Is this for real? Am I.... getting... no it can't be

Gasp!
Could it be....?
Really....?

Is Mr. Garmin playing games with me? Did the satellite messages get all effed up? Because the numbers can't possibly make sense....

18 miles, 9:40 average pace. That's a whopping 50 Seconds faster than my previous 18 miler, 20 seconds faster than my fastest 16 miler, and 6 seconds faster than my marathon pace.

And I wasn't even trying. And I was on my...um... cycle. WTF

I think the only logical conclusion is that Martians are out playing cruel tricks on people's confidence. I'll bet my life on it. Those darned Martians; screwing with the satellite signals again. I swear. If I ever run into one....!!!
(Image source)

Yes, it's safe to say this week's run was a GINOURMOUS improvement compared to the 16 miles of torture the week prior :)

This training cycle, (event yet to be announced as I am a lazy bum bum who hasn't registered yet. Drrr!) I promised myself to be more careful about on-the-run nutrition. I wanted to make sure I ate according to a schedule, not just randomly and erratically popping Shot Blocks.

Um.... yeah. Major FAIL on that one. I just cannot seem to get hungry enough for anything while running. Schedule, shmedule. Maybe the problem is that I eat too big of a breakfast? For example:

Pre-Run eats consisted of coffee, 2.5 homemade waffles with syrup and PB, 3/4 banana, a couple mouthfuls of scrambled egg, Clif Z-bar, piece of chocolate, and a slice of bread.

On-the-run eats consisted of 6 Shot Blocks, 150 calories of coconut water, and 3/4 slice of bread with jelly and margarine.

I felt no hunger on the run and I felt adequately fueled and energetic. I had packed two Carb Boom! energy gels, and an extra carton of O.N.E coconut water, but were left untouched.

Would it be better to eat less of a breakfast and eat more on the run? Or since breakfast consists of "real food", would it be better to keep eating my Hugh Jass b-fasts and lay low on the energy products? (Cheaper this way too) I would hugely appreciate any feedback! How/when do you fuel up? I guess I'll experiment during this weekend's "short run".
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In terms of non-running news, I took my new bike out for it's second ride this weekend :) Despite some chafing (I'm ordering shorts, lube, and gloves today!), I felt much more confident on the bike: I've stopped having nightmares about clipping in/out :) ahh I can rest easy at night.

On this ride, I focused on learning more about the rear derailleurs. Every little hill, I practiced shifting up and down, and seeing how the bike felt. I also practiced dropping down to a very high gear for the downhills, so I wouldn't have to rely on gripping the brakes to death. Overall, a very fun ride :)

So by the end of the week, I hope to catch up on some product reviews, and finally announce the event I've been training for!

Hope everyone's weekend was absolutely glorious, and hope the week ahead has plenty of joy and laughter.... and of course, who can forget, Running! :)