Product Review: Luna Moons

On Sunday, I decided to go for a long run. I went out for about 3 hours in the heat of the day, which was really dumb. I have a big welt on my left hip from where my fuel belt rubbed. I was very hot and slow by the end and had to walk for a bit. I don't know how far I went but I was out for a looong time.

I decided to try Luna moons, because I've been telling people that they can try the gummies instead of the gels. I've personally been a big GU fan since I started out, but I figure I can give it a shot. I got the pomegranate flavor (when are they in season btw?) and I was excited to try them. I started out running and I was waiting and waiting and waiting for the first 5-6 miles to go by so I could eat one.

Reactions?

They were really soft and chewy, but that was irritating to me. I wanted them to be gummier but at the same time I was frustrated by chewing because my mother taught me to chew with my mouth closed. When you're running and it's 98 degrees and humid out, it's really hard to close your mouth to chew. The gummy stuck to my teeth for a few minutes afterwards, meaning I had to close my mouth again to try to get it out. I thought that was really irritating and I missed my GU, which I can suck down with ease.

However, there were definitely some pluses. They are quite tasty, mmm. Not a weird or bad flavor at all and almost more pleasant than chocolate GU. Certainly more refreshing. Also, I could eat a pack over the course of an hour, meaning that I didn't just eat and go, I could actually get the benefits over a longer period of time. But maybe that's bad - after all, there's only 100 calories in one pack. You need to be getting those in your system during a long run.

I'll probably buy them again cause they're tasty...but I think GU is still the way to go.

In Favor of Running in the Morning

I know I've talked a lot about how much I love to run in the morning. I know that very few of you believe me, but recently I've just been overwhelmed by how different DC is at 5:30am. Right up till about 6:45, it is a completely different city. Most mornings, I just go down to the Washington monument and back. For anyone who's been to DC at least once in their life, you must have horrible memories of all the tourists standing around in the intense heat, cyclists trying to get around you, obese children dripping ice cream on your foot. It's nothing like that early in the morning. There are a few other runners who silently give you a respectful nod as you pass, as if you somehow share a bond. Cyclists whiz by you without a word, because there's actually room on the sidewalk. Cars drive by at a slower pace, because there's no traffic and no need to accelerate so early in the morning. Usually as I head back the sun starts to rise over the Capitol and the sky behind the Washington Monument turns a golden pink.

In other news, I've found that I can still register for the Marine Corps marathon or the NY Marathon (2 weeks after the one in San Fran) if I join a charity team. Temptation is great, but I need to focus on swimming. But why not take a stab at another one? After that winter is upon us and it will be difficult to do another one until next year...

Take that, cyclists!!

Today I'm writing in response to an article I found in the NY Times. I read something about this a few months ago and wanted to include it, but then couldn't find the study again. The Times pulled through for me though, so here we go!



So apparently, cycling isn't all it's cracked up to be. You can crack a lot of your bones in it. Hahahha. Cough. For some reason (they don't seem to have determined why yet), cycling causes bone density to drop severely, resulting in bones breaking more easily. Which is horrible, since when you're on a bike, you're traveling pretty fast and there's usually/often lots of cars and crazy children on tricycles around. What would be a good way to prevent that? OH OH OH I KNOW!! Add running into your training!

I think triathlons have gotten a bad rap recently. People think they're dangerous and scary, but really they prevent things like broken collarbones (or induce them by bringing people like me in who never would ride a bike otherwise). But seriously, all that cross training has to be good for people. It's forcing me out of my comfort zone and slowly I'm learning to appreciate it. Last night I went swimming and felt like my stroke was a little bit stronger. It made me feel really good, like I had accomplished something. Actually, not "like" I accomplished something, because I really did! I've gone from afraid to swim to eager to improve. Not bad for a fish out of water!