Hot blooded

I don't know why my post titles are usually bad cliches or song titles. This one's brought to you by Foreigner. Google it, kids.

Anywho, marathon training is underway, and I have my sights set on Memphis in December. But in the meantime, it's still August. And it's hot. So hot that, as I'm running, I picture calming, happy thoughts, like my shoes melting to the pavement or those True Blood vampires walking into the sunlight as their skin melts off and they burst into flames. Not the Twilight sparkly vampires; the spontaneously combusting barbecued ones. Seriously. It's that hot.

I had to work early Saturday morning at the time when I would normally be running to beat the heat. So instead, I had to do my long run later in the day. Trea and I ran 8 miles at high noon. It was 94 degrees with a heat index of 104 and not a cloud in the sky. Also, no shade on the course we chose. Geniuses, we are.

When we started out, I felt fantastic. My last few long runs have been awful because I've been struggling with early morning nutrition. But Saturday, I had finally cracked the code. I had an egg McMuffin and half a small coffee from Mickie D's as soon as I woke up, a banana about an hour later, and half a Powerbar and 1 ShotBlok a few minutes before my run. I had energy! But not too much! I was so looking forward to a strong 8 miles. It had been cloudy all morning, and I thought we would get lucky with overcast skies. Not so much. As soon as I stepped out of the car, the sun broke through the clouds and was merciless the rest of the day.

I realized immediately that I needed to scrap my plans to hit a certain pace and just focus on getting the miles done however I could. I normally start drinking after 10 minutes and then sip every 5 minutes after that. But on this day, in this heat, I drank every 3 minutes exactly, and I was sweating like never before in my life. It was so hot that I even ran in just a sports bra and no shirt. My abs were not prepared for that, but it was nice not to have a soaked shirt blocking what little breeze there was.

After just 3 miles, I was already running low on water. I always dilute grape G2 with water and ice in a 22 oz. Nathan handheld, and it's usually fine for me. But I wasn't even halfway through my run, and it was over half gone. Trea always sweats a ton when we run, so he recently started running with a Nathan Endurance hydration vest. It holds 70 oz., and that still wasn't enough for this heat.

We stopped to walk for a minute around 3.25 miles. The sunshine and heat was making my heart race, so we had to take a breather. We decided to run to Orchards Park because it has a covered pavilion where we could get out of the sun and rest a while and refill our water bottles at a water fountain. When we reached the park, we were at 4 miles and still had 4 to go. We would have preferred to cut it short and finish the miles at night or early the next morning, but we still had to get back to the car. Might as well run it. We stayed at the park for several minutes, I'm not even sure how long. I had three ShotBloks and topped off my water bottle twice. After only 4 miles, Trea had already drank 50 oz. and refilled his pack too.

The rest of the run is a blur, but not because it was fast. I was sipping yucky water fountain water that was the same temperature as bath water. I'd had sweat and mascara in my eyes since mile 1. I had applied SPF 50, but I felt like I was on fire, and I could see poor fair-skinned Trea turning pink. Around mile 6, I stopped for walk breaks about every half mile. It was so hot that when we waited at stoplights, we would try to hide behind the skinny line of shade cast by the pole. I would run along slowly, but doing OK, until we reached shade. Shade trees were like magnets. I could immediately feel the temperature get cooler when we passed under a tree, and my feet would refuse to go forward.

We had stopped and started so many times that Trea's Garmin time was screwed up, so he was just following my time and pace with my watch. For the last mile, I called out updates for us every quarter mile. "We're at 7.5!!" And Trea would respond with fist pumps in the air. "Just another quarter!" More fist pumps from Trea. "EIGHT!!!" And we high-fived like we had just finished a race. I'm sure we looked insane.

What did we learn? 1. Don't run at noon in August. Trea drank a total of 120 oz. while we were out, and it took two days for his shoes to dry. Not worth it. 2. Be flexible with this training plan. As long as we get the workouts done, it doesn't matter what day they happen. 3. Also? If a hot 8 miles is this tough, 26.2 is going to be a serious test, both mentally and physically. Thank goodness it's in December!! Bring on the cold!

Heritage War Eagle 5K Race Report

I make poor decisions. I sign up for obstacle course races, even though I have no athletic ability or upper body strength. I sign up for marathons, even though I shuffle along at a grandmother's pace. And when it's 100 degrees outside, I sign up at the last minute for an evening 5K and run my face off, rather than doing the smart thing and sticking to the treadmill.

On Monday morning, Trea suggested we run the Heritage War Eagle 5K in Rogers. At 7:30 p.m. that same day. Even though the asphalt was melting outside and meteorologists were screeching words like "historic" and "record breaking" in reference to the temperature. I needed to do about 3 miles of speed work that day anyway, so I figured, why not. I made a quick trip home over lunch to grab some clothes so we could change at the office and head straight to the race. When I left work, temperatures in the area ranged from 100-107 with heat indexes (indices?) from 105-111. Awesome.

