Saturday, February 9, 2008

Running with Scissors

I just found my 20-month-old running down the hallway. With scissors. Literally. Despite having told my 5-year-old about 142 times not to leave them where the baby can reach them, the baby had a death grip on a pair of blue safety scissors. At least they were the round-tipped kind. The running part came when I spotted her and said, "Julia, come here." Being a toddler, of course she immediately ran in the opposite direction. There was squealing. I can see her little mind turning over the phrase: "Yay! Mommy wants to play a NEW game." Luckily, it's not hard to catch a 20-month-old and steal her scissors.

On to running without scissors (wouldn't that be a good name for a blog----or is it just me?):
Sans scissors, I did my longest run of 7.5 miles in 1:19:54, a 10:39 average pace.
For a long, slow distance run, I'm pretty happy with that pace. K. and I also took a 90-second walk break every 3 miles because we know we'll want/need to at the Country Music Half- Marathon. Might as well start walking now. I learned a few things on today's run:

1. 7.5 miles really doesn't feel any different or worse than 6.2. Nice to know. I hope 8, 9, and 10 are like that!

2. Clif Shot Bloks are yummy! K. and I shared a bag---three blocks each at the end of mile 3. Like a gummy only stickier and with less of a waxy texture. They were cran-razz flavored and SO MUCH BETTER than the gels I've tried.

3. On a 7.5 mile run, it would be helpful to take along a beverage. The Bloks made us thirsty, but we didn't have any water with us. Running 4.5 more miles thirsty isn't really pleasant. It's time to look into a hydration belt...... to wear with my tights. This is serious runner territory, guys!

Living and learning,
D.

2 comments:

Reluctant Runner said...

Hi, Donna. My rule of thumb is that I bring water and other fuel for any run over 10K (just over 6 miles). I've been bringing the Clif shot bloks, too, and I like them but they do get stuck in my teeth. I guess that kind of adds to their entertainment value. ;-)

Great pace for your run, btw!

RunnerMom said...

Reluctant runner--I took the plunge and ordered a hydration belt. You are right about the bloks---they did stick to my teeth, but it distracted me from running for a minute or two, so it's worth it. Have you tried the caffeinated ones?

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