Weight Tracker

Monday, July 28, 2014

Run Run Run in the Sun Sun Sun

So my running week was a bit spotty, but I'm not stressing it. I got most of the work done, and even slogged out a horrifically hot nine miler on Sunday.

We'll start with Thursdays run. I didn't have time to do a run until late late late, after the munchkin was in bed. So I started my run at 9 pm(ish), and since it was a four mile run, didn't finish until almost 10:00. Woooo hoo! I was using my nike plus running app again, which is still messed up, so I don't know my splits, but you can see on the little graph how I ran. Kinda kept it slow and steady for most of the run, then kicked it up at the end. The ups and downs on the chart confuse me, since I'm running on a treadmill at a set speed, but whatever. The run felt good, and I felt good afterwards.

Friday was a rest day, and then, Friday night, Insomnia struck, and struck hard. I didn't manage to fall asleep until well after 2 am. Which meant there was no way I was getting up at 5 to make the Saturday morning paced run. In fact, I was such a wreck from the lack of sleep, and had so much other life type stuff to do, no running happened at all on Saturday.

So my long run was Sunday. I was aiming for 10 miles. I set out as early as I could, which ended up being right around 11 am. I suited up, filled up my camel back, promised the Hubs that I would take it easy and call if I got overheated, and headed out the door. My plan was to do the route to my parents (nine miles) and tack on the extra mile running around their neighborhood.


As soon as I started I knew it was going to be a rough run. It was hot, and humid, and I realized as I ran how little shade there was on the route. In fact, I don't think there was any in the first two miles. Also I was running too fast, I knew that. Kept trying to dial it back, but was having trouble finding that "happy pace."

By the time I turned on to the canal path around mile two, I started thinking seriously that I might not be able to finish out the run. I slowed down even further and some point around here took my first walk break.

A lot of this run bleeds together in my head, because I was way overheated. I was drinking water like a fiend (I think I just about finished the entire camelback), but at some point that stopped really helping much.

At mile three I did stop at a water fountain to run water over my hands and wrists and splash some on my face and neck. That (and I suspect standing in the shade) seemed to help a lot, and I felt better for a while.

I kept on with the run walk, walking whenever I started to feel overheated, I would slow down and walk for a bit. I really am not sure how often I was walking, I was doing it all on feel, just trying to get as many miles in as possible.

I made a deal with myself to finish out five miles at least. When I got to the five mile mark, there was a water fountain. As I was walking up to it to splash water on myself, another runner came up to fill his water bottle. I asked him if he wanted to go first, and he told me to go ahead. He asked how far I was going, and I said 10 miles. He then told me, "I'm 13 into 20, and I don't think I'm gonna make it." I think he was glad for the excuse to stand around while I was splashing myself with water.

Of course I couldn't quit after that, so I kept up with the run walk, debating the whole time if and when I should call it. And I kept convincing myself to keep going. Even as the runs got shorter and the walks got longer.

I did call it at nine miles though. I just couldn't convince myself to do the extra loops to make the tenth mile. I dragged myself into my parents house, ate some ice chips, changed into my bathing suit, and got in the pool. I'm not going to lie, the thought of getting into that pool was what kept me going for the last couple of miles.

It was about this time that I realized I had forgotten sunscreen before my run, as there was a very visible line where my RoadID had been. Add to that that I also realized I was seriously dehydrated. Even with all the water I had been drinking I didn't need to go until around 9pm, which was the point where it really hit me just how dehydrated I had been.

Looking at it now, I should have called the run earlier, but I really felt like I had to make the distance, since I've been falling so far behind on my training schedule.

Looking ahead we've got a drop back week this week (long run of 8 miles) so I should be able to recover some ground.


3 comments:

  1. Yikes! Glad you are ok but man that dehydration is no joke! (is your blog title a play on the Red Dwarf theme song?) 1,000 nerd points if you even know what Red Dwarf is! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know, I knew the song, and I couldn't remember where it was from for the life of me until you said it! My husband is a HUGE Red Dwarf fan ^_^

      Delete
  2. Way to finish the run in spite of the heat! Just be careful. No run is worth getting admitted to a hospital for fluids!

    ReplyDelete