The whole waking up early and running in the dark/cold/by myself thing didn’t quite go down yesterday. I tried to get up but it just wasn’t happening. Brooke and I did our normal morning things and I set out a little bit later on in the morning for my hour and fifty minutos in the sunshine while Brooke hung out with my mom. Running is great and all no matter what but running in the light/sun just takes it to the next level.
It has been weeks and weeks since my last really strong feeling long run. But yesterday I had the long run I’ve been waiting patiently for…
Added bonus was that the first half was in my favorite place in Utah:
The first few miles were kind of rough because my legs were feeling heavy from the 800s and 400s earlier on this week but once I was warmed up the pace felt comfortably hard (does that make sense… it wasn’t easy but it felt doable and sustainable). 16 miles @ 6:55 average. I was definitely tired by the end but it was a great confidence boosting run and I’m happy my body cooperated during the run (and so did the stoplights) and I didn’t have to stop once for the entire run. This felt a million times better than the last Saturday so I think I am starting to kind of figure out what foods make my stomach happier.
Later on Brooke and I went searching for my gloves that I tossed a few miles into the run because I was starting to get hot. I did a good hiding job because they were still there.
PS my long run breakfast 75 minutes before the run that I am loving—> oatmeal, banana and loads of water.
Next up on the agenda was taking Brooke for her favorite type of workout—> bounce houses for dayzzzzzzzz.
I drank my gatorade and watched her zoom down the slides. We were there for hours and I am pretty sure Brooke probably ended up running as many miles as I did yesterday.
Reunited with Cafe Rio. It is about time.
Say hello to part of my lunch for today—> a 2 lb sweet potato.
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When was your last good feeling/strong long run?
Any other oatmeal eaters before a run?
What has been the best part of your weekend so far?
70 comments
Jennife @ JenChoosesJoy
Congrats on an awesome run!!
My last strong long run was last week. This week’s taper run felt sluggish.
I eat SO much oatmeal!
Weekend highlight: the Susan g Komen race for a cure yesterday!
Sarah @ SarahRuns26
I’m glad you had a good run! It is the best when you have a long run that makes you feel strong rather than one that makes you question everything!
I’ve never tried oatmeal before a long run, usually I have a bagel with peanut better or a pb&j sandwich with hot tea.
The bounce houses look fun! They need to make them for adults!
Loribeth
My last long run (last Wed) felt great…………..22 miles and I felt strong. It was in the gorgeous neighborhoods in Brentwood. Although my time was worse than I thought, but since I don’t have much of a time goal for my upcoming marathon I am not going to stress over that.
Julie
Long run for me is 5 miles but I had a great one Thursday. I felt like I was gliding and Cocoa was keeping a good pace with me :). I don’t eat before I run but if I am super hungry I have a couple pieces of frozen banana with AB.
Lisa @ Lisa the Vegetarian
Congrats on a successful long run! It’s great to hear that you’re getting back into the groove and figuring out what foods work. The best part of my weekend was when my parents met my fiancee’s parents for the first time yesterday!
Half Marathon James
How big is that sweet poatato???!!! Your route looks like such a nice place to run, Utah looks gorgeous. And maybe the later start helped make the run strong? Maybe you just needed those few extra hours…
Gareth Presch
Route looks awesome – keep on running :)
Annie r
Yay! I’m so glad you felt so good, that’s awesome news! Also that picture of Brooke sliding down the slide with you holding up the Gatorade made me chuckle. So happy to hear you’re starting to feel like yourself again! Have a good rest of the weekend!
LizW
Oatmeal every day! Just finished my bowl… and I have a race this morning! It never upsets my stomach :)
Katie
Congrats on your run! I’m so glad you are starting to feel better again. :)
Losing Lindy
So happy you are feeling better. Brooke is as adorable as ever.
I am not an oatmeal eater, but bought walnuts and apples to put into it to see if I would like it better then. I have horrible texture issues.
[email protected].
I love the pink shirt you are wearing!
