I am so sick of the treadmill. Because of my schedule, I have a really hard time getting out on the road and I'm starting to miss it a bit. As my miles increase, my treadmill boredom increases as well. Today I did 8 miles on the treadmill and that is just too much. And, I'm a bit worried because last weekend I went out to the parkway planning to do 9 miles. It is the first time I had been on the road in a long time. It did not go well. I ended up quitting at 7 miles because I could hardly breathe. Apparently 7 road miles are a lot harder then 7 treadmill miles. Hopefully I can start getting out on the road again soon.

Leslie - I did take some carbs when I was training for my marathon. I took usually took a Power Bar Gel at about 6 or 7 miles and then something every 3 miles after that. If you don't like the texture of the gels, you can try Sport Beans which are easier to get down or I also like Luna Sport Moons. You can find them at any running store or even at WalMart (although they will have a lot fewer flavors). Training for a half marathon, they really aren't as necessary, but you may want to practice taking something along the way because they are helpful and most half-marathons pass out something at about the halfway mark. And, you don't want to try anything during the race that you haven't tried during training. Also, don't be afraid to carb load the night before you do your long runs. While training for my marathon, my husband knew that on Friday night we were having pasta. 8 miles is a long way to run and so there is nothing wrong with giving your body the energy it needs to do it. Amber