Two Rookie Running Mistakes

This week of spring break has been wonderful. I've spent most of the week in Arkansas visiting my BFF Kyla and my grandma. Arkansas has been sunny, warm and beautiful. It's also been perfect for running!

At the beginning of spring break, I had an awesome 9 mile run with Kyla. Monday I followed it up with a sunny 3 miles in the mountains and felt great.

But by Wednesday, my runs started to suck a lot. I made a few rookie running mistakes that made my runs rough and no fun at all. Here's what I messed up:

1) Poor nutrition/hydration

Although I've been spending a lot of time relaxing, the super rich food of the South and the nightly beer started to catch up with me. Wednesday morning I woke up and ate 2 Thin Mints (don't judge), a sugar-laden mini blueberry muffin, a huge bowl of yogurt/pumpkin/banana AND a hunk of wheat bread. And then I tried to run 5 miles! It's no wonder I was left with stomach cramps by mile 1.5 and slowed to a 10:00min/mi pace for the last mile.

The fix:

Focusing on a stabilizing small breakfast before a morning workout will help me tons. I particularly like peanut butter toast and a banana. I got in the habit of eating yogurt for protein in the morning, and it's served me well. Also, continued morning hydration is super important before setting out for a run.

2) Unpreparedness

While I generally pride myself on being prepared for runs (charged electronics, appropriate attire, full water bottle), this week I really messed up. For the crummy attempted 5 miler in Arkansas I didn't plan out my route at all and forgot to take water. After 1.66 miles I ran into a creek that covered the road completely. I had no choice but to circle the area for a while trying to rack up mileage. Eventually I just gave up-- so monotonous! Combined with the lack of water, I was exhausted.

The fix:

More careful consideration and planning of routes would have definitely helped me out here. I like to use MapMyRun to check out streets and routes in the area, especially when traveling. Asking around for opinions or unexpected delays would have served me well too! And finally, always remembering to check the weather and my gear is crucial for a good run.

Now I'm in Indiana visiting Sam while he studies to take his Senior Comprehensive Exams this weekend. He's set up a mobile office in the hotel and is studying away.

I had planned to do my 10-miler this weekend but there's a flood watch due to all of the rain scheduled for the area this weekend! I don't know if I'll be able to get out if there's an inch to an inch and a half of rain outside.

What lessons have you learned from your running mistakes? I can't be the only one who eats thin mints before a workout :)