Today I went out with a few friends to re-GPS the course for the upcoming inaugural Summerlin Half Marathon.  We had a couple spots that had a wee bit of confusion for us the first time we did it, so we just wanted to make sure it was all right.

I got up early, 4:30 AM to be exact.  I hate having to wake up so early to eat and digest before a run, but you do what you gotta do.  After I got dressed, I ate in the backyard while I let #JadeTheBoxer run around for 10 or 15 minutes.  Then we came back inside, cuddled up in the Snuggie and took a nap.  We could have gotten a good 40 minute nap in if she’d just lay down, but instead she was pretty insistent upon trying to chew a toy against my head or sitting on my chest making the nap about 15 minutes… But I can’t complain too much, she was warm and it was all done with a loving attitude.

At 7:00 AM I met my friends at the start line and we ran the course again.  I still enjoyed the course, I think I’ve earned the medal that will be given out on race day now… I’ve run it two weekends in a row.  (That counts, right? LOL!)  It was a little warmer out today than it was last week and I was drinking the last dregs of my liquids by the finish.

At the 11.5 mile point I tried a new gel.  I’m always unsure about trying new things, even though they say training is the time to experiment… I never want to actually get sick from something and I’ve had plenty of times where things didn’t agree with me.  So I waited until really late to see if I liked it.

Today’s new product was Chocolate #9, an energy source made of organic agave and cocoa.  I saw an ad for this in the back of Runner’s World a long time ago that offered a free trial pack.  I requested my packet and then I sat on it for a while.  (Well, I didn’t really sit on it… that could be sticky and/or gross.  I just let it sit in my box of running fuels.) But today I decided to take it with me… and I loved it.  This is the first gel that didn’t immediately sit in my stomach like a rock and I liked the flavor/texture.  Granted, I would need to try it on a long run earlier in the run and one where I’m running at my normal training pace (as a group we run slower than I would usually go if I was on my own), but I’m definitely eager to try this again.  I’ve never seen it at a retailer though so I guess it’s something that has to be purchased online.

While on the run we were leaving the road to head into a park, linking over to one of the trails, when we saw a little tiny pup prancing in the grass.  There were 4 women in our group today and 1 man.  The women immediately commenced to squealing and cooing over the tiny little dog.  It was a baby Yorkshire Terrier, and I have never seen a puppy that little.  I’m always amazed at how big my dog has grown, but even when we got her she was WAY bigger than this thing.  I’d be a little afraid that I’d step on it in my house.  We talked to the woman at the park with the dog.  It turns out she is a “foster parent” for this dog, taking care of it and feeding it with a bottle.  Apparently someone abandoned the pup when it was only a few weeks old, fortunately it was found and turned into a shelter.  I just can’t imagine dumping any animal on the street, but something that tiny was particularly shocking to me.  We all took turns holding it, and the pup even started to doze off in my friend Molly‘s hands (yes, it fit perfectly in her hands).  It was kind of the highlight of the run for me… everybody could use a little “Aww….” moment every now and then!