The race was chip timed, but there wasn't a chip start. We got burned by this at the Gold Rush 5K because we were too far back in the pack. So this time we got very close to the starting line, but on the edge of the road so the fast runners could easily go around us. The event was for the Rogers cross country track team, so we were surrounded by lean, athletic teenagers. As soon as the race started, everyone sprinted ahead. As I said before, I make poor decisions, so I tried to keep up with the pack. I looked down at my Garmin and saw I was running a 7:20 pace. SEVEN. TWENTY. I'm a slow runner. Pretty sure my Garmin didn't even know that first number could be a seven. I pumped the brakes and tried to shoot for 9:30. About 100 people passed me, but I know my limits, and I did not feel like testing the emergency response plan at this little race. 

Mile 1 = 9:27

As soon as I took my first step, even though I had been chugging water all day, my mouth immediately felt like cotton. I could barely swallow, and I was so annoyed that I would have to lose time at a water stop on a 3 mile run. I blew by the first one hoping I could tough it out. But I had started too fast, and the heat and pace were getting to me, so I stopped at the second water station and just walked a couple of steps to get one drink down without spilling before picking up the pace again. I don't think it cost me that much time, and it was about the best drink of water I've ever had in my entire life.

Mile 2 = 10:14

After the two mile mark, I was seriously struggling. The sun was going down, so there was a little relief from that, but the heat was so intense that I could barely breathe. There was a breeze, but it just felt like opening the oven door. I wanted to walk. The course looped around a neighborhood a couple of times, and even though the loops were different, we kept running by where we started and finished. For some reason, mentally, that was really hard for me. I felt like, "We're here! Why in the world am I still running?" I wanted to quit. But then I stopped that train of thought and really made myself assess the situation. Did I feel nauseated? No. Did I feel faint? Not yet. Still sweating? That's a good sign. Is my heart rate OK? I think so. I gave myself a mental head-to-toe check up and realized that even though it was hot and the pace was hard for me and I was tired, there was no reason that I couldn't finish and finish well. Runners always talk about mantras, and at this point, mine became: "It's supposed to hurt."

Mile 3 = 10:02
 
The end of the race finished with a lap around the track, and even though I was exhausted, tracks just make me run faster. That final 0.1 was a 9:21 average pace, and I finished in 30:25! A new PR! I took about a minute and a half off my previous 5K time. Considering the temperature and my lack of speed training, I'm really proud of this. I know I ran as hard as I could, and next time I'll be able to run even harder and break 30 minutes.

Trea also set a PR and broke 30 minutes for the first time. He finished in 28:30!

This was a really tough race because of the heat, but I'm glad I did it. The not so great news is that now my marathon training plan has to change. My plan is based on meeting specific paces for each run based on my 5K pace. And since my 5K got faster, my training paces just got about 30 seconds faster too! Eek! My 16-week plan starts August 14. It's gonna be an interesting next four months...

A change of scenery

This unbearable heat wave has made it simply too hot to run, so I've headed for the hills. Trail running is my new favorite thing to do.

I discovered trail running last summer, but I never really embraced it until 100-degree temperatures forced me into the shade. I run in the evenings during the week, and it's still blazing hot on the road at 6:30 p.m. But trails offer a smidgen of relief, and having to watch every step I take so I don't face plant over a tree root keeps things exciting.

Also? They're gorgeous.

When I run on the road, I get bored easily. I rely on my iPod to keep my feet moving, and I check my Garmin about every 30 seconds. I have never finished my run and thought, "Bummer, I'm sad those 4 miles are over. I really want to keep going." It's always a countdown until I can stop, breathe normally and chug chocolate milk.

But on the trails, I never listen to music. I focus on every footfall to maintain my balance, dodging rocks, roots and tree branches. I trudge up hills and fly down the other side. I startle squirrels, and mountain bikers startle me. There's no time to check my Garmin because I might trip and fall. Plus, I already know it says I'm going terribly slow. I don't worry about my pace on the trail. I trot more than I run, and I consider it a success if I run the whole way without walking or falling down. I usually run with Trea, but I've never ventured into the woods alone just yet. I need someone to lead and break through the spiderwebs.

Trail runs are also fun as a group. It's a single track, and we run single file. It's an excellent excuse to get together with friends and forget about who's fast and who's slow (me!). We moan and groan on the tough sections, take wrong turns occasionally, but we always have fun.

This change of scenery is exactly what I've been needing!

Plan better

I have a little more than a week left until my race, and training lately has been...less than ideal. Remember when I ran 10 miles and I was all, "I'm going the distance?" Yeah, well, I went the distance, it almost killed me, and I couldn't bend my knees for three days. So last week's training was practically nonexistent. I went from running 23 miles the previous week to running a grand total of FIVE last week.