Chiara
My planned to run 10 miles yesterday and it was awful. I stopped at mile 8 and walked home. Now, I am getting super scared for my first half in Philly on Nov 22nd!!!!!
Brooke is adorable!!!!!
mary @ minutes per mile
love when those long runs go well! great pace. PS i have the same gloves. I <3 Costco!
Margaret @ youngandrungry
That was such a solid long run! My last one was terrible. Was supposed to be 17 @ 7:13 but I’ve never run that fast for that long and it was a flop. I think I went into it telling myself I couldn’t do it so of course I didn’t!
The best part of my weekend has been relaxing with my family.
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious
Congrats on the awesome run lady! I’m surprised you toss your gloves when running. I usually take them off but hold them in my hands. They don’t bother me at all and there’s no having to look for them in the end.
Heather
I had a great run on Tuesday!!! It feels so good to get back to where you were. That is a huge sweet potato. Carving pumpkins with my son was the highlight.
Have a great Sunday
bakingrunner.blogspot.com
Runwright
This is going to sound creepy and I guess there’s no way around it. I was reading your blog before bed last night so naturally you had a featured role in my dream. I was at a wedding, the bridesmaid dresses were awful and you pulled yours up to reveal that you were wearing your running gear underneath. And there were wedding-style apple donuts or something.
I don’t know what it means except that I should stop reading blogs and eating late at night.
I hope you have a great day.
Today, I am looking forward to going to visit my aunt who fell and broke her ankle. She had surgery so i’m going with a couple of the cousins, to sit at her feet and listen to some stories from the good old days.
Robyn @ Robyn's Livin' Life
I felt great during my 20 miler yesterday…I am looking forward to my marathon, but am also going to enjoy extra rest during the taper:)
Best part of my weekend was the feeling I had after finishing the run…and then the awesome cake I had at a bakery last night:)
I eat toast and nut butter before long runs, but I do love oatmeal in the winter!
Kristina Running
That sweet potato is so big! Yum!
Congrats on such a strong 16 miler! Sooo impressive! I felt really good on my six miler yesterday and today my hips and piriformis aren’t feeling bad either, yay! I’m going to increase my long run next weekend and hopefully I’ll get the same results!
Michele @ paleorunningmomma
Your long run routes always look gorgeous! Best part of the weekend is my birthday today :)
PantsuitsMom
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Michele @ paleorunningmomma
Thank you!
Arthi
Awesome job on the 16-miler!!
Best part of my weekend was meeting my friend’s new puppy! Had a puppy playdate/wine night yesterday which are my two favorite things!
Have a great Sunday!
P.S – Saw this article and thought you might enjoy: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/best-donuts-in-all-50-states-dough-donut-bar-doughnut-vault-pink-box-doughnuts
Maryanne
what race are you training for?
The Hungry Runner Girl
Still not 100% sure… I have a few I’m deciding between but will post it as soon as I figure it out! I hope you are having an amazing day!
Jenny
I’ve never been an oatmeal eater. Unless is ground up and baked in cookies, I don’t like it. I think it’s mostly a texture thing for me.
Colleen @ CSmith Run
I’m definitely ready for a strong feeling long run…haven’t had one in quite some time. But also haven’t attempted a long run in quite some time, so time to get back at it!
I just like to eat dry cereal before a long run, but haven’t tried oatmeal. Maybe I’ll give that a go!
meredith @ Cookie ChRUNicles
Always oatmeal before I run!!! With some banana and peanut butter too. I have tried eating English muffins/toast with pb before a run but overall, oatmeal feels the best because it keeps me from getting hungry. I like oatmeal (with Skoop protein powder, berries and pb) after my runs too.
Kristin
Those are the best kind of runs!!!
A few weeks ago I joined my nieces in a bounce house, that was one of the best workouts ever! My legs felt like they had just run a half afterwards!
LC
So glad you are feeling and eating better. My favorite breakfast is old-fashioned oats with banana and a scoop of natural peanut butter.
Angie @ Pace With Grace
Great to hear your long run went so well! My run this morning was wonderful! Comfortably hard and the fall colors against the morning sun were amazing. I needed that!
