MY MARATHON!!!

Which city marathon should we keep?
One marathon alone might be stronger, but deciding which gets the nod could be tough

I'm partial to the Waterfront marathon because it's prettier, and well, I've run it before. In any case, regardless of which one they eliminate, I hope they mix the courses so that it'll still cover the beach.

A Midsummer Night's Run

Today, actually, right now, I would be on my way to running 30K at A Midsummer Night's Run. At this point though, I can't imagine what it would feel like to be running for what would be around 8K by now, with 22K more to go.

I'm not running and haven't been running for a while for a number of reasons. The most important reason though is actually the same as the most important thing I'm doing right now.

I'm housing a baby!

That's right, a life has decided to rent space for personal growth in my uterus for the next 7ish months, and despite the way I'm feeling, I completely welcome it and surrender all control of my body for the success of this life's development.

I will, however, hopefully keep running, and that will be a new adventure that I'll definitely write about.

The Banana Boom

I got this in my STWM newsletter. Thought I'd share it with my fellow runners who weren't aware...

The banana boom

Some of us like using gels for additional carbs on the run, some of us don't. Sport drink does it for many, not for everyone. Sport beans & jelly beans work for some. Energy bars work for some. Everything works for some, not for everyone. Except the banana.

The banana is the perfect 'fuel' for runners. Full of carbs (39g!) and natural sugars, easy to ingest, easy to digest to get the carbs working for you, and it even comes in its own yellow carrying case to prevent it from getting sunburned.

High in potassium and magnesium, the banana replaces electrolytes vital to muscle movement. The only thing missing is sodium, also needed to keep muscles moving. So maybe you pop a few sodium tablets or sport drink to go with the banana. Mix it up!

And bananas are way cheaper than gels, they're natural, you know you can stomach them, they even taste good! Yes sir, your running is really going to improve when you start carrying bananas with you on long runs.

They're becoming so popular as a 'fuel' that Fuel Belt is adapting its belts to hold up to 6 bananas. Water belts are getting banana holders - yeah, so you can attach a bunch of them! Races are adding 'banana stations'. Dole and Chiquita are vying for race sponsorships. Even the little pocket inside runners' shorts is being lengthened to accommodate a banana.

Such a simple food, who would have thought it would become the little fruit that COULD!

The Dish on The Half

I'd never run an official half marathon before. I was stoked for this one. The course was really simple and easy so it was just a matter of keeping it together. I did well and beat my previous personal record by over 10 minutes!! I also did some fundraising for this race. Thank you to all who pledged :)

The race actually began BEFORE the actual race. With the streets closed, it was crazy trying to get off the highway. My husband came with me and together with a long line of runners in cars, we sat on the highway exit ramp. People were getting out of cars on the ramp and running to the start line. I took this as an opportunity to not start with the huge group so I stayed in the car. By the time we got closer to the parking lot, it was almost start time, so I kissed my husband later! and ran for the start line.

The actual race was pretty crazy. I was doing well, then at the 8K mark, I had a UUUUUUGE (so huge, the H doesn't fit) cramp. It was enough that I had to literally stop...it didn't help to walk. So I stopped, forced myself not to cry, and yelled to myself (mentally) to GET. IT. TO.GETH.ER. I finished the race cramp-free after that. It was so weird for me to get a cramp -- I almost never get them.

The course traveled passed a lot of really big houses, and there wasn't any looping, so it was nice and scenic. The things I found challenging were that some parts were so narrow so you had to go single file and that the finish line was sorta hidden so you didn't have much of an idea where to start sprinting to the finish.

It was a great race though, and I'd definitely do it again.

NEW PR!!!

I ran the Mississauga Half-Marathon today. It was a pretty simple course :)

2:07:16

That's over 10 minutes cut off from my last PR. WOOHOO!!