Nature Runner

The next couple of weeks are going to be full of amazing racing fun! I am ready to get out there and rock the marathon on Friday. On Friday I will be racing 24 Hours Around the Lake. I am approaching this race differently and have hardly been thinking about race day. I am treating this race as though it is one of my spontaneous race entries where I decide to run the day before the race. Oftentimes it is the spur of the moment races where I perform the best because I am mostly focused on enjoying the experience and have a secondary goal of getting out there and running my heart out. I plan to do the same on Friday and soak in the adventure of running a marathon at night!

After the race on Friday my race calendar is jam packed! I will be joining our friends from Athletes for a Fit Planet 

Greening the planet one event at a time.

and our family farm Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs

at the Race Expo for the Beach to Beacon 10K  and The Falmouth Road Race. I am egg-cited to talk with all of the runners about our family farm as well as to talk about our work with Athletes for a Fit Planet to help with Sustainability Initiatives at athletic events. In addition to working at the expos I will be joining the racers on the starting line. At the B2B 10K I am hoping to P.R.  While at the Falmouth Road Race I am looking forward to experiencing “America’s Family Race” on Cape Cod, running the historic 7 mile course in the fresh ocean air.

Happy chickens lay better eggs.

I am also racing my favorite race this August, The Vermont 100 on 100 Relay.  I will be joined by two other amazing women runners to make up our Ultra Team of Pete and Gerry’s Organic Chicks to race 100 miles on Vermont’s Scenic Route 100.

What races will you be racing in the next couple of weeks? I’d love to have you share your race stories!

Heart of Vermont Relay

So the topic of fueling always comes up on long runs. Do you carry extra food/fuel with you? If you are like me, if I don’t bring any fuel along for the run things can head downhill quickly starting at about 6-7 miles in. BONK! Bonking is the worst. When I start to bonk, I start feeling hot yet also chilled at the same time, my heart feels like it is racing, and then the shakes set in. At this point of total bonk it is too late and the workout must end. When this sugar crash happens I need food/sugar/carbs/protein stat (Please pass the grape juice for some quick sugar, and then a banana, a bowl of cereal, a protein bar, some nuts or whatever I can stuff in as quickly as possibly.

Most often my friends and I prefer GU on our long runs. 100 calories-carbohydrates and electrolytes are just what the doctor ordered! And just look at the wide range of flavors to choose from. And believe me the choice about what to eat and carry on long runs and in races is essential.

What GU do you DU?

All athletes have a very distinct flavor preference because as we all know the wrong kind of GU can be a disaster for your digestion mid-run if the flavor does not sit well. My favorite is mandarin orange with caffeine to kick things up a notch We all agreed that GU is awesome in the winter time because it will actually begin to freeze which turns the GU into a refreshing treat almost like a popsicle when having the fruity flavors (‘Jet Blackberry’) or like a chocolate bar (‘Chocolate Outrage’). However nobody seems to know who likes ‘Just Plain’ GU.

So my question to all of my runner friends is:

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