Five Things Friday: Fruity Fun and Sunny Runs

Hello everyone, and happy almost-weekend! It’s time for another round of Five Things Friday, which as usual will focus on running and eats – but jazzed up by summer sun and cravings.

1. Summer Fruits: Whether berries, melon, or stone fruits, I’m constantly craving fruit. I’ve always been big on fruit, but in the winter I mostly stick to apples and bananas because that’s what’s available locally, so I love it when juicy strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, perfectly ripe peaches and plums, and mouthwatering melons are in season. I happily eat all of these unadorned, but sometimes I’ll get inspired to whip up a recipe involving them, like an oatmeal cake or frozen parfait. Peaches n’ Cream or Strawberry Fields, anyone?

 

 

 

2. Popsicles: I waxed poetic about ice cream and other delicious frozen desserts last week, but mostly stuck to dairy standbys. When it gets REALLY hot, what I crave most is an icy Popsicle or frozen fruit bar. I really like Edy’s Whole Fruit bars and just discovered these Philly Swirl ice pops at the grocery store – they’re sort of the opposite in that they are definitely not meant to give you real fruit, but I get more than enough of that and seriously, who doesn’t love cotton candy?

 

 

 

3. Iced coffee: I know, this is not a new favorite, but it’s a must for me. I’ll make my own at home or treat myself to a good one after a run on the way back in. I even had a small victory yesterday…I had a gift card and stopped in to grab my usual decaf iced coffee, and for the first time ever they got my name completely right!

 

 

 

 

4. Sweet and salty snacks: Surprisingly, when I’m not slurping on icy beverages or filling my belly with fruit, I’ve been craving both sweet and salty flavors – I’m usually a sweets girl by far. I think it’s because I’m running and sweating out a LOT of sodium and need to refuel. I hadn’t realized how much can be taken out of you. I started running in March 2013, and that first summer, the longest distance I got up to was 5-6 miles. I didn’t run further than 6 until after my first 10k in late September 2013. I ran my first half in March 2014, but was injured in late May and basically took all of last summer off – no running from June through August, only starting up again in September. So this is the first summer when I’ve been running long distances in the heat and humidity, and I realize I need to figure out what works best for hydration and appropriate refueling under these conditions. I appreciated the Hungry Runner Girl tips, and would welcome others! In the meantime, lots of Angie’s and Skinny Pop… and GF crackers with salty cheese like this delicious rosemary olive oil Asiago featured in my Long Run WIAW! Also, cheese + GF crackers or pretzels + fruit = summer snacking all day long.

 

 

 

5. Speaking of running in the sun, I keep on loving the Experia socks I’ve been wearing lately. They provide a great cushion for my feet and also seem to be pretty good at sweat-wicking to prevent blisters, which I have had issues with in the past. It’s nice to feel relatively comfortable even in the heat, and every little bit helps. Now I just need to figure out how to solve two things – the weird abrasiveness on the edge of my underarms that no amount of BodyGlide seems to help, and the best way to carry water with me for someone who has a hard time wearing fuel belts and other gadgets (I like to run light, like yesterday’s reservoir run) Apologies for the weird eyes, I have no idea how to take a selfie and I am just starting to experiment because of blogging…

 

 

 

 

And that’s all for this week! What are you loving this Friday? Any recommendations for carrying water on long runs?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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