Out of shape? Or...

Today: 4 miles / 38:17 / 9:34 pace

Wednesday: 3 miles / 9:15 pace

Monday: 7.15 miles / 10:45 pace

I'm going to try and put my runs at the top of my first (or only?) post of the day again...that catches me up for the week so far!

So lately I have been really trying hard not to be down on myself about my S-L-O-W pace on my runs.  I know I can run faster than a 9:15-9:30 mile!!  I was pondering the reason I've been slow on my runs this morning (out of the house before 6am! I FINALLY did it!) and I figure it's either I'm not fueling properly (likely), out of shape (less likely, given my increasing miles over the past few months), or it's just waaaayyyy too hot/humid outside these days (well, we know that's the case with 80% humidity and 80* at 5:30am).  Even though I know it's pretty unlikely I'm losing my fitness, and I know in my head that I need to take it slower in this "heat dome" as they call it on the news, I'm not gonna lie, it still kinda bums me out that I'm not able to run at the pace I would like to. My legs will just only go so fast, no matter how much I tell them how svelte and strong they are...

So, that all said (whined?), I am committing to paying more attention to how I fuel both before and after my runs for the next several months while I keep trotting towards my marathon in November. I made myself a nice protein smoothie after my run this morning with soy milk, protein powder, half a frozen banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter.  Yummy!  I drank almost all of it before Beamer started helping himself.  Seriously, nothing is out of this dog's reach.  Nothing. Even when you think your food is safely out of reach, it's just not.  Ever.

Does anyone have any good fueling tips for me??  

Do you find it difficult to adjust your training for the weather?  Does it affect you mentally at all?