For the last few years, I've been a pretty consistent 4-5 days of the week runner. I enjoy having at least two full rest days, and I prefer that sort of flexibility with my schedule to accommodate life. I only started adding the 5th day in when training for Fargo, and decided on it for my current Sioux Falls half training as well. However, with where my weekly mileage is it is sometimes daunting to look at your schedule and realize that your shortest run for the week is 6-7 miles. I remember when that was still my long run!
Last week, I had a really crappy run on Monday, taking my 5 miler to 1.5 miles. I didn't want to skimp on my weekly mileage, so I made up the miles with a short 3.5 mile recovery run on Sunday. And I kind of loved it. Yeah, I ended up running 6 days, but man it's so much easier to get yourself outside for a short little run. For now I'm keeping my schedule as is, but any weeks that allow for a short recovery run on Sunday I am going to utilize. Normally my first run post-long run is a 5-7 miler, and you know how trashy your legs feel after a long run. Why not just suffer for a couple miles instead?? GENIUS!
This strategy came in super handy this week when I only had about 45 minutes to run and shower before I had to volunteer at the library. Plus the heat index was 98* so I couldn't fathom running further than a short few. So I knocked out 3 of my 6 miles on the schedule, and intend to do the remaining 3 Sunday as my shake out run.
Speaking of insane heat index, Monday I had a small sliver of time to run before a doctor's appointment. Sadly that time to run was at 11:15am. And it was hovering around 90*. The air was so thick with humidity, I felt like I was gasping for air. I was sweating so badly, I finally had to take my heart rate monitor off and carry it in my hand because it kept sliding down my sweaty ribcage. I was hurting so bad, that I ended up walking for a couple of minutes during the final mile to get my heart rate down and attempt to cool myself.
Stupid me hadn't eaten any breakfast, hadn't drank any water, and didn't bother to throw on my white running hat. Oh hai death march. A cold cold shower has never felt so good.
Showing posts with label hot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hot. Show all posts
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Monday, July 19, 2010
Race Report: JazzFest 5k
Friday night I made my way out to JazzFest with some friends, with a strict midnight bedtime in mind. Midnight came and went and I was still having a delightful time. Finally 12:30 rolled around, and I realized I still had a 2 mile walk ahead of me. Dumb Jerbear. Luckily I had some competition for the following morning, in the form of a potentially still drunk gent. I decided ahead of time, that if I lost I would probably retire my running shoes.
Saturday morning I woke up at 7am and felt like crap. I felt stuffy and like I had been sniffing straight pollen for 72 hours. After I ate breakfast my stomach thought it would be fun (as well as a confidence booster) to dry heave for 20 minutes. I grabbed Miss Polly Sunshine (she's been feeling neglected lately) and took off to the race. I got there plenty early and saw Joseph warming up. He jogged with me during my warm up and get me pumped up for a PR. I was hoping for just under 23:30 for the race. After signing in for the race I ran in to my buddy Matt who was running his first race!! Somehow he managed to be less nervous than I was....riddle me that one. Lame.
The race was set to start at 9am, and I knew the temp would be over 80 by then. I also knew it was going to be humid and not very breezy. I tend to not do too well in the heat, if you haven't paid attention to me bitching about it extensively thus far this summer. Looking at the race route, I knew it was going to be flat which would be awesome if I could hack the heat.
Mile 1 7:30
About 1 1/4 miles in to the race I got a horrible side stitch. I've never gotten a side stitch while racing before, so I didn't really know what to do. My breathing had been really gaspy because of the humidity levels, so I'm sure that was the cause of it. I tried to regulate my breathing to make the side cramp go away. The cramp was only intensifying the pukey feeling that I was having. For a minute or two I thought about stopping to barf and not finishing. I figured, worst case scenario I had about 12 minutes of running left and should be able to hack it.
Mile 2 8:05
The second mile was about 6 seconds slower than I wanted it to be, and I knew I had nothing left in my tank for the rest of the race. I was wiped. I kept my focus on those in front of me and trying to bridge the gap. At 1/2 mile out, where I normally start my kick, I was pooped and kickless. In un-Jerbear-fashion I posted my slowest split for the final mile. :(
Mile 3 8:08
Also, the course was a full .1 long which at the pace I was running was almost :50. Ugh. So annoying. Especially because I'm the queen of running tangents in these shorter races. Poop nuggets.
