My Running Favorites

Last week I was tagged by my running buddy, Erin over at Erin Runs Happy, to answer a few running related questions.  Thanks Erin for tagging me and asking me to play along.

1.  Location:  Trail, Road, or Indoors?
I will almost always choose running outside over inside.  I’ll skip running outside during thunder storms, ice storms, when the snow is too deep to run in, and if I need to run alone at some ungodly hour when it’s not safe to be alone outside.  When running outside, I prefer a trail over the road.  It’s no secret that Bill and I have recently fallen in love with trail running; however, a trail doesn’t have to be technical for me to enjoy running on it.

My neighborhood paved trail

Molly’s Knob somewhat technical trail

2.  Time of Day:  Morning, Noon, or Evening?
I’m a morning person, and I love bringing up the sun while on my run.  We are almost at that time of year where my 5:30 AM runs will coincide with that magical time when nature is waking and the birds treat me to songs while I run.

3.  Weather:  Sunshine, Mild or Hot?
If I could order up my running weather a la cart, I’d ask for it to be 55° with low humidity.  I’d also order a blue sky with puffy white clouds to cover the sun, because you know I’d be taking pictures along the way, and a white sky or harsh sun makes for difficult picture taking.

4.  Fuel:  Before, After, and Sometimes During?
Since most of my runs are within an hour of me rolling out of bed, I usually don’t fuel before my run unless I’m going about eight miles or more.  No matter how far I’m running (or even if I’m not running) I drink about from 16-24 ounces of water right after I wake up.  That little boost of hydration gets my blood flowing, my muscles plumped up, and my digestive tract geared up for my run.

When running eight miles or farther, I usually have a banana with a tiny bit of peanut or almond butter spread on it before my run.  After my runs, I usually eat a breakfast of oats with fruit and an egg, or a low-sugar dry cereal with fruit and milk.

5.  Accessories:  Music, Watch & More? 

I love my newest running gadget, my Garmin GPS watch, and I don’t know how I survived for so many years without it.  I’m geeky and competitive, and my watch cues me in to whether or not I’m on pace.

Running accessories I find mandatory are my sunglasses, ponytail holders, and fuel belt.  My luxury items I love having with me on my runs are my iPhone camera or GoPro for snapshots along the trail.

I don’t think I’ve run with music since my 2010 North Face Endurance Challenge Marathon.  Under certain circumstances, I’m happy to have it; however, I usually prefer listening to nature.

Rocking out during the NFEC Marathon

6.  Rewards:  Food, Wine, or …?
These days I don’t really think of rewards after a run; however, on longer runs I might start thinking about food during the later miles.  I usually crave a steak or a burger, and will satisfy that craving at dinner.

Back when I ran marathons, I always treated myself to mint chocolate chip ice cream after my race.  Unfortunately, on the day that I could eat whatever I wanted guilt-free, I had very little appetite.  I certainly didn’t waste the ice cream and would enjoy it for days after the race.

7.  Type of Run:  Long, tempo, intervals, hill repeats, progression, or recovery/easy?
The long run has always been my favorite – the longer the better.  Some of my fondest memories are of 22-mile point-to-point training runs with the Cruisers.  We’d finish the run exhausted and elated.

These days I’ve become a big fan of the tempo run.  I love those mid-miles when it’s just me and my watch clicking off those few fast miles at a pace that I save for just these types of training runs and races.  Knowing how much this type of training helps improve my 5K time makes it all the sweeter.

Tag!  You’re it!  At this point, I’m supposed to tag seven other people to answer these seven questions.  Rather than tagging you, I’ll let you choose if you want to play along.  It was fun, and I’d love to read your answers!

• Questions:
• What are your answers to some of the above questions?
• Will you be able to watch any of the Boston Marathon?
• Did you race this weekend?