Miscellaneous

I ran in a local 10K (6.2 miles) event the other day. It's the first time I've run that far in years. I did pretty well, relative to my own past performance. I was still in the back of the pack, but I ran 12-minute miles, much better than the 14 minute miles I had been running up until then. I really got out of shape from just before surgery up until last month.

I usually don't eat before a long run. I use an energy gel (Carb Boom) about 15 minutes before, and if I'm going to be running for an hour or more I take another one with me. They taste pretty good--like pie filling. They're made from fruit and are fairly low in sugar compared to other gels. Just enough of a boost to do the run without getting shaky, and no stomach upset as long as I drink some water with the gel.

After running, I make a recovery smoothie in the blender that has ingredients like this--varying depending on what's in the fridge:

half cup frozen blueberries
half cup frozen strawberries
Half a banana
Cup of pomegranate juice
Cup of plain yogurt or cup of low fat vanilla frozen yogurt
Whey protein powder
a few ice cubes

OR--once in a while I have an Egg McMuffin.

Current reading list:

Nothing to Be Frightened Of (Julian Barnes)
2nd Chance (James Patterson) (tip of the hat to David E)
Moby Dick
Six Easy Pieces (Richard Feynman)