.2 1:28 (7:17 pace)
I finished in 25:13 posting my worst 5k time in over a year and a half. I honestly couldn't have ran faster in that weather, so I'm not bummed in my performance, more bummed that I keep spending money on races that start so late in the day. If you're not a runner that can "do" heat, DON'T. Duuuuuh. :)
I think I finished in the realm of 9th place for females. I was super bummed after the race because I didn't run well, didn't have a good time, placed lower than I thought I had, and thought potentially-still-drunk-guy had beaten me. Luckily I was surprised to find out that I had actually beat him by a ways, and a guy wearing his exact outfit was the one that passed me. Winner winner. :) Sometimes life is all about the consolation prizes......
So I may be done with the 5k for the year as I'm diving (or technically already dove) into half marathon training, and will be embarking on marathon training this fall. If that is the case, let it be known that I *will* be coming for 22:xx in 2011. :)
Friday, July 16, 2010
Sweatastic Runs #1 and #2
Tuesday night I had an easy 5 miler on the schedule. One look at the weather report (upper 80s/85% humidity) I knew I had to do the unthinkable....run without the shirt. I tried to recruit my biking buddy Aaron to run with me sans shirt as well, but it was a no go. I finally decided that the uncomfortability (is that a word??) factor of going without a shirt was far less than the uncomfortability (ya, it must be) of having more soaked fabric on my skin.
I started out and my legs were flying, although it didn't feel like I was running fast. After the first mile beeped up, I knew I needed to slow way down since I had a long run less than 8 hours later (FML).
I did 5 miles in 47:40 for a pace of 9:32.
1. 9:14
2. 9:29
3. 9:38
4. 9:40
5. 9:39
After Tuesday's hot ass (literally) run, I decided that I would for sure be attempting my 11 mile long run before work on Wednesday. Typically when I do my long run before work, it's on Thursdays when I work late, but in this case, that meant a 4:45 wake up call. Um. That's early FYI.
My alarm went off and I scarfed down most of a Luna Bar (see I've already learned my fueling lesson from last week's long run failure. YAY ME!). Unfortunately I didn't have a banana as I typically do for long runs, and this will prove to be "sensitive subject" later in the run.
As soon as I opened my door the humidity slapped me in the face like a warm wash cloth. It was 80 degrees and 96% humidity. The streets and sidewalks were wet. Kill. ME. NOW. And the sun wasn't even out yet. Runners are crazy bitches fo sho. I started off and within a 1/2 mile my headphones fell out of my ears I was sweating so much. Sweet. At my 3/4 mile/stretch point I was dripping sweat. Awesome.
I made it a point to drink a ton of water (since I was losing a ton of it) and the miles just draaaaagged on. My legs felt heavy after the 5 miler a few hours before. I really can't wait to get to a "normal" week where I don't have any weekend plans and no races so I can rest the day before and after long runs. I like to feel strong on these puppies.
I stopped for water at mile 2 and 3.5 and also took a GU at 3.5. Strawberry banana...kinda tasted like a fruit roll up. Mmmm. Every time I stopped to get water, I would notice a small puddle forming under me as the rivers of sweat were rolling off of me/falling off of me/splashing on the ground.
About 4 miles in my legs started to feel more fresh so I picked up the pace slightly. At mile 7.5 I took another GU and refilled my water bottle again. My pace was settling in to the 9:30s which was what I was shooting for prior to the run. At mile 8 my stomach was not happy. At all. I needed to find a bathroom and there was none in sight. Also, the tree coverage surrounding the trail was nil. Hmmm.... the closest bathroom was mine...3 miles away. I guess we'll keep going. There were a couple of times during Mile 10 and 11 that I had to walk for a bit. This will forever serve as a reminder to get my banana breakfast in before long runs. :) Some how I managed to make it home, and for the first time, didn't care what my long run pace was. It was more of a success to make it to my bano.
I did the 11 miles in 1:48 for a pace of 9:50.
Interestingly enough, at the turn around my pace was 54:40, so I actually ended up having a stronger pace on the 2nd half despite a 1/4 of a mile where I had to resort to a brisk walk.
In case you were curious how soaked "soaked" actually is, here you go. I could wring out both top and bottom within the first 15 minutes of the run. I'm lucky my thighs are thinner now than they used to be, I remember getting a horrid case of "chub rub" from a similar humid run where the wet shorts rubbed my inner things raw. Owee!
Last 5k of the summer tomorrow (ok, last one on the schedule, you and me both know that I'll do another sometime before summer's end). Can't wait to race my booty off!
