Seasonal GU -- Who knew!?

So, Mom, since you reminded me today that I haven't been posting here, I copied/pasted all my entries from my Runner's World blog. There are 4 or 5 new posts here. You'll have to play catch-up! Hope I don't bore you too much - it is mostly running stuff!

We've all heard of seasonal beer - winter lagers, Oktoberfest, pumpkin ales, etc. But I was shocked and amused to see a seasonal GU - chocolate mint! This sounded intriguing, as my favorite espresso drink is a peppermint mocha, not that I think GU could ever compare to that decadent treat. I needed to pick up several packets anyway since my supply was very low, so I threw a couple choco-mints into my bag. I tried one out today during my long run and son-of-a-gun, it was GOOD! Never thought I'd say that about GU. Now I need to campaign to make it year-round instead of seasonal. I also need to swing back by Hanson's and pick up whatever they have left over! I'm not sure I should admit this outside of the running crowd... oops.

So I tried out my new Fuel Belt today. Fit great! Didn't even know I had it on during the entire 12-miler. I hope it fits as well when I am scantily dressed during summer runs *wink*. But it should serve me well during the rest of the winter - that is, when the temperature is somewhere closer to freezing. Today it was about 10F when we started our run. At around mile 8 or 9, it occured to me that I wasn't hearing any sloshing anymore. I dismissed that fact until I finished my run and reached down to take a drink from a completely frozen bottle of Powerade. *sigh*

The other problem I had came from trying to replace the bottle in the back of the belt with mittens on. Couldn't feel or see a thing! Both bottles were quickly moved to the front of the belt (I left the other 2 bottles at home). I'm hoping non-mittened hands will have little trouble replacing bottles in the back. If not, my husband suggested twisting the belt around once the front 2 bottles are empty. What a smart guy. :-)

On the plus side, my new Outdoor Research mittens kept my hands relatively comfortable during the entire run. I am quite sure my hands would have been frozen and painful in my old gloves. Good timing on my mitten purchase. Go Red!