Well, I was shooting for 7 miles today to start off the week. Was bothered almost the entire run by severe intestinal cramps (that led to you-know-what, but thankfully not until the end of my run). The pace felt good, but the cramps forced me to change my running form to be a bit more compact. Warmed up for a mile in 8:20, then ran a couple miles at about 8:05 pace. Picked up the tempo a bit more, ran the 4th mile in 7:31 (MP). Slowed down, decided to cut the run a bit short due to the GI issues. During the last mile, my left calf (soleus) was complaining a little bit, not much - just a few twinges - but enough to make me glad I was cutting the run short. Finished the run at the corner gas station about 1/4 mile from our house - just in time. Walked back home and then stretched out my calves before going inside. Average pace for the run was 8:08/mile. I am not sure what caused the GI distress, although it may have been the change in sports drink. I have been drinking Gatorade Rain, which I really like for the taste and how easy it is on my stomach. Last nght I had a few gulps of powerade, and I drank more this morning before my run, then finished off the bottle afterwards (32 oz bottle). It would seem that my stomach and GI tract do not like all the dyes in the powerade I drank. I honestly can't think of anything else, as I was fasting yesterday, an we made our standard Sunday dinner of 1/2 white, 1/2 wheat pancakes and eggs, plus I had some milk. I'll see how I feel tomorrow and will make sure to take it easy on my run - no pickups, just nice easy pace. If I feel better tomorrow, I will get an extra 1/2 mile in on Wednesday. | 