Refueling

You could probably guess the day after a long run is a Rest Day! Wahoo!!! (I really have to fill you in on how my schedule works because I'm sure it seems all I do is rest! While it's not all I do -- or that mileage countdown wouldn't go down! -- it's something I thoroughly enjoy. But, that's a story for another day.)

Today, part of my morning included thinking ahead to the week, making sure I have a plan in place as to when and where I will run and that I have what I need. What do I need besides my running shoes and a bottle of water? GRAPES! (Didn't see that coming, did you?)

You see, last year when I was running during the summer training for the Half, I got up to enough mileage that I felt completely depleted by the time I finished. I mean whipped. Entirely. Who wants to end a run like that? If I had nothing else to do or that I wanted to do during the day, it might be different. But, I'm not so sure a school principal will understand when I don't pick someone up from school. Ring-ring! "Um, hello, are you going to pick up your kid?" "Oh, I'm so sorry, but momma needs to nap. I ran this morning." That's not going to fly.

I've heard of and read about a number of refueling products, but I have to admit I'm not that interested. I do enough caffeine loads in a week with my Diet Coke love, so I have a hard time taking a shot of it. Sports drinks can make me feel queasy during a run (although they have their merit for me post-run), and I don't feel like paying a premium for something I don't really want anyway (now, there's a surprise: Nancy doesn't want to fork out the cash).

So, I consulted with an employee at our super-great, local sporting goods store, and one of the options he recommended was eating grapes along the way! Grapes? Are you kidding? YUM! Perhaps it's because I actually said "YUM!" out loud that he felt the need to mention I should try "one or twoooooo". He said eat a couple (there it was again ... a couple!) a mile before I anticipated needing a refuel, then take a couple more (I got it already!) about every other mile from there.

I gave it a whirl, and by golly, it works like a *charm*! I have to mention that they, believe it or not, make me a little thirsty (don't ask me why, it sounds counter-intuitive to me, too), so I take a swigga-the-water right after, and I'm good to go. I end a long run in a normal state of tired, not a I'm-totally-wasted-don't-bug-me-for-the-rest-of-the-week tired. Everyone here appreciates that!

If you have tips to keep yourself away from the state of Eternal Depletion, I'd love to know. And, don't say, "Just don't run in the first place" because I don't need the temptation!