June Running

[solobiker]

Ok, just ran 4 today, then walked 2.5. Shoes will probably work. Going to be 102, so I'm hiding for the rest of the day. Might be time to finally break down and get a portable swamp cooler for my upstairs. No idea of the temperature up here (the only thermometer I have is a candy thermometer for baking, which starts 100F - but the line will get there soon) but downstairs is about 88 and feels cool.

I need to drink about a gallon of fluids and tomorrow is still going to be the slowest half marathon ever. I only hope it's faster than the one I ran last October when I was hypothermic for half of the race!

Take it nice and slow for the race. We did avoid the heat by heading up to the mtns today..we got in about 16 miles of hiking with some fly fishing in the middle. It was in the 80s where we were and when we got back home..at 7pm it was 100. Blahhh.

Good luck Jess!! Will be thinking of you and wishing for cool running temps.

[7rider]

Good luck Jess.

Did a 40k time trial yesterday (on the bike). Yesterday afternoon and this morning my butt cheeks were killing me. Ugh.

This morning, I met my running group at 6 a.m. () to pre-run the 8k twilighter course that is our goal race in 3 weeks (or so). Was about 70 and really humid. We ran more-or-less as a group, stopping at every mile or thereabouts to discuss the route - what to expect, where water stops would be, hills (which they said it was a "hilly" route, but it isn't - much less so than my own neighborhood) - stuff like that. By the 4th stop, it was getting harder and harder to start back up again. The old hip flexors were complaining and it took a good 1/4 mile again to get the legs swinging. And boy, were we all dripping sweat. Stop, and the sweat would just bead up on you arms, your face, your legs. Blech.

But - it was good. Good splits. Good pace (nearly race pace, it certainly wasn't the "LSD" long, slow, distance runs we'd been doing on Sunday mornings. The goal race - which goes off at 8:45 p.m. - nearly my bed time - has a reputation for being HOT....so...that will be the challenge.

[jessmarimba]

I'm not dead and I'm not in the hospital, so that was a success. Race report later.

[Tri Girl]

I'm not dead and I'm not in the hospital, so that was a success. Race report later.

Whew! Glad to hear it. Can't wait for the report.

[solobiker]

I'm not dead and I'm not in the hospital, so that was a success. Race report later.

Happy to hear!!

I went on a short 4 mile run this morning...was not too hot yet...right now it is 101.

[solobiker]

Pics from my hike yesterday to escape the heat.

[jessmarimba]

Pics from my hike yesterday to escape the heat.

Oooh which one is that? I was thinking Blue Lake or Mitchell lake but isn't something burning up there too?

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Ok! Half marathon race report (sorry, kind of long):

It’s been hot in Colorado this June. The last Friday and Saturday have been particularly hot for here, with record temps of 102 and 104. Knowing this race was approaching, I drank probably half a gallon of water after work on Friday. Saturday, while I ran a few miles early and did indulge in a mini margarita during a running club happy hour, I felt that the 80+ ounces of water plus 32 ounces of Gatorade I drank were fairly hydrating. I woke up at 2 am to pee, which is a good sign that I’m hydrated, right?

Today was also predicted to be hot. Knowing that I get really salty when I sweat, and salty clothes chafe more, I made my first good decision of the day – running with no shirt (very, very rare for me). Our race packets came with a sample bottle of Aquaphor that fit perfectly in the pocket on my water bottle. My second (and last) good decision was to bring it along for the race. It was around 80 degrees at the start, and we were breathing in tons of smoke from the fires.

The first 5 miles were an out-and-back with two aid stations, relatively flat and following a mix of gravel MUP and residential roads. This section took around 48 minutes – so far, so good. We passed through the starting area to an 8.1 mile out-and-back with one good hill. Now, I’m not the best at hills, but after Garden of the Gods this one didn’t seem too daunting. Took a couple walk breaks but I was still feeling as good as I could expect. At the bottom of the hill the course veered into a shadier area near a stream, and we had the option of sticking to the gravel MUP or going with the adjacent singletrack. It’s a trail race – plus the singletrack was shadier and reportedly shorter, so I took the singletrack. Unfortunately, the singletrack spit you out onto the MUP about 200 feet PAST the mile 8 aid station. I thought about going back, but that was just far enough that I didn’t want to backtrack, plus I was carrying a bottle that still had some Gatorade in it. Bad decision #1. The next chunk of trail was hot and exposed, and I slowed down a bit to eat some of my Reeses, which left my mouth sticky. Gulped the Gatorade (and finished it). Mouth is still sticky. Around 8.5, a runner returning from the turnaround mentions water ahead – “Make sure to splash some on you.” (I must have looked a sight at this point, as I’d had a little tumble on the singletrack and was covered in dust and grass). I continue slowly running until mile 9, where the course entered a small grove of trees near the turnaround. I can now see that there is NOT an aid station at the turnaround. At this point, my mouth is ridiculously dry and I nearly start crying when I see no relief. A guy walking with his girlfriend (both racing) offers me water from his bottle, but he is carrying it for the two of them and she looks much worse than I do so I turn him down. Bad decision #2. If I’d had some of his water, I probably would’ve limited myself to a sip or two, enough to get through the mile of sun til the next aid station. I run-walk (mostly walk) my way back to the aid station at mile 8/10, where my mouth is nearly stuck shut it’s so dry. I gulp a few cups of water –bad decision #3 - and fill my bottle and slowly run away from the aid station. A tenth of a mile later I realize I now have a terrible case of sloshy gut, and I NEED to run the next mile to keep a good pace since 11-12 requires going up the hill again. But I can’t run anymore. I can’t breathe, and I’m still thirsty even though my stomach is full of liquid.

I finished in something like 2:25 – Lost about 15 minutes in the last three miles. At the finish, they hand me MORE water. I’m too queasy to drink it. Unfortunately they’re out of every other post-race drink except beer, which I finally get just to ensure I have it when I feel good enough to drink it. (Got the last beer before they ran out, too). I finally force myself to drink the beer and it actually helps – I think the carbonation forced the rest of the liquid to digest. It’s a little over 90 at the finish and already around 100 by the time I leave the race.

So, not the best run (but remarkably chafe-free!). Looks like maybe 50 people (out of maybe 250) DNFed…plus I know I finished ahead of about 50 people, and aid stations were running out of drinks, so there were some miserable people out there today. I'm still thirsty, and I've had so much liquid that I am too full to drink more.

[Tri Girl]

you kicked tail out there!! Seriously- I didn't run my last FLAT half marathon in 2:25.
Nicely done. Great report. Congrats again!!

[solobiker]

Jess..great race report. The hike we did was Thunder Lake. It was a great hike...we have done a few times including one time in the winter. It is about 14 miles round trip.

[Artista]

That's what I call endurance in this heat, Jess. Nice going!

[OakLeaf]

Wow Jess. Way to go. Way to run smart and safe, too. Great job.

[yellow]

Way to tough it out, Jess. After having a couple of near disaster hot race days myself this year, I feel for you. Give yourself a couple of extra days to recover. That heat takes a lot more out of you than you realize!

[skhill]

Way to go, Jess! Hate to think of dealing with the smoke as well as the heat...

My favorite speed work: the doggy fartlek. Usually done in street clothes, sