You know what's not good fuel for a run? 5.4 pounds of peanut butter M&Ms. I finally threw them in the trash yesterday afternoon, lest I become a hard-core addict. And not that surprisingly, my run yesterday afternoon was furiously...meh.
I ran while Shortie1 was at soccer practice (new practice locale=right next to awesome running trails, highly auspicious) and at 2 minutes in, I already needed to stop and catch my breath. This was not going to be good. Damn M&Ms! My legs felt ok but I was panting and out of breath. I've only done this section of trail once or twice and it's generally comprised of rolling hills, but nothing too tough. It was hot, though, at about 90 degrees.
I kept plugging along. I was hoping to do a 9-flat or maybe sub-9 pace for the whole run. My first mile clocked in at 10:15. Uh oh. Mile 2 was about the same. At mile 2 I turned back so that I wouldn't be late meeting Shortie1 at the end of practice. It was at this point that I realized that it felt MUCHHHHHH easier going back. I was easily doing 7:55 pace! Then I realized that although there were rollers, I was actually going downhill. Soooooo....I had actually been going up a long gradual hill the whole way out, and didn't notice...well no wonder I was was huffing! I did end up running a negative split, keeping the pace faster the 2 miles back.
Overall run stats:
4 miles in 38:something (forgot what gizmo told me
Peanut butter M&M burps: 43.5
Bugs swallowed1: 2
Prairie dog2 sightings: 3,289
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1 - Perhaps they were attracted to the scent of peanut butter emanating from me?
2 - They were everywhere on this trail...and didn't run away when I approached, but stared me down--ballsy little things!--and I wasn't sure if perhaps I ought to be more afraid of them than they were of me. Do they bite? Will they chase me? I just didn't know. I ended up chattering at them as I do to my own (non-prairie) dogs. (Yes, cute guy who passed me on the BMX dirt bike, I am crazy, burping, red-faced, slow-running, self-talker. Carry on.) This seemed to freak them out enough that they just stared but left me alone.
They were probably sizing you up for Peanut Butter M&Ms
ReplyDeleteThen I realized [...] I was actually going downhill. Soooooo....I had actually been going up a long gradual hill the whole way out, and didn't notice.
ReplyDeleteSo you grabbed the M&Ms out of the garbage and had make-up sex with them, I hope! Because it wasn't their fault, and maybe it's not too late to ask their forgiveness.
Look, I've been unfairly given the old heave-ho by a skirt or two in my day, in much the same way you tossed those M&Ms, and I'm not too proud to admit that, if the skirt in question pulled me out of the dumpster in under 24 hours, all was forgiven, as far as I was concerned.
So run ... run to those M&Ms! They are you destiny!
Your prairie dogs sound like the rabbits around here. They just look at you like, wtf? before turning and sticking their white-tailed ass in the air and sloooowly hopping away.
ReplyDeleteOh how I love me some Peanut Butter M&M's. Nom...Nom....
ReplyDeleteDang - very auspicious indeed that soccer practice has lovely running trails nearby!!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you threw the M&M's away . . . you could have sent them to me if you wanted to get rid of them!
ReplyDeleteI've tried fueling with M&M's before...it never goes well...
ReplyDeleteBut I never throw them away!
uggg i wish M&Ms were great running fuel!
ReplyDeleteHey! I just found your blog... but I feel you on the M&Ms! TOtally addicted over here!
ReplyDeleteI too have given in to the sweet world of M&M's-UGH!
ReplyDelete