"You are going to want to give up. DON'T."

Back again!

I've been off in career search land, and I finally have time to breathe and write a post! I'm getting interviews, but so far no job offers. It's really early in the process so I'm not too worried. The right position will come around soon!

This past week I started half marathon training. Surprisingly, the first week was really, really tough. It's not the length of the training runs that is tough. Rather, it is the frequency of the training runs and the increase in mileage that was tough.

For example, the first week is three 3 mile runs and one 4 mile run. The second 3 mile run I didn't feel great at all and had to stop at 1.88 miles. I was bummed, but it was one of those times that your body demands a break... or else. I made up the mileage by running on Saturday before attending a wedding in my hubby's hometown. After the wedding, the groom asked me if I was out running that morning because he saw a girl that looked like me. It was me! Ha ha ha. I was slightly embarrassed since I don't want anyone to see me running besides my husband and my friend Nicole (who I dragged into running with me!). I set a PR though with a 10:45 min mile average! WOO! No wonder I felt so terrible and just wanted the 2.1 miles to be over with! Too fast for my blood. For now.

As I promised in my last post I'm going to do a small review of my hydration belt, Nathan Speed 2.

Source
Mine is black.

Pros and Cons time!!

Pros:
- Comfortable. Didn't cut into me or leave marks.
- Doesn't slide around. I wear mine around my hip bones and my bottom belly helps hold everything in place. I've always been a girl with a little extra so I don't know how it would fit on a flat tummy girl. 
- The water bottles don't drip or impede my running in any way. I wear mine with the bottles on my back and have no problems pulling them out and placing them back while running.
-  Great storage. I carry my keys, mace, running fuel, and can squeeze in my Ipod nano.
- Available in different sizes to fit all bodies. 

Cons:
- Not a fan of the rubber nozzles on the water bottles. I understand that it is made tougher so it doesn't leak but I'm not crazy about it. The one nozzle twisted, got caught and wouldn't close all the way. I managed to wiggle it back into place.
- Doesn't fit large smart phones. I have a large smart phone I use to track my training so I clip it to the belt instead. Also, I use a thick case since I'm accident prone making the phone bigger. 
- Water bottle fell out of the belt, but only once. I was passing a walker on the path through the grass and I tend to bounce more in grass than on pavement. The water bottle wasn't secured well after I had just taken a drink a few minutes before and popped out. I haven't had any problems since then though. 

Overall: I really like this belt. I'd recommend it for any runner (beginners or otherwise) that are in need of an easy, comfortable way to keep water and fuel on hand for longer training runs.

Next, I'm going to review my SPIBelt! I like to take this lightweight belt on short runs since I have to drive to good running locations around town and need somewhere to put my keys.

Have you hit walls in your training and how did you get through them? What's your preferred way to carry water/fuel on long runs?