THE ROUTE
We needed to run a route that would be free of snow. Many of the sidewalks and running paths in DC and VA are still covered in snow from the storms earlier this month. The last thing we wanted was to arrive at our starting point at 7:30 am and find that our path was snowy/icy. We knew Haine's Point would be the perfect place to run (and so did lots of other runners!). We made two loops around Haine's point, up towards to Lincoln Memorial, and back.
There is free parking on Haine's Point/ East Potomac Park. The road around Haine's Point is open to traffic, but no one drives down there unless they have a reason (maybe to picnic, play golf, or play at the park in the warmer months). So I saw maybe three cars over my two loops of Haine's Point. The road was pretty much taken over by runners, walkers, and bikers.
I will definitely keep this run in mind as an option during snowy winters.
PRODUCT REVIEW
I tried my first electrolyte supplement on this run. I had Clif Shot Bloks in Strawberry. I ate one piece at around 8 miles. I started to chew it, but then decided I'd rather suck on it. I didn't want little pieces of gummi stuff bumping around in my tummy. One piece lasted me at least 10 minutes, and I didn't feel the need to eat anymore during the remaining 3 miles. Their website says you can eat them every 20-30 minutes. That is too much for me, so I'm not sure I'm even getting any benefits by eating just one blok in 12 miles. But it tasted good and took my mind off running for a little bit.PROS: Tasted really good. Lasted a long time because I sucked on it. (I tucked it in my cheek and was careful the whole time not to choke on it.)
CONS: One chew is too big. Next time I will only use half a blok.
Greetings! Congrats on starting a blog. It's a labor of love for certain, and it helps both keep you motivated, motivate others and help you get organized and perhaps pick up a few pointers on the way. Plus it helps keep you accountable - you can't blog about a 10K for instance and then not do it :)
ReplyDeleteOne of my good running buddies swears by shot bloks. I haven't tried them though since all I use is Gu, and Sport Beans from time to time. But I've been wondering about the shot bloks. I guess I won't just jam one into my mouth if and when I try one :)