Hump Day Run

My pre-run snack today is the Atkins protein bar: Caramel Chocolate Nut Roll. 8g of Protein, 2g of Sugar, and 19g of Carbs. It tastes OK. It's not the best protein bar (Luna is my favorite brand) but it's much better than most of what is out there!

I ran the opposite direction of the Esplanade today to mix things up. I was toying with the idea of running up to Washington Park, but decided not to push myself too much this close to the Shamrock Run.

I crossed the Hawthorne Bridge and was almost to the Eastside when it started to rain! Blast! Fortunately, it was just a light drizzle and actually felt pretty good. The above pictures are from today's run: gloomy, dark skies.

I am happy to report NO KNEE PAIN! YAY! Hopefully that will be the norm now. My pace was good, I ran the loop without stopping, and felt pretty light on my feet today. Then, with about 1 mile left (at the Steel Bridge), I felt a rumble in my stomach. A not so good rumble. I've read horror stories about runners being stuck somewhere and having horrible stomach problems. For the last mile, I was really worried. Thankfully nothing happened. Perhaps I've added too much fiber to my diet this week.

Run time: 34 1/2 minutes! I shaved about 45 seconds off my run!
Calories burned: 423
Pace: 8'36, according to my Nike+

Equipment Malfunction
While today's run was great, I was endlessly annoyed during my entire run. First, my regular sunglasses are broken and I've been using a backup pair that are a bit too big for my face. They kept sliding down my nose.

Second, my new Nike running jacket--that I LOVE--kept riding up. I don't notice it riding up with other shirts I wear underneath, so it must be the undershirt I wore. Third, my running shorts are old and getting too big (yay!). Unfortunately, it seems impossible to find running shorts with pockets.

Lastly, and most sad, I think I need to upgrade my heart rate monitor. I have a Polar and I've loved it. But it's been acting wonky lately. While I was leaving the building and about to start my run, it said my heart rate was 221. Um, no. I'm pretty sure I'd be dead if my heart rate was 221. And then it said zero, like I had no heart rate. Grrrr! I fiddled with it, tried to get it to work and then gave up. About 5 minutes into my run it started working again. Perhaps it's time to upgrade to a Garmin that also tracks my mileage.

UPDATE: I just read an article about weight loss and the writer's mantra was “My weight does not equal my worth”. I LOVE it!!