I started out and my legs were flying, although it didn't feel like I was running fast. After the first mile beeped up, I knew I needed to slow way down since I had a long run less than 8 hours later (FML).
I did 5 miles in 47:40 for a pace of 9:32.
1. 9:14
2. 9:29
3. 9:38
4. 9:40
5. 9:39
After Tuesday's hot ass (literally) run, I decided that I would for sure be attempting my 11 mile long run before work on Wednesday. Typically when I do my long run before work, it's on Thursdays when I work late, but in this case, that meant a 4:45 wake up call. Um. That's early FYI.
My alarm went off and I scarfed down most of a Luna Bar (see I've already learned my fueling lesson from last week's long run failure. YAY ME!). Unfortunately I didn't have a banana as I typically do for long runs, and this will prove to be "sensitive subject" later in the run.
As soon as I opened my door the humidity slapped me in the face like a warm wash cloth. It was 80 degrees and 96% humidity. The streets and sidewalks were wet. Kill. ME. NOW. And the sun wasn't even out yet. Runners are crazy bitches fo sho. I started off and within a 1/2 mile my headphones fell out of my ears I was sweating so much. Sweet. At my 3/4 mile/stretch point I was dripping sweat. Awesome.
I made it a point to drink a ton of water (since I was losing a ton of it) and the miles just draaaaagged on. My legs felt heavy after the 5 miler a few hours before. I really can't wait to get to a "normal" week where I don't have any weekend plans and no races so I can rest the day before and after long runs. I like to feel strong on these puppies.
I stopped for water at mile 2 and 3.5 and also took a GU at 3.5. Strawberry banana...kinda tasted like a fruit roll up. Mmmm. Every time I stopped to get water, I would notice a small puddle forming under me as the rivers of sweat were rolling off of me/falling off of me/splashing on the ground.
About 4 miles in my legs started to feel more fresh so I picked up the pace slightly. At mile 7.5 I took another GU and refilled my water bottle again. My pace was settling in to the 9:30s which was what I was shooting for prior to the run. At mile 8 my stomach was not happy. At all. I needed to find a bathroom and there was none in sight. Also, the tree coverage surrounding the trail was nil. Hmmm.... the closest bathroom was mine...3 miles away. I guess we'll keep going. There were a couple of times during Mile 10 and 11 that I had to walk for a bit. This will forever serve as a reminder to get my banana breakfast in before long runs. :) Some how I managed to make it home, and for the first time, didn't care what my long run pace was. It was more of a success to make it to my bano.
I did the 11 miles in 1:48 for a pace of 9:50.
Interestingly enough, at the turn around my pace was 54:40, so I actually ended up having a stronger pace on the 2nd half despite a 1/4 of a mile where I had to resort to a brisk walk.
In case you were curious how soaked "soaked" actually is, here you go. I could wring out both top and bottom within the first 15 minutes of the run. I'm lucky my thighs are thinner now than they used to be, I remember getting a horrid case of "chub rub" from a similar humid run where the wet shorts rubbed my inner things raw. Owee!
Last 5k of the summer tomorrow (ok, last one on the schedule, you and me both know that I'll do another sometime before summer's end). Can't wait to race my booty off!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Post-Race Fun + Hottttt Runs
I was feeling overly optimistic about how my hip would feel during last Saturday's 5k, and decided a recovery run with my new running buddy Jenn was in order for Sunday.
Me: Do you have a recovery run scheduled for Sunday?
Jenn: Ugh no. Rest. Let's get drunk Saturday afternoon.
Me: I'm in. Wild Water West has a swim up bar and my fave beer on tap.
And so it was. We took a bunch of pictures, but Jenn is holding them hostage, so this one will have to do. Sun + running buddy - running = darn good day (and night, but who's counting).
Sunday I got out for an easy 3 miler and almost died of heat stroke. Even if you're only doing an easy/slow/recovery/short distance, it's still not smart to go at 5pm....with a hangover. Just a little FYI there. Somehow the run did seem to cure my hangover. Riddle me that one.
I did 3 miles in 29:05 for a pace of 9:42. My right IT band was mighty tight until about 1/2 of a mile in, and then seemed to be pretty a-ok.
