12 miler - check!

Ahhhh, serves me right for going to bed so late last night!!

It felt, well, terrible to get up at 5:15 this morning. I immediately thought about what an insane person I am for doing this voluntarily!

But as usual, luckily after a shot of espresso and a few minutes had gone by I got more into the spirit :)

Because today was 12 miles, I decided that I should have something to eat first. I haven't been in the habit of eating anything first since we run SO early, and in order to digest I would have to get up even earlier than I normally do (which I didn't do today, if anything I was running late).

I read once that some runners set their alarm, have some breakfast, go back to sleep for an hour or so and THEN run - which may work for some people, but I haven't gotten up the guts to try that yet!

I cut a banana in half - planning on just having one half - and then I ended up scarfing down the whole thing - hey, a girl needs her energy!

The Clif shot I took with me. This is one of the only flavors that my Whole Foods sells, and this was my first time trying it.
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When I trained for my last two marathons I was obsessed with Sports Jelly Bellies, but I haven't been able to find anywhere that stocks them anymore and I'm too lazy to order them online, so I thought I would give this one a Shot - get it? ;)
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I was pretty nervous about the 12 miles since I was definitely dragging just GETTING to the starting point today, but it ended up being a fabulous run!!
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It was a bit overcast and not too hot, and if the weather is perfect, I usually find that my runs are, too!
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Again I was amazed to find how incredibly EASY of a run it was. I think my long runs are usually easier and more fun than my short runs for many reasons:
1) I go at a significantly slower pace
2) It's fun to chat with fellow runners! I love the CARA group and look forward to the long runs every week :) I'm always intrigued how running brings together people that otherwise would probably never interact with each other due to different jobs, ages, etc, but it makes much more interesting and passes the time to chat with fellow runners
3) I love how longer runs are more challenging (and completing them is more satisfying!) than short runs - I love finishing a long run and truly feeling like a R.U.N.N.E.R.
4) Oddly enough - as much as I bitch about this - I secretly kinda like how our runs are sooooo ungodly early. When I run during the week I usually don't go until 8 or 9 or even later, and I think dragging myself out of bed SO early makes me feel even more accomplished and dedicated, which is a good feeling!
5) The long runs along the lake are just gorgeous (compared to my shorter runs up the Magnificent Mile) - CARA runners are so lucky to have the lakefront path at our fingertips!

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I sucked down the Clif shot at the halfway point, at mile 6, with some water, of course! It was a pretty decent flavor. I'm a sucker for anything sweet, but having cut back on sugar a lot recently it tasted super artificial to me. Another runner in my group was raving about the chocolate flavored ones (can't remember if it was Gu or Clif brand) - so maybe I'll give those a shot sometime!
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When I got home, I immediately iced my achin' feet! Endurance-wise I felt pretty fabulous the whole run, which obviously doesn't happen during every run so I really relished this. However, my feet were very sore - luckily my soles more than the heels, so hopefully the plantar fasciitis is still under control.
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I drank some coconut water for the first time, and it's pretty good! It is known as "nature's Gatorade" and has an enormous amount of electrolytes and potassium without all of HFCS nastiness that is Gatorade.

Some more info, sorry it's a bit blurry! On the bus on the way home, I was having a may-juh craving for some tomatoes. I thought about the delicious raw vegan bars I had just made that are sitting in my fridge for a second, and then quickly dismissed this thought and decided I would MUCH rather have tomatoes.

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WHAT?!?! Who is this girl and what did she do with Marathon Val?!??! Very odd behavior, I know. I strongly considered getting off a few stops early at the grocery store to buy some!

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Tomato-less, I still was craving fresh veggies so I made some carrot juice... YUM.... Mike liked it too, it was his first fresh juice experience :)

And then made more of Gena's carrot-avocado bisque. I use slightly more avocado in mine than hers because I love the creaminess it adds.

I also poured some of the bisque over some spinach, dressing-style, but I didn't really care for this for some odd reason so I just didn't eat most of it.

However, this bisque rocks (in soup form) and that is now the THIRD time I have made this soup in about a week and a half!

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Now I'm off to clean the condo and then I think Mike and I are going to run some errands before seeing my cousin and her husband tonight and then perhaps a blogger meet-up with Kath and some other Chicagoans - should be a fun day! :)