So after giving my knees several days off, I was more than a little concerned about my long run and conquering 10 miles again on Sunday. *Spoiler alert!* I didn't make it. Why? Because I didn't listen to Charlie. I realize the man's crazy, but as I was struggling to put one foot in front of the other, I could only think of one thing:

PLAN. BETTER. He warned me, and truer words have never been spoken. It applies to everything, especially my doomed run on Sunday. You see, I know every single week that the weekend will bring a long, hard run. New miles that I've never attempted. It's never a surprise. It's on a snazzy chart on my refrigerator. Yet, somehow, I often fail to plan for it. Instead of staying off my feet, taking it easy and drinking gallons of water the day before, I got up at 6:30 a.m., went to work for a couple of hours, cleaned my entire house (and I mean really cleaned, like getting the gunk out of the coffee pot and vacuuming the baseboards kind of clean), did a ridiculous amount of laundry, organized the whole house, and followed that up by a solid hour of strength training and staying up until after midnight. Smart, huh? Oh, and while I was doing all that, I drank practically no water.

Then, I still had the audacity to set my alarm for 7 a.m., like I was really going to get up and run early. Ya know, practice running during actual race time and beat the heat. See, Sunday was the hottest day we've had so far this year. It reached 80 degrees and there were zero clouds in the sky. After I rolled my sore body out of bed a few hours after my alarm went off, I took my sweet time having breakfast, drinking coffee - ya know, the beverage that dehydrates you - and headed out for a run around 1:30 p.m. The sun was beating down, and I still somehow thought everything would be fine. I had just run 10 miles the weekend before. What's the big deal?

HEAT. Heat is the big deal. Heat, humidity, already tired legs and dehydration before I even left the house. There was once a time when I longed for 80 degrees and sunshine. I sure got my wish! I ran, walked and whined a total of 5.7 miles before I gave up and went back home. I left defeated, freaking out about whether I can handle 13.1 miles, and sporting some ridiculous tan lines, thankyouverymuch compression calf sleeves.

I definitely should've listened to Charlie. Plan better.

Stay cool

This August heat is intense, and I've been trying all kinds of things to stay cool and still run three days a week. And I mean CRAZY things. Like getting up early! And going to the gym instead of running outside! It's insanity!! Those of you who know me know that I do not get up early. I don't do anything early. The fact that I'm able to hold a job that requires me to be anywhere before noon is, I'm sure, shocking to my parents who spent over half my life dragging, bribing and threatening me to get out of bed. I am a night owl. So why does my alarm go off at 4:40 a.m. two days a week? Because I must run before the sun comes up and before the weatherman starts saying things like "heat wave" and "heat index." Getting up early is challenging, but running when it's under 80 degrees is so worth it!

And last week, I discovered that I can tolerate the gym. Who knew?! I LOATHE the gym. I've always been one of those people who will drive straight through the gym parking lot and go home when I can't find a good parking spot. (Others do that, right?) But when it's 97 degrees and the heat index and humidity are out of control, I will try anything. It turns out that the indoor running track isn't all that bad. I can't imagine ever running on a treadmill and not injuring myself because I'm such a klutz, but the indoor track is OK when I'm in a pinch. True, it's boring as can be and I have to run 10 laps to equal a mile, but I just can't argue with air conditioning in August.

I've really buried the lede here, but I did the unthinkable Sunday. I ran for 20 minutes without stopping for a walk break!!! I don't even have enough exclamation points in my little computer to express how awesome it feels to know I can actually do this. Granted, I haven't stayed on my training schedule because it has been extra hard for me both to do the work and also to make time for it in my life. I've been running for close to three months, but I'm only on week six of a 10-week program! However, even though I'm taking the remedial route to build up my endurance - it's happening!! When I started running/walking intervals in May, I could barely run 60 seconds at a time. Now I can run for 20 minutes. It's a turtle's pace, but at least I can finish. Right now, my focus is not on speed. I'm only focusing on pacing myself to make it to the end of each workout without giving up.

Last week was SO exciting! Level five of Podrunner interval training has three iTunes mixes, and you're supposed to run only once to each mix to complete your three runs for the week. (Most weeks only have one mix, so up until now I've run to the same mix three times in a week, and my running goal has been the same for all three workouts.) However, this past week - level five - looked like this:

Mix One:
5 min. warm up
5 min. run
3 min. walk
5 min. run
3 min. walk
5 min. run
5 min. cool down

Mix Two:
5 min. warm up
8 min. run
5 min. walk
8 min. run
5 min. cool down

Mix Three:
5 min. warm up
20 min. run
5 min. cool down

I can't believe I did that! I almost didn't even try mix three. I thought I should probably repeat mix two just to make sure I could handle it and very slowly work up to mix three and the dreaded 20-minute run. But I felt good and rested, and I ran at the gym so overheating wasn't an issue. This week I'm supposed to work up to 25 minutes of sustained running, and there's no doubt I can do it. Most of the time running is a huge challenge for me and by the end, every step is labored. But I have had a few glimpses at what strong running feels like, and Sunday on mix three was one of those days!

