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Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration
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 2008-09-14 9:22 PM |
Expert  1170    Southern Pines, NC |  Subject: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydrationSome days, survival is victory. In addition to a sprint tri at the end of the month, I'm training for a 1/2 marathon in October (Baltimore Running Festival), so I've been slowly upping the mileage on the weekends in accordance with my training plan. Today's run--10 miles, take it easy, no rush. 2 weeks ago it was 8 miles, which I did at an 11:08 min mile. Last week? 9 miles at 10:42. I'm liking this trend. Today was a different animal. I get out to the BWI trail in MD (bad choice #1) and it's HOT. I mean really stinkin' hot. I had downed a ton of fluids before the run and felt OK, so off I went. Now, it was 93 degrees for the high, and much of the BWI trail is an exposed, paved trail sandwiched between pavement and, well, pavement. Needless to say it's a little toasty. I take a look at my HRM around mile 2 and see my heart rate's already quite high for my pace... Mouth's a little dry too. I take a big swig of my bottle and give it a couple minutes. HR is still climbing. The sun is just beating down and I keep feeling hotter and hotter. Then, at mile 3 of 10, I do something I hadn't done in 3 months of long weekend runs--I stop and walk. HR drifts down slowly and I get going again. Every little hill just felt like a mountain. Even on downhills it was hard to focus on just keeping my legs moving. I finally slog my way to mile 5.0, and in one of the few nice things to happen all day, my turnaround point is nicely shaded. My bottle is down to a few ounces and I have 5 miles to go. Only one way back, I think to myself. The next miserable hour was a great time to work on the perseverance. The temp might have dropped a couple degrees, but my heart was still racing, I was getting thirstier, and the only way this was ending moderately happily was if I get back to my car. I just kept trying to stare at that point on the ground right in front of me, run till I couldn't run anymore, then walk for a minute and keep on running. It was slow and painful and miserable, and by mile 9 I was starting to wonder if I was actually going to get back to my car. So at the end of my slog, I had done 10 miles at a 12:01 pace. I know, this is nothing compared to what you IM'ers are going through, but this was a big deal for me. 3 months ago I hadn't run a 10K since college, and at a current weight of 210 I'm hardly built like a runner. My semi-annual 2 mile run for my Army physical fitness test gave me anxiety. I have NEVER run 10 miles before. I guess I feel like today I learned a lesson that's just as valuable as all the other training I've been doing: to keep pushing on, because I CAN do it, even when my mind and my body are telling me otherwise. That finish line can't get away as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other. Edited by DrPete 2008-09-14 9:23 PM |
| 2008-09-14 9:25 PM in reply to: #1673711 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration Hey, great job on your 10 mile run! Sounds like it was a hard one. Now... it's nice to let your mind push your body, but you also need to know when it's OK to say "not today". Ya know? Yes you will dig deep in a race, but in regular training you don't want to dehydrate yourself. If you can help it.  Keep up with the great training! |
| 2008-09-14 9:27 PM in reply to: #1673711 |
Expert 1014 Virginia | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration the weather out here was a BEAST today! kudos for you for having a great run! |
| 2008-09-14 9:29 PM in reply to: #1673717 |
Expert 1170 Southern Pines, NC | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration KSH - 2008-09-14 10:25 PM Hey, great job on your 10 mile run! Sounds like it was a hard one. Now... it's nice to let your mind push your body, but you also need to know when it's OK to say "not today". Ya know? Yes you will dig deep in a race, but in regular training you don't want to dehydrate yourself. If you can help it. Keep up with the great training! Yeah, I was wishing I could somehow strap 4 bottles to me. One bottle was clearly not enough--now I know for race day if it's this hot again. |
| 2008-09-14 9:34 PM in reply to: #1673711 |
| Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration Dude, you should have just canned the run. I was supposed to do 13 - there was NO effin' way. The air was so thick with humidity. DC sucks sometimes. It's freakin' September. I miss the Northeast. |
| 2008-09-14 9:34 PM in reply to: #1673711 |
Champion 19812  MA | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration Run that long I would drink 4 water bottles and have ingested some 300-400 calories. Did you take in any calories? You learned something today and you pushed through it, but next time I bet you plan a little better and maybe do loops, hide water bottles, or maybe start earlier/later in the day. When I was doing a long IM runthat was about 3.5 hours and it was in the 90's. I did loops that went by my Y and I'd stop in and run about 30' on the treadmill in the a/c, then go out and do another hour outside then stop by and run in a/c. I got my run in, stay hydrated, and dealt with the weather best I could. I suspect you will continue to see a nice drop in run pace once the weather improves. I love running when it is 40s and 50s. Congrats on your longest run ever!! |
| 2008-09-14 9:43 PM in reply to: #1673734 |
Expert 1170 Southern Pines, NC | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration Yeah, I did take in calories--I use PowerBar Endurance drink mix or Hammer HEED--not a big fan of gels so it's kind of a 2 for 1. Hiding some water would've been a great idea, and definitely one I'll use next time. And as much as I hate loops for long runs, I might have to consider it when the weather's as intense as it was today. And thanks--it IS still a new 10-mile PR for me. Edited by DrPete 2008-09-14 9:44 PM |
| 2008-09-14 9:44 PM in reply to: #1673711 |
Extreme Veteran 436 | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration On my long runs before IMKY I would fill 5-6 bottles with 4-8oz of fluid than load up in the car and place them in discrete places throughout my run so I had fluid every 2-3 miles or so. Plus its something to look forward to and doubles like aid stations. Also, on hot days I would rubber band a GU packet to every other bottle. I made it through several 15-20 mile runs like this in 90+ degree weather.. Edited by m-mcclain 2008-09-14 9:45 PM |
| 2008-09-14 9:46 PM in reply to: #1673711 |
Science Nerd 28760 Redwood City, California | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration I usually hide bottles and wear a FuelBelt when I'm doing long runs or it's really hot. I can carry about 40 oz on the Belt and then I have some extra in case I need it. Starting really early is also a good plan when it's this hot. |
| 2008-09-14 9:47 PM in reply to: #1673732 |
Expert 1170 Southern Pines, NC | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration wurkit_gurl - 2008-09-14 10:34 PM Dude, you should have just canned the run. I was supposed to do 13 - there was NO effin' way. The air was so thick with humidity. DC sucks sometimes. It's freakin' September. I miss the Northeast. Yeah, it was pretty miserable. I grew up in Cincinnati and the summer heat can be very similar to DC, with the added bonus of temperature inversions and tons of smog. Yech. |
| 2008-09-14 9:50 PM in reply to: #1673711 |
Master 1547 | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration my first experience "hiding a bottle" didn't turn out so well...I couldn't find it and rather than keep searching I just pressed on.
