Ran 15 miles this morning, my longest run yet. The weather was beautiful and it made for a very pleasant 15 miles. Yesterday I added a few items to my list of running gear which made my life easier. The first was compression shorts. I wore these under my regular running shorts and am happy to report that I had 0 amount of chafing anywhere. I looked at running skirts, but most of the shorts attached are pretty short, I needed something longer that would stay in place. And I wore them under my regular shorts for the same reason I always wear a shirt and don't just run in a jog bra. I'm a pretty modest person, and I think only my husband needs to see that much of me. The other item I purchased yesterday is a headlamp. I found one that I can attach to the bill of my cap and has a few different light settings. It was super helpful in the pitch blackness at 5 am. I don't know how I've managed my early morning runs without it. I also bought a new hat since I have already worn out the one I started the summer with. It has a built in sweatband which really helps keep my eyes from stinging.
I had a pretty good pace this morning, and managed to run the second 7.5 miles about 20 minutes faster than the first 7.5. I don't bother to post my minutes per mile average here because I highly doubt it makes a big difference to my 1 reader how fast I run. I'm not training for the Olympics or trying to beat a land speed record, and I keep track of my paces for each run elsewhere to measure my progress. I'm not looking for a pat on the back or accolades based on how fast I run each day, I'm just looking for my own personal improvement.
I am really trying to focus on improving my form, which means getting my feet off the ground. I don't want to be shuffling along, just barely keeping one foot off the ground at a time. I find that when I get those feet up and work on better form I actually run faster and with more energy. Tried the Power Gel Caps today about halfway through and found these to be a better source of glycogen renewal than the gel I had last week. They tasted better, agreed with my tummy better and were overall easier to get down. Takes a little more water to wash them down afterward, but once the water was in my mouth the flavor was almost like drinking a coke. I felt much better today at the end of the run than last week after 14. I wasn't to the point of exhaustion and overall today seemed much easier. Still had a little bit of muscle cramp in my calves, but less severe this time. Going to make sure I get my 1 banana per day in to help alleviate that. Also I can really tell the Glucosamine Chrondroitin makes a difference in how my knees feel. Looking forward to another good week of training, this week is a step back week so next week's long run will be shorter again.