Medium run, 5 miles, 59:07; splits 11:32, 10:44, 11:22, 13:02, 12:28

Muggy, overcast morning, and my first time running with my Camelbak water backpack. I bought it a couple of years ago when I started to go over 1 1/2 hours of running, but it didn’t come until after my 8 mile run (my peak back then) and so I haven’t needed it yet. But I will for my 10 mile Sunday run and figured I’d try getting used to it today. First mistake: I left air in the bladder so it made annoying sloshing sounds. I’ve figured out how to fix that for Sunday. Second mistake: I don’t think I have the straps adjusted quite right. I’ll have to work on that. Breathing & drinking definitely takes getting used to. My plan is to drink about a cup every 2 miles, since that’s how far apart the water stops are at the marathon. Third mistake: I didn’t measure how many small swallows is a cup. I’ll do that before Sunday. Two other new things I’m going to try Sunday: energy gels (I have one of each of the major brands to try), and Two Toms anti-blister foot powder. Everybody says with great emphasis, “Don’t do ANYTHING different on marathon day.” Lots of experimenting to do ahead of time!

As well as the usual rabbits and deer, I saw a red squirrel and a vole this morning. After the red squirrel, I was thinking about how I hardly ever see even common gray squirrels, so then I saw one too. The vole was crossing the road, just a little black speck, but I caught up to it and got a good look at it on the shoulder. I just saw one two days ago in front of the library, also. This must be a population boom year for them–I wonder if it’s tied to the rabbit population, which is also booming now (after a crash during which you hardly ever saw a rabbit).