The Walk of Shame

Today’s schedule had a nine-mile run on tap. I was set. I had eaten the right amount of carbs for dinner last night, drank tons of nuun yesterday and munched on a few pretzels. I knew it would be a muggy run this morning, but I was prepared for it. Or so I thought. I’ve been enjoying my low-humidity evening runs a bit too much I guess. I stepped out the door at 6:25 this morning and all I could think was, "Ugh, nine miles in this?" 

The first mile was slow, the humidity was pressing down on my body and I was still trying to wake up. My second mile got easier. The third mile, I was starting to feel it. My face and neck were getting too warm. I pulled out my chilly pad from the back of my race vest and put it around my neck. It helped a little. By 3.5 miles I got the worst side stitch I have ever had. I stopped running and figured I could walk it off. By the time my garmin ticked mile four, I was in even more pain. That was when I decided to throw the towel in and walk home. That was one painful mile to home. I swear that the Sheriff that passed me on the road would have pulled over and put me in his car if he had not been in the inside lane on Esplanade!

Thankfully I made it home with no accidents. I wasn’t sure if either end was going to erupt based on the level of pain I was experiencing. I got in the shower and then crawled back into bed and slept it off. I’m feeling better this afternoon, but still have that dehydration headache. Not sure what happened this morning, fingers crossed it was a one-time event.

Lessons learned from this epic fail:

1)    Use the chilly pad immediately on the long run. There is NO reason to let myself get overheated first, start off cool and maintain a comfortable level.

2)    Find a breakfast that works. I had half of a banana and half of a piece of toast this morning. That combo obviously wasn’t enough.

3)    Suck it up and run. I know I made the right decision this morning, but it is incredibly hard to run in 97% humidity (or more!). My choice is either muggy mornings or HOT (95 feels like 101+) in the evenings where I will definitely overheat AND run out of daylight.

I will run the missing four miles tomorrow. I know it is not ideal, and I’m really upset that I had to bail this morning, but it was the right decision. I knew it was going to be a hard run when my stomach felt off this morning as I was getting out of bed. Even before the cramp I found myself wishing cars would run the stop sign and hit me so I wouldn’t have to finish, it was that hard; then the cramping hit. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind and my body was physically off. The good news is that my new treadmill should be here in two weeks or less so my next long run can be done on it’s proper day with no care to the heat, humidity or hubby’s work schedule. I know treadmill running isn’t ideal, but it’s incredibly practical for my current situation.

Regardless of the craptastic run, I am glad that I was able to get out and do five miles this morning! 

It’s a great day for running y’all!

The Hardest Six Miles I Have Ever Run

I just finished week five of the Jeff Galloway Finish It Marathon Training Plan. My long run was six miles. I can honestly say that they were the hardest six miles I have ever run in my life. I started off at quarter after six in the morning. It was already 80 degrees with 91% humidity. The heat index brought the temperature up even higher. I scarfed down half of a banana knowing I’d need fuel but not wanting to waste time eating a full breakfast and waiting for it to digest. I stepped out of the front door and it felt like I was in a sauna. Ugh. I had a full fuel belt: two flasks of nuun up front and two flasks of water in the back. I set my garmin and started my timer. My legs were slow, the heat and humidity kept pushing me down making me slower. The miles slowly ticked away and I took a gel at mile three. I don’t normally take gels with me on six miles, but figured with the lack of breakfast combined with the weather, I should bring one. I’m glad I did. At each walk break (4 min run, 30 second walk) I would take a sip of nuun. After the second mile I started sipping water and splashing it on my face. After three miles I started pouring water on my neck and my head. By mile five my fuel belt was sucked dry. The only thing that got me home was knowing I had only one mile left.

Lessons learned for a successful run in August in New Orleans:

1. I need to find something I can eat (before my long runs) and then run immediately. Half a banana works. I wonder if I should try adding some Greek yogurt as well? Training for my half marathons, I would eat a bowl of oatmeal. Unfortunately, oatmeal is too hot and I don’t want to get up that early to eat and then wait for digestion.
2. I need to leave the house at SIX am and not any later. Once that sun comes up, it gets H-O-T!
3. I need to bring more liquids. Problem solved. I ordered a Nathan Intensity 2 Liter vest. It should be here before my next long run (7.5 miles)
4. I should consider getting a Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad to keep my neck cool. I loose a lot of water by dousing my neck and head.

Rough run aside, it was pretty awesome knowing I ran six miles in weather most people don’t even leave the house in! Pretty GBA in my book. I’m looking forward to my new vest and experimenting with breakfast options that don’t give me a mid run gut ache.

It’s a great day for running y’all!

