**Duh**

I had one of those "duh" moments today as I went out on my run. It occurred to me about half a mile in that I was feeling great. My heart rate was lower than normal for the same effort/speed. I hit a hill and although my heart rate climbed, it peaked at about 163 as opposed to 175 which is what it normally does on that hill. So I started to think what was different. I normally run that course on Saturday or Sunday mornings, so the timing was not the difference. The difference is that I've had two great nights of restful sleep. I didn't have any beer or wine last night…although the night before a run I may not overdo it on beer or wine, the fact is that with even a few glasses of either I just don't get as restful sleep.

The other difference is that I ate very healthy for the last few days consistently. Its not like I eat bad stuff all the time, but when I do, I tend to do it on the weekends, starting Friday night.

I knew that eating and drinking has adverse effects on how I feel in general and in particular when I exercise. But seeing it on my heart rate monitor really made me think to myself.. "well, DUH!"