This morning I got up nice and early and headed down to Glenmore Reservoir for my 9 mi run. It was still nice and cool out, and somewhat overcast when I started. The run honestly felt great. The scenery along the way is beautiful – water views, running through forest, running along a dam…amazing. Also there are some great elevation changes along the way to keep things interesting. About halfway through the run I lost some shade cover and the sun came out and it was warm… I slowed down a bit at that point, but otherwise I felt like I ran really great. The best part of the run was just approaching the 8 mi mark I had a hill to climb – 128 feet in 0.2 mi. I ran really strong to the top, keeping a great pace and barely slowing down. Once I crested the hill I ran the final mile back to my car the entire way – no stopping for walk breaks – I felt that good.
I also tried out a pack of black cherry Clif Shot Bloks. I can’t say I loved the flavor that much, but from an ease of consumption point of view I really liked it. I found the Sport Beans a bit trickier to eat, but I was able to run and chew the Blok at the same time, so it didn’t impact my time too much. I noticed that they make Margarita, Pina Colada, and Cola flavors, all which aren’t available here (at least I haven’t seen them yet). I’ll have to look for them out on my next trip to the US.
On a disappointing note, I showed up for my yoga workshop, but sadly my instructor did not. I didn’t hear that class was canceled, and I was really looking forward to it. Here’s hoping I get a refund…
Sounds like you’re doing as you set out in your blog description: discovering your adopted hometown through running. And I did the Disney Marathon a few years ago and enjoyed it. Good luck going for a Goofy!
I have a 9-miler this Saturday. Thanks for the info about the shot blocks and beans.