7 Miles at 7 am

This weekend was blisteringly hot on the home front so despite it being a Sunday, I got up at 6:30 to start running by 7 am. A banana, a cup of coffee, followed by some water was enough to

get me moving without weighing me down. Additionally, this was the first run where I brought water and an energy gel with me to consume halfway through in order to stay hydrated and not get too fatigued. The gel I just kept in my pocket and the bottle - a 500 mL "soft flask"I held in my hand as I ran. As my runs get longer I will eventually be using a running vest with water bladder/hose system that I just purchased.

Overall, the run was a success as I averaged a 9:10 pace which is my be

st pace so far for my long run this year. However I did experience some gastrointestinal distress at several points throughout the run which caused quite a bit of discomfort. I have come to the conclusion that I need to not only check in with my joints and tendons when I stretch before a run but also check in with my urinary/GI tract to ensure that I am feeling 100% comfortable before embarking on a run. This is especially important now because there are no longer available "porta-potties" along my running route as there had been prior to COVID-19.

Having overcome this bit of adversity as well as the feeling of knocking out 7 miles before many people are even awake was a good feeling. I'm sure this won't be the last tribulation which I will have to endure in this, my 2nd marathon training journey, but it's the bumps along the road that make crossing the finish line that much more rewarding.

#marathontraining2020 #morningrun #sundayrunday