple of 8-mile runs, so I really couldn't tell if they worked for me since I didn't pop them during the runs.  Sport beans seem not so bad--I'm pretty sure they are really just plain old Jelly Belly jelly beans, and I do like jelly beans.  Tammy suggested that I carry a bottle of water mixed with honey, since honey is straight up sugar.  It sounded gross when she suggested it, but that was the first day that I was feeling really sick, so nothing sounded good to me.  Any suggestions for refueling during longer runs?  What does and does not work for you?