11 Miles and the Dreaded Wall

Yesterday I ran 11 miles. My goal was to run it in two hours or less. Last time I ran 11 miles (training for the ATL half) I ran it in two hours, ten minutes and twenty-nine seconds. I wanted to beat that time. I fueled properly all day Wednesday. I carbo loaded, I drank water like it was going out of style. Last time I met 11 miles, it chewed me up and spit me out. I realized after the run it was due to improper fueling the day before and during. I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I knew what I was getting into and I was going to CRUSH 11 miles.

I missed my time goal by two minutes and nine seconds. CRAP! I was solid the first nine and half miles. It was EPIC. I was strong, I hit the high at nine miles (why does that take so long??!!??). I was grooving. Then I hit 10 miles. I am not sure what it is about double digits, but every time I get there, the wheels come off. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. I had a game plan for this run. I fueled with gels at miles three and six and had half of a honey stinger (I ran out of gels at home) at mile nine. I had two flasks of nuun. Looking back, I realize that I need MORE gels in the house. I like the idea of taking them every three miles, which is what works for my body. I need to pick up a Nathan Speed 4 to replace my Speed 2. I need to bring two flasks of nuun AND two flasks of water. Regardless of my hydration, I will still battle the notorious ten miles.

I asked a good friend of mine on FB about this double-digit issue. He’s an ultra runner, my ultimate running hero; I aspire to run like him some day. I view him as the Yoda of running. His reply was:

…that's why they call it training. 10 is your "wall" now. Think back to when you started running, when did the wheels fall off, much sooner?

Keep up the hard work and you'll learn about what your body needs to run efficiently through any wall, sans wheels. Soon enough you'll be busting out an easy ten for a recovery run. :-)

Endurance and muscle memory are earned through miles and miles. No short cuts.

The WALL. That’s what it’s all about. Facing the wall. Beating the wall. Tearing down the wall. (humming Pink Floyd). He’s right. When I started running, 10k was hard for me. Now that wall has moved to 10 miles. Practice makes perfect. I look forward to 10 miles being my “easy” recovery run, someday. That is what I love about running. Each and every day I face challenges that I can conquer, goals that can be met and crushed and then setting new goals. Running makes me determined, focused, and strong. I love it!

Today is a day of rest. Hubby has the day off and we’ll go for a short 2-3 mile hike with the boys after school. Not an extreme hike like last time, just an easy family hike. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, get out and move!

Happy running y’all!!!

Eight IS Great!

As I was waking up this morning prepping for my 6.5 run, I had a revelation. Why not run 8??!!?? I am training for the Publix Georgia Half Marathon (that I might or might not be able to run in=CRAZY). Getting my double infection and being placed on antibiotics really screwed up my training schedule. I decided to skip the 6.5 and go for the 8 that I was originally planning to run late next week even though the training schedule has it set for tomorrow. I logged on to map my run to map out an 8 mile route close to home since it is supposed to rain today. Yes, I am from Seattle. No, I don't think that I'm going to melt in the rain. BUT have you ever experienced East coast rain? It is NOT like a Seattle drizzle. It pours buckets; porcupines and penguins. You can step outside for less than two minutes and come back inside looking like you took a shower fully clothed. So, mapping a run close to home would make it easy to bail if it started pouring. Thankfully it didn't.

As I started my run, I reflected on the last time I ran 8 miles. I was prepping for my half. I was scared of 8 miles, I had never ran that far before. I kept saying all week, "Eight is great!" just to pump myself up. I don't remember much about that run. I know that when I was done, I felt fabulous, like I had conquered the world! I wish that I had started this blog at the beginning of my training so I could remember exactly what I was feeling. I do know that I ran those 8 miles in 1:36:26. I remember that they were hard, but not impossible.

Today's run was fabulous! My legs were sore; I don't normally run three days in a row. I like to have a rest day before a long run, but that's how my schedule has worked out this week. My compression socks did the trick for my calves. I tried a Power Bar Energy Gel for the first time around mile 4 (I don't have a Garmin-someday!!). I really liked it. It was much easier to get down than the Cliff Shotblocks I used for my half. I had one bottle of water and one of Nuun in my fuel belt. Perfect combo of hydration and fuel. I kicked it. Today, I ran 8.33 miles in 1:26:02. I shaved ten minutes off my time! Not to mention that I ran farther. I felt on top of the world! I love that running makes me feel that way: strong, invincible and badass! When I got home, I looked at my time, checked it against the last time. I then had to re-check my route to make sure I didn't accidentally run 7 miles instead of 8 (boy a Garmin would be nice!). I couldn't believe that I had shaved 10 minutes, but I did! And it was epic.

Happy running y'all!