Week 4 - Day 2

I had a pretty good run yesterday. It was in the 60's outside, so I was pretty happy that I was able to take advantage. I took a different route from work than I normally do - mainly because I wanted to incorporate some steep hills.

I joined the Disney Princess Half Marathon group on Facebook and learned some GREAT info about the race. First of all, it sounds AWSOME and I am looking forward to the race more than ever. We start off at the Epcot ball, then run over to the Magic Kingdom, run through Cinderella's Castle, then end back up at Epcot. Sounds great to me!!! Secondly, I found out that the race route includes running on the highway AND running up one of the on-ramps, which is why I am now going to add in some hills on my running routes. I also found out that there are a lot of people like me, that are just starting out running and this will be their first race. Its very encouraging to read others' stories.

Another tip that was suggested on the group Facebook page was to use Jelly Belly Sport Beans. I had never heard of this before, but apparently they have electrolytes and some vitamins in them which give you a boost of energy while you're running. I bought some on my way home last night and am going to try them on my long run this weekend. I also bought this item called "Gu" that pretty much does the same thing, except its a liquid you drink rather than a jelly bean you chew. We'll see if they make a difference in my performance. =)

WEIGHT LOSS TIP: Find a variety of exercises you like to do. I started out using the elliptical machine a lot because I felt like I was burning the most calories using it. Then I started to get bored with that, so I started trying to find other activities I really enjoyed. I now go ice skating, biking, swimming (when I can), running, walking, and attend Zumba classes. Now I don't get bored and burn more calories because I am working different muscles all the time.