Monday I had an easy 5-6 miles on the schedule. Walking out of my apartment, I felt like I was being wrapped in a giant warm and damp washcloth. Awesome. I immediately talked myself into the 5 miles. Once I got running I decided I'd do the 6. I took the run really easy. I stopped for a sip of water to combat the 14 gallons of sweat I had already gone through at mile 2, and when I started up again there was a gal in front of me, running a little slower than me. Whenever I'd get close to her, she'd hustle to get further ahead of me. When I finally was ready to pass her again, she had to run step for step with me. It was bizarre. After I did pass her, she fell way behind me. No shame in getting passed when you're on a run people. It's noooo big deal.
Anywho, during mile 4, I started seeing all of these guys flyyyyyy past me and wondered what the heck was going on. Until I realized they had bibs on. And then I saw Joseph. And then I realized that it was the Monday night 5k. It was pretty entertaining when a couple of them that passed me, looked to see if I had a bib on because they didn't want to be getting beat by a girl. Heh heh. The last 2 miles of the run I was s-t-r-u-g-g-l-i-n-g. I was sooo hot and soooo dehydrated. I honestly don't know how those guys were hauling booty like they were in that heat. Stronger runners than I am for sure.
I did 6 miles in 56:22 for a pace of 9:24.
1. 9:43
2. 9:21
3. 8:39
4. 9:12
5. 9:44
6. 9:40
Wanna guess which mile I was faux racing? Ha. Funny that 9:12 mile after it felt slow, and miles 5 and 6 felt like the most difficult miles of my life. So that's neat.
My mom called me after one of her walks this week and was complaining about how buggy it is outside. (We've gotten a poop ton of rain lately, so the bugs are insane, especially back home where they don't spray for mosquitoes.) She wanted to know how I didn't get eaten alive while I run.
Me: Mother you've seen me after races, right?
Mom: Well ya...
Me: The bugs don't stand a chance. They drown on impact!
And then I had to send her the picture from a few posts back where I had ~47 dead/drown gnats on my chest and neck. Seksi. ;)
And so it was. We took a bunch of pictures, but Jenn is holding them hostage, so this one will have to do. Sun + running buddy - running = darn good day (and night, but who's counting).
Sunday I got out for an easy 3 miler and almost died of heat stroke. Even if you're only doing an easy/slow/recovery/short distance, it's still not smart to go at 5pm....with a hangover. Just a little FYI there. Somehow the run did seem to cure my hangover. Riddle me that one.
I did 3 miles in 29:05 for a pace of 9:42. My right IT band was mighty tight until about 1/2 of a mile in, and then seemed to be pretty a-ok.
Monday I had an easy 5-6 miles on the schedule. Walking out of my apartment, I felt like I was being wrapped in a giant warm and damp washcloth. Awesome. I immediately talked myself into the 5 miles. Once I got running I decided I'd do the 6. I took the run really easy. I stopped for a sip of water to combat the 14 gallons of sweat I had already gone through at mile 2, and when I started up again there was a gal in front of me, running a little slower than me. Whenever I'd get close to her, she'd hustle to get further ahead of me. When I finally was ready to pass her again, she had to run step for step with me. It was bizarre. After I did pass her, she fell way behind me. No shame in getting passed when you're on a run people. It's noooo big deal.
Anywho, during mile 4, I started seeing all of these guys flyyyyyy past me and wondered what the heck was going on. Until I realized they had bibs on. And then I saw Joseph. And then I realized that it was the Monday night 5k. It was pretty entertaining when a couple of them that passed me, looked to see if I had a bib on because they didn't want to be getting beat by a girl. Heh heh. The last 2 miles of the run I was s-t-r-u-g-g-l-i-n-g. I was sooo hot and soooo dehydrated. I honestly don't know how those guys were hauling booty like they were in that heat. Stronger runners than I am for sure.
I did 6 miles in 56:22 for a pace of 9:24.
1. 9:43
2. 9:21
3. 8:39
4. 9:12
5. 9:44
6. 9:40
Wanna guess which mile I was faux racing? Ha. Funny that 9:12 mile after it felt slow, and miles 5 and 6 felt like the most difficult miles of my life. So that's neat.
My mom called me after one of her walks this week and was complaining about how buggy it is outside. (We've gotten a poop ton of rain lately, so the bugs are insane, especially back home where they don't spray for mosquitoes.) She wanted to know how I didn't get eaten alive while I run.
Me: Mother you've seen me after races, right?
Mom: Well ya...
Me: The bugs don't stand a chance. They drown on impact!
And then I had to send her the picture from a few posts back where I had ~47 dead/drown gnats on my chest and neck. Seksi. ;)
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