I think it helped that I got my first issue of Runners World last week, so I was totally inspired by all the stories I read.

What was even better is that I just started subscribing, so I got the August issue in the mail and then the September issue came in the mail the very next day! I was glued to my new magazines all weekend right up until the big 20-minute challenge. I know I still have to work up to a 5K and a 10K, but my triumphant run and shiny magazines have me thinking crazy thoughts...like a half marathon. Can I do that one day? Why, yes, I think I can!

Hot stuff

It’s been a while since I’ve updated, but I promise I’ve been running – sporadically. Thank you so much to those who have asked how this project is going! I appreciate your interest and need the self-imposed guilt trip when I have to explain why I haven’t gotten on a regular running schedule yet. I’m working on it.

A few weeks ago, I went to south Arkansas to visit my parents. I was so proud of myself for going for a run while I was there because the few times in my life that I’ve ever had an exercise routine, it all goes out the window when I go out of town. However, I pushed on and ran (and walked) a little over two miles in their neighborhood, which was, I imagine, very similar to running on the face of the sun. I doubt I’ll run there again until this HEAT eases up. That weekend was the first time I began noticing knee pain. Since then I’ve had pain in both knees, sort of on the front and inside the joint. It’s no fun, and it’s all the time. I hope this passes soon. If any of you are runners, I would appreciate any advice you could give, especially if this is normal for a beginner.

Trea and I have been running primarily at the park nearest to our house. It's beautiful...

...even though it has snakes.

It’s a pretty walking trail around a pond, and last weekend we took Bella with us. She hasn’t had much experience walking on a leash with so many distractions, so Trea spent the majority of our time teaching her not to tackle people. But all in all, she was pretty well behaved, and we’re going to try to take her more often.

We got too confident for a minute and decided to let her off her leash so she could splash around in the creek. We’ve had a decent amount of rain, so it was moving pretty quickly and it’s definitely too deep for us to cross without swimsuits. She promptly dove in, swam across and got out on the other side where we couldn’t get to her. I don’t have any pictures of that because I was too busy calling for her to come back. Thankfully, she jumped in and swam back to us after only a few minutes of freedom. We won’t make that mistake again, but boy, she had fun.


I ran tonight for the first time in five days, and that’s actually an improvement on my routine. I’ve been averaging only one run a week, usually over the weekend. It’s still a huge challenge to manage my schedule so I can run in the evenings after work. Mostly because it's HOT. I don’t think running in the morning on weekdays would work out because if I start at daylight, by the time I drove to the park, ran, drove home, showered and drove to work, I would be super late. My neighborhood doesn’t have the luxury of things like sidewalks or even a shoulder on the road. I live in the woods on a huge hill with winding, steep roads and blind curves. People like to drive down the center of the street at top speed, so I’m risking my life every time I step out for a stroll instead of driving to the park. The fact that a morning run won’t fit into my schedule is unfortunate because the few times that I’ve gone running on the weekends, I’ve gone in the morning when it’s cooler and felt a thousand times better than on my evening runs. Oh well. I’ll run early in the day when I can.

Tonight we ran at a new park, and I have mixed feelings about the experience. It’s a pretty area, and we saw a couple of rabbits and a beautiful creek that puts the other park to shame. However, it’s a lot larger, so we went long stretches without seeing any other people. That’s nice in a way, but the old park is smaller and I didn’t realize until tonight that the people are a much-needed distraction for me. When I see a funny dog or an elderly couple walking together or a kid who refuses to ride her bike and makes her dad push it along, it takes my mind off what I’m doing. Tonight I had no distractions and was fully aware of how hot it was and how tired I felt. Even though I ran my fastest time so far today, it wasn’t as enjoyable. However, it was nice not to worry about being chased by geese and to not have to hop over goose poo on the trail, which was the case at the old park. I guess it’s good to mix it up every once in a while.

My training still consists of alternating walking and running with Podrunner intervals, but I’ve moved up to the next level. I begin with a five-minute walk to warm up, then I alternate running and walking every 90 seconds. The full workout lasts about 30 minutes, and I complete six 90-second runs in between brief walks. I should be able to complete this workout just once more before moving up to the next level and increasing the amount of time that I run. It’s tough, but I’m making progress. I know 90 seconds isn’t very long, but it sure does feel like it. I’m keeping track of distance and time through Nike Plus, which I purchased after I had already completed a couple of workouts. So according to the records I have on Nike Plus, I’ve run a total of almost 16 miles and burned more than 1,400 calories. Not bad for a newbie!