Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Tuesday Miscellaneous

It's time for some bullets to get caught up on a few things.

• A couple weeks ago I picked up a jar of Eload Zone Caps (electrolyte capsules). I prefer to drink plain water on long runs, so I thought this would be a good alternative to carrying sport drink(s). I’ve had the opportunity to use the Zone Caps on two long runs (16mi and 17mi). While it’s difficult to judge how well they work as far as far as providing electrolytes, they seem to have done the trick and the best part is, they’re super convenient. I popped one (51mg sodium, 13.5mg potassium) approximately every half hour. (Note: the capsules can also be opened and mixed into water.) For more info, see: Zone Caps

• I also tried a new energy gel by Eload. They’ve done a lot of research (see here) and report that the content of their gels is less likely to cause GI upset due to the lack of resistant starch. Sounds good to me! They also advertise a “low relative sweetness”. Well, apparently I prefer sweeter gels because this one tasted like motor oil! NOT tasty at all.

• I’m sticking with Gu.

• I received an awesome seamless running shirt from Zensah this week, so watch for a review soon!

• In race news, I’ve decided to run the Midsummer Night's Run 30K on August 22, possibly as a marathon race pace training run and possibly with my favourite pace bunny; Toronto Women’s 5K on August 29 exclusively for fun; Road2Hope 10K on October 31; probably the Whitby Waterfront 10-miler on November 22. Thanks for all your feedback!

• In Garmin news, thanks to all of your support and some begging on my part, I have convinced hubby that the Garmin 310XT is a necessity. Fortunately, my trusty 205 is cooperating (for now) with the help of some tape, so I'm hoping it will hang in there until the 310 is available here. (Next month?)

• I headed out for a little 8K after work this evening and dropped dead due to the humidity. Okay, not quite, but it sure felt like it. Summer seems to have shown up this week and I am not remotely acclimated to this heat/humidity. It was an awful run. I'll be setting the alarm early tomorrow because I'm not dealing with that two days in a row.

37 comments:

Erika said...

Yay that you're getting the new Garmin. Can't wait to hear all about it.

I'm so hating the heat and humidity right now. It just sucks!

MCM Mama

Natalie D said...

soundslikea great schedule ahead. Yay for garmin and yay for GU!

macnic said...

Yippee! We'll be doing the same race! I'm sure I won't see speedy you, but it will be so cool to read a race report from someone doing the same one as me!

Congrats on the Garmin-to-be as well.

Zorbs said...

Looks like I'll be seeing you at the races again..I'm doing the Midsummer Night's 30K and the Toronto Women's 5K as well with my Learn to Run gals.

Mel-2nd Chances said...

I have yet to hear from the race director back on my email... i will send another one : ) Awesome news about the 310!!

Marci said...

Yeah for a new Garmin. I may see you at the Whitby 10 miler - and I am running Road to Hope marathon as well!

Anonymous said...

Haha, we're getting the heat here too!! So much for our cool summer days, eh? Enjoy your morning run!!

Irish Cream said...

Hooray! You're getting the 310!! That's AWESOME news!

Also, looks like a great race schedule! Definitely lots to look forward to! :)

J said...

Hope the morning run went well for you today! It sure was humid yesterday! I think it was over 90 degrees here! And I am glad you got your race calender all figured out!

Mark said...

Yes!! The 310 XT!! Exciting! Looks like a fun and good race schedule coming up,

Unknown said...

You might want to try Nuun since it is almost like Zone Caps but without all the sugar.

http://www.nuun.com/

I cannot wait to read about your future review on Zensah. I am very curious. Believe it or not, I tend to love wearing thin cotton shirt on hot day instead of the wicking t-shirt. I don't know and people thinks I am nut. I just love to see how much my thin cotton shirt can soak up all those sweat.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to read about the new Garmin. Mine just died last night!

Lindsay said...

hooray for the new garmin! i'm glad you won this important battle. :) i think hubs knows what is best for him to continue to enjoy the same life-status ;)

lol about the motor oil gel. i need sweet flavorfulness too!

No Longer Using said...

i need some new loose running shirts. the heat is getting hotter!!!! :) i also need to get more gu roctane gels- these are my faves!!!!

Anonymous said...

I hate the humidity too. But, it never leaves.....

B.o.B. said...

The humidity thing will make you a stronger runner. You just gotta make it a few more months...(I say this as I sweat at my desk...)

Keep us posted about those ecaps. I am curious to see how they work.

ShirleyPerly said...

Exciting about the upcoming races! I posted a link to Kevin's blog about how to get the Garmin 310XT bugs worked out if you're interested (basically make sure to download all the SW updates).

And sounds like you got a little taste of our FL summer. Definitely takes some getting used to!

Anonymous said...

I love the mix of distances you're signed up for!! I wish I lived closer so I could come run a few with you - there's a good variety up there!!

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

It is supposed to be 101 today!! I think I will dog out on my run, that is JUST TOO HOT!!

Wow lots of races!

Curious about your Zensah review.. Need to look up Eload.

Have a great day buddy!!

Laura said...

Wow, that's a lot of runs coming up. I'll look forward to hearing about them. Congrats on the new Garmin. I wish I could afford one.

Faith Ann said...

My first comment... I recently found your blog and enjoy reading!

I'm so jealous of your new Garmin. My 205 is still being good to me though.

I see from some other comments that a few readers are doing the Midsummer Night's Run. My husband and I are as well. He's doing the 30 and I'm doing the 15.

Brian said...

I'm a big time believer in Gu!

Glad your getitn the new garmin soon when it crosses the border up there!

Denise said...

Mmmm...motor oil.

Julia said...

Yay!!!!!! A new Garmin for your new race! I bet you are stoked :)
Good luck with the humidity, take care!

Heather said...

Looks like a lot of fun races coming up! Lucky you getting a new Garmin.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you have a bunch of awesome races coming up - hopefully old garmie holds out until new garmie makes an appearance!

RoadBunner said...

I am SO excited/jealous about the 310!! I tried one on in a local running store so they are definitely already out there!

Jess said...

Yay for the new Garmin! Smart husbands usually realize that it's always best to have a happy wife with the necessary gadgets.

Unknown said...

motor oil? interesting. I was a long time GU fan until I tried out Hammer Gels. Now I use both. I'm not acclimated to this heat and humidity either. I was dragging big time during my last midafternoon run.

EndorphinBuzz said...

Way to go on increasing the mileage, you are very inspiring. I can't wait to hear about the new technology :)

I Run for Fun said...

Yay GU! That's the best!

Man, this humidity's a killer!

Jamie said...

Yay for a new garmin! Can't wait to hear all about it :)

joyRuN said...

You're gonna need that Garmin for all your racing :)

Humidity just zaps me too.

Toni said...

Sounds like some fun races. The heat and humidity is hard to deal with!

Aron said...

i love the salt caps too... plus water and gu :)

RunningLaur said...

Silly question - how do you carry the zone caps with you when you run?

Road Warrior said...

You're so smart to experiment now, when you can afford to make mistakes. Thanks for the tips!