From Bad to Great

I am not quite sure how I can be ready to pass out at mile 2 and then re-group to have one of my best runs ever. Go figure.
We did an eight-mile loop this morning around town that included the Canal path and a tour of the historic part of downtown. The weather was glorious, and I had my water and Clif Shots Blocks. Mile one passed easily, but I was partway through mile two when I got that dizzy feeling again. This time I could not attribute it to heat or dehydration, so I can't even guess what it was. I walked for a minute--nah, probably more like 30 seconds, and then decided I would just start back slowly. Soon, one foot in front of the other, and I was feeling fine. In fact, my last two miles were at 9:30 and 9:07, and that included a hill I powered up!
The overall pace for the 8 miles was 10:23, but if I drop the warm-up mile at 11:30 and that one yucky mile, I had a great run:)
I did eat two Blocks at mile 4. That MUST have been it! (By the way, they do taste good, but they are sticky, which is rather annoying.)
Also, decisions have been made. Yup. We are running the Montgomery County half-marathon with Jeanne  of Not Born to Run, who is doing a kick a$$ job of training for her MC marathon. Woohoo!! The September race gives me a goal and works in her training schedule, so yeah! Fun!
Stay tuned.

Comments

[angie's pink fuzzy]

Nice!!!

[jeanne]

nice, but those dizzy spells are worrisome...what the heck?? great comeback! i love clif blocks, too, and so far, no tummy problems (praise god!).. and yep, i am ALL regumreistrated for the Montgomery County 1/2!! yay!!

[sherripowell]

happy to hear that your run took a turn for the better this morning! it WAS awesome weather in the area! and i think i might be on the verge of trying the clif shot blocks.....your mentions of them have been pretty positive. looking forward to staying updated on the montgomery co. 1/2 training...between you and Jeanne, there should be some fun, fun stories!

[backofpack]

I'm tempted to try the Clif Blocks or Sharkies. I just don't know if I can run and chew and breathe all at the same time. I'm not sure I'm that coordinated.

That's great that you recovered and kept going. Good deal!

[21stCenturyMom]

I had a dizzy spell just sitting on my couch one day. I got all checked out and it turned out to be nothing. I hope yours turns out to be equally meaningless.

I like the Cliff Bloks but they are very inconvenient - sticky and you need 3 to equal one gel. I hope they come up with a better way to package or concentrate them. It would be great if you could get 3 Blocks worth of nutrition packed into a gummy worm.

[Lara]

This post was one of the things that got me off my butt to do my 7 today! So glad it turned out to be such a great run!!

[Bob]

nice running Suzie, I definetly get a lift from the energy gels. I like GU but I have never tried the blocks. Something about solids and running does not appeal to me. :)

[Donald]

What a great run! I remember when I first started marathon training, I would carry a ziploc bag of gummy bears with me. It seems like Clif blocks are pretty much the same thing.

[christine]

cliff bloks heh? i noticed them at the race i volunteered at yesterday, they looked "gummy" but the flavors were too weird for me to try...which do you prefer? i was dizzy today but it was most likely due to heat and maybe a little sodium debt. i was a little chilled too, i wonder what's going on with your dizziness though? i know it can often be non-specific which isn't very reassuring! yeah for the new goals too!

[Dori]

I like the Cliff Bloks; they're not as intense as the gels. But yeah, they're sticky. Have you tried the sports jelly beans? They may not be as sticky, but I haven't tried them yet.

Dr. Dori is concerned about your dizziness. Do you eat before you run? A lot of people don't like to eat first, but I have a light breakfast an hour or two before I go out. Otherwise I'd have low blood sugar and would get shaky from the exertion.

Congratulations on your new goal--the Montgomery County Half-M! When is it?

[Anne]

Glad to hear you have a running plan -- always a good motivator this time of the year. I'm with you on the Shot Blox -- good but too gooey.

[Robb]

You are doing really well!

I haven't tried a Blok but I have tried a Gu and it was as sticky as Elmer's School Glue! Of course, I didn't realize that I was supposed to drink water with it. It was way to sweet for me.

[jank]

Sticky is good for the bike - I could see pasting them to the top tube for a long ride...

[Susan]

hmmm, never heard of those bloks - i'll have to give them a try. watch those dizzy spells . . . take care of yourself!

[neese]

i've been meaning to try the shot blox ~ congrats on the good run and half goal, i look forward to following your training!

[Joe]

The early woozienss doesn't strike me as odd, Susan, especially in the summer. My experience tells me it often takes a couple of miles to get everything synchronized; breathing, pace, mind, heart rate, etc. The key thing I've found is to take it easy (as you did), persevere and let the "run come to you." Which you did, in spades...glad you didn't give up.

Yes, a half will be very motivating...will be fun to follow how your prep goes!

[YaYa]

I like the shot blocks too. My Mom lets have them sometimes when I run with her.

[beth]

It almost always takes me awhile to get into my run, that's why I like to run on the longer side so I can at least feel good for part of it!

[aprilanne]

I'm looking forward to reading about your training progress as you train for the half. Best of luck. I know you will do great!

[DawnB]

Nice job Susie, you are doing great!!! Good luck with the training:)

[BD]

Great run!

Sounds like it could be low blood sugar. I haven't tried Bloks but you've piqued my interest so I'll check them out.

I'm really impressed by the times for the 8 miler. You'll have no trouble at all with the half-marathon.

[Rob]

Glad to hear you recovered to have a great run.

[jeanne]

your blog's been pimped!
http://blog.thisnext.com/
blog/take-a-shot.html
along with 21st c mom's (personally, i'd be flattered!)