I had tried out my new Ultimate Direction Jurek Endure hydration belt, AKA fanny pac, on my three mile run on Friday just to see how it felt/how much it moved, but this was my first time loading it up. And load it up I did. A bottle of water, bottle of Nuun (lemon lime) and a vanilla bean gu pouch. I've never run with anything before, and I was feeing so free knowing I could run for miles and miles with all that sustenance. I secured the belt at the smallest part of my waist above my hips hoping to keep it from moving. That, along with the full water bottle on each side, seemed to help keep it in place and it was so comfortable I hardly noticed it. For as nervous as I to start running with gear, this was a great experience. I'd definitely recommend it.
Anyways, the vanilla bean gu was actually delish (or as delish as something called 'gu' can be). It tasted like a sugar cookie or something. Way better than the orange I tried last week. I was worried about stomach issues I'd heard about from others, so I pretty much chugged my water while I gulped it down. Worked well.
Also, drama, I encountered some geese along the way. Terrifying. They had little babies with them which, while adorable, certainly upped the already testy attitudes of the parents. I kept thinking about the YouTube video where the goose was attacking anyone who tried to save the woman's bag and was convinced it was going to happen to me. I looked like an idiot, but I gave those geese a LOT of space.
I joined Matt and little Mojo Man for a walk after my run and ran into a neighbor who has run a few marathons. I talked with her about training (and yes I was still rocking the fanny pac!), and she recommended the Fleet Feet training program. I have to say, the first question I seem to get from people after I say I'm training for the Hartford Marathon is "Who are you training with?"
I'll likely change my tune as I up the miles and spending hours every weekend running, but running with someone else just doesn't appeal to me right now. I loved having an hour and a half yesterday all to myself - not talking to anyone, no more than a wave and a smile as I passed someone. The entire time was devoted to me and how I was feeling, and I could focus on my body and not have to worry about someone else. I didn't have to stop and walk, but if I needed to I could have, because the only one I'd be delaying would be me. I sped up the last two miles because I was feeling good and I wanted to better my pace, and didn't have to check with someone else to see if they'd be up for it, or feel guilty if I separated from my buddy.
The main reason a group training program would probably help is keeping up motivation throughout the next four months, which is something I already struggled with just this week. I'll write a separate post on how I plan to keep motivated, and what I'm doing already to stay there.
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