After that I bought a Nike fuel belt and love it. I only use it for the long runs...so for me right now that is the over 7 runs. Mine has 4 8 oz bottles. So far so good up to 10 miles. BUt I know they have larger bottles out there...I would probably go for the 4 10 oz version. Anyway, it's nice becasue it also has a pocket or two. I fill em up with HEED as well...2 scoops total. I thought it was going to be awkward but it fits very well...no bouncing at all.
Congrats on pushing through,. |
| 2008-09-14 11:14 PM in reply to: #1673711 |
Expert 2555 Colorado Springs, Colorado | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration Great job of gutting it out! A few tough runs really help build mental strength. You also learned a few things. When it's that hot and you normally drink lots of fluid, plan a route where you can refill your bottle or hide something along the way. You also learned you can run about 5 miles in the heat without fluids. Hard to tell about the HR as it can be affected by numerous things having nothing to do with running. FWIW, unless I'm doing 14+ miles I never carry fluids regardless of the temp. We had a rare 100 degree day here this summer and I waited until it was the hottest point of the day and went out for a run of 6-8 miles or so. Of course a big difference is here it is very dry. I have found that my body adapts to not having fluid and it is never a problem, but on the longer runs once I start drinking my body wants me to keep giving it fluid on a regular basis. |
| 2008-09-14 11:19 PM in reply to: #1673711 |
Extreme Veteran 326 Zephyrhills, FL | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration good work on the 10 miler today. im currently training for a marathon, and as far as i know, the distance is what counts, not whether or not you walk any of it. i had a little calf flare up, but continued to do my distances for the next week and a half, albeit walking. if you're having trouble with carrying enough fluid, try this, its what i use and its really really functional. http://www.onetri.com/product_info.php?products_id=2516 there are also gel flasks, more fluid bottles and pouches that you can purchase to put on the belt as well. keep up the good work. Jon |
| 2008-09-15 10:03 AM in reply to: #1673711 |
Cycling Guru 15134 Fulton, MD | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration Yeah, it was pretty nasty out yesterday. I did a bike race in the morning in PG County, so it wasn't that hot yet but then I did a 1 mile fun race in the afternoon in Columbia with my oldest and we were sweating like pigs even though it was a short race mostly in the shade! No way I'd want to be slogging it through 10 miles around BWI yesterday! |
| 2008-09-15 10:20 AM in reply to: #1673762 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration DrPete - 2008-09-14 9:43 PM Yeah, I did take in calories--I use PowerBar Endurance drink mix or Hammer HEED--not a big fan of gels so it's kind of a 2 for 1. Hiding some water would've been a great idea, and definitely one I'll use next time. And as much as I hate loops for long runs, I might have to consider it when the weather's as intense as it was today. And thanks--it IS still a new 10-mile PR for me. When I had to do long runs I would try to make a route that went by gas stations so I could get ice and water. |
| 2008-09-15 10:28 AM in reply to: #1673711 |
Master 1741 Chapel Hill, NC | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration When I'm training for my HIM, I run a 4 mile loop on a trail x times (2, 3, sometimes building to 4). I have water in my car and fill up my 20 ounce palm holder after each loop. I just pretend my car is an aide station. When it's hot like that on race day, you have to throw any time goals out the window. Yesterday was the HIM race, and it too was 94 freaking degrees. I felt pretty strong on the run yesterday, actually, but got a pretty sucky pace, about 12 min/mile, and I was hoping for a pace of 10. But, I threw that goal out the window. I spent a ton of time at aid stations, and often had to wait in line for water. I didn't mind, because everybody just needed alot of water!!! |
| 2008-09-15 10:45 AM in reply to: #1673711 |
Master 1790 | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration I did a 30 minute jog on a shaded trail -- and I can't imagine a 10-miler. You definitely earned some mental toughness points. |
| 2008-09-15 4:34 PM in reply to: #1673711 |
Elite 5316 Alturas, California | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration I use a camelback, not the kind you strap over your shoulders, this is like a fanny pack. It caries 45 oz of whatever and gets me through 13-15 miles depending on the heat. It snugs up pretty good. I live in the middle of nowhere so no shops or houses for that matter to fill up at, no YMCA etc. If it ismore than 15 miles and a hot day I will have to loop back around. I haven't gone more than 15-16 though so it hasn't been a problem. |
| 2008-09-15 8:55 PM in reply to: #1673711 |
Veteran 151 | Subject: RE: Bad day--10 mile run, 95 degrees, pain and dehydration I think often times the training days we suffer the most on are the ones we learn the most on.....physically AND mentally. Now you know what it's like to be dehydrated, and what heat does to your heart rate and tempo. You also know how mentally strong you really are! These lessons can go far! Congratulations! You are officially way beyond "people who jog in the park" status! |
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