Run nattering

[yendi]

Since I'm off today, I had extra time in the morning, so I jogged to the Starbucks in Belmont. I'd actually gone there on my Saturday jog, but Runkeeper informed me that my route was only .88 of a mile. I wanted to break a mile, so I found an alternate route that ran 1.14 miles and took it today.

Of course, Starbucks was my reward. I got myself a nice Bacon & Gouda Artisan Breakfast Sandwich and a medium coffee (hot, since it was cool enough outside to enjoy it), as well as a glass of water that I drank first. I ate the sandwich and drank the coffee on my slightly-longer walk home (I took a 1.4 mile walk).

(Incidentally, I had been getting the Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon, White Cheddar & Cage-free egg white Classic Breakfast Sandwich as breakfast in Starbucks in recent months, but then I looked at their nutrition page. The Bacon and Gouda sandwich only has 30 more calories, not a very significant difference. But it has 13 fewer grams of carbs! That's not insignificant. I do lose three grams of fiber, but given how much I get in my diet, that's not a concern. Likewise, the higher fat content doesn't bother me much, as it balances out over the day. I'm not a huge fan of the saturated fat or sodium contents, but again, if I plan my day well, I'm still getting well under my daily max of either of those. And more importantly, I get real bacon! All that said, it's a twice-a-week at most treat, but a nice reward.)

As I get a little more capable, I figure I can expand my weekend jogs to the Watertown Square Starbucks (a little further away, even though it's technically in my town), and eventually the Newton one (which is about 1.6 miles by the most direct route). If I ever get crazy good, I can try for the one at Target (a full 2.6 miles). Granted, that one opens up later (8AM), but by the time I get that good (if ever), it'll likely be cool enough to run that late in the morning. Although the run to the Starbucks this morning also involved a 40-foot climb in elevation, which I don't think the others would have; not sure how much that changes things (the internets are not helpful on this front).

Comments

[gothwalk.livejournal.com]

From my own experience, a slow climb or a slow drop doesn't make a huge difference; it's variable terrain or steep inclines that change things. From personal experience, the difference between a 5km run on flat ground and a 5km run on variable ground is vast.