Best part of my weekend was a much needed talk with my dad. He always knows the right thing to say and really helped give me some perspective on some things going on right now. So thankful for him! I know you can relate :-)
Have a great Sunday!
Pam
I spy Vivian Park! That was the turn around for my long run Tuesday.
It’s good to hear your stomach is doing better.
tess
Yep. I love oatmeal before a long run and before a race. I have Celiac so I also have stomach issues and I don’t have problems with my running when I eat it. It’s a balance for sure.
Kaytlin
My last good long run was about 2 weeks ago – since then I’ve just been increasing my daily miles and giving myself a mental break from the long run game. The break is working because I miss it a lot!
Oatmeal, oat bran, plain Kodiak cakes, and plain bagels with jam are my big 4 that always seem to work for me. Plain, but better than puke!
The best part of my weekend- my boyfriend’s parents and my parents met and hit it off- whoosh, relief!
Have a great Sunday!
Jess
So glad you had a strong run!!!!!!
I also had a confidence boosting run yesterday…20 miles! Three weeks until my marathon!
Tara
Glad to hear you had a great run!!!
Oatmeal is always my go to pre-long run meal. If I’m running a bit later in the day, I’ll use oat flour to make pancakes to change things up a bit. My stomach usually does fine with wheat but I can’t handle it before a run so oatmeal is my perfect fuel source.
I just completed my first marathon (last sunday) and I have been pushing myself to start running hard again, which has led to really sore knees – I’ve never dealt with this before, so I went to spin today instead of a run. Spin is tough – phew! I don’t love it nearly as much as running but I gotta get my endorphins somehow :)
So my last feel good long run would have to have been the marathon!!
Margaret @ Simple Fit Foodie
Congrats on the long run!! That is the best feeling :):) I had a great middle distance run for speed last week where I PR’d! Have a great Sunday xoxo
Fiona @ Get Fit Fiona
I love eating oatmeal for breakfast, especially during the winter. It’s just the thing I need to warm myself up.
Nina
I eat oatmeal most mornings, year round. In the summer I make it a breakfast pudding with chia seeds, nut butter and cacao.
I ran for fun yesterday, no race until March. I am back to running without walking finally. It was comfortably hard.
Caroline
Congrats, Janae! Such a good feeling when everything falls into place and you feel like running is what your body is meant to do.
PS. I wore the same shirt on my run yesterday! Great minds think alike.
Enjoy your Sunday!
Paige S
Awesome run!! You bounced right back. Congrats! I hope the stomach continues to stay under control. :) Happy Sunday and God bless.
Pippa
Good job on the lovely run! And I love how your girl can keep going for hours and hours, kids are like that! I took my little cousin on a run once and she was like sprinting tirelessly!
PantsuitsMom
Fantastic 16 miler!!! I just finished a 4 mile stroller run with my son and even though I run below my easy pace, stroller runs always feel so tough! I love running with my guy though, so it’s worth it!
PantsuitsMom
Oh, have you ever tried over night oats!! I LOVE it after hard/long runs since I typically don’t want anything hot to eat and I’m starving afterwards! Before runs I keep it super simple with toast, or half a banana, or a honey stinger waffle.
Allison
Yes! I used to do oatmeal with applesauce because I had read that that was a good carb for queasy stomachs but now I do oatmeal with blueberries and it’s working out pretty well !
Megan d
I am so happy that you felt awesome on your run. It’s almost like not eating half gallon if ice cream helped or something ;) #Enabler #BadInfluence
That picture of Brooke going down the slide is epic. I realize she is far away and blurry, but I swear I can hear her screaming and giggling through that picture.
I love oatmeal. But I only tried it once before a run and never again. It felt like a brick in my stomach. A Lara bar 45-1 hr before us what works best for me. I used to have boxes in my pantry for this. They have all expired now though cause of the whole I don’t run anyway :( #CallTheWambulance #ButSeriously
Alyssa
First off, I’m a newish reader of yours (about a month now) and absolutely love your blog !! :) I’m glad you had a great run! My last great long run was on Thursday and I had a blast looking at all the Halloween decorations as I ran through different neighborhoods. Oatmeal is always my go to breakfast before or after runs !!
MaryM
I am enjoying your gorgeous pictures of Utah and fall. Keep them coming :) I eat oatmeal daily and it never upsets my stomach. I will eat it if my stomach is upset and it usually helps. Glad your run is feeling better and you are figuring out your foods!! (Yay!!!). Brooke’s action shot is so precious!!
Becky @ Ok, so here's the plan
My last good feeling/strong run was my marathon 2 weeks ago.
I eat English muffins before runs most of the time. I miss oatmeal, but don’t have an easy way to make it right now. We’re remodeling our house and the only way I can cook is to use the grill or the campstove.
The best part of my weekend was running a 5 mile trail race with a few of my favorite people. It was a tough race, but a lot of fun!
Natalie
I am a huge oatmeal fan!!
I ran 9 miles yesterday and it felt great!! I just feel really grateful that I am running 9 miles —> such a big deal :)
My kids would die over those bouncy houses!
Best part of my weekend is resting today!
Caroline
Dublin City Marathon in the morning-eeekk! Wish me luck!
Hoping to relax and enjoy as many of the miles as I can.
I’ve had a few bad runs lately so I’m a bit nervy but looking forward to the recovery celebrations :)
Charlene @ The Sum Of Small Steps
I haven’t run long in several months, but my 21-miler back in April was epic! (The runner’s high was in full force for most of it.)
I love oatmeal, but haven’t really tried it before a long run.
The highlight of my weekend was watching Jurassic World while snuggling with my daughter on the couch!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul
What a cool looking bounce house!
Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me
Your backdrop for your runs is mesmerizing. If I ever find myself in Utah, I am going to make sure I take myself out on a run over there.
tara williams
That bouncy house is amazing! The one we take the girls to is so lame in comparison! Utah in the fall = beaUTAHful haha
xo, tara
http://www.hungryrunnergirl.com
tara williams
That bouncy house is amazing! The one we take the girls to is so lame in comparison! Utah in the fall = beaUTAHful haha
xo, tara
Christa
I am so glad to hear that you are feeling better! My last run where I felt strong was this past Wednesday where I had a great six mike run where everything just clicked. I eat oatmeal before all of my morning runs! The best part of my weekend was going to Hershey Park and riding some roller coasters!
Kay
Glad you’re feeling better! I love the photo of Brooke flying down the slide haha
Danielle
I love your shirt you’re wearing on your run!
Gi @ Gi N Juice
You deserved a great, injury-free, heathy long run… Congrats!
Brittany
I ran my first marathon today — AHHHH!
The Hungry Runner Girl
AHHHHHH BRITTANY!!! HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!! I am so so happy for you! Enjoy the post-marathon high!
Diane
My last long run for me was on Friday. I was finally back to my pre-anemia diagnosis time, too. Felt great!!
I love oatmeal and a banana, though I have dried blueberries and sunflower seeds in mine.
That run was the best day of the weekend. Although, finding out my old dog did NOT have a stroke and only needed a shot to help her feel better was a close second. That was just an emotional rollercoaster all Sunday afternoon…
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen
Oatmeal is definitely my long run fuel of choice :)
Lindsey
Seriously, I just want to come and spend a day with you!!
Melissa
I’m so glad you’re feeling better! I love that you put your watch over your long sleeved shirt! I may try that! Where did you get that shirt? What temp do you use it?!
valerie
the blurry photo of Brooke going down the slide is the best photo this blog has ever posted!! It looks so FUN AND HAPPY!!
Jill @ RunEatSnap
I usually do 2 slices peanut butter toast, banana, and 1% milk before a long run. For my half marathon last weekend I was in a hotel and didn’t have toast so I had oatmeal, banana, and skim milk and energy wise I was fine but I was hungry by mile 3 – I think my body missed the fat from the peanut butter and milk.
Melissa
Oh I love GF chex oatmeal, i add a tbsp of Chia seeds..delicious!
Congrats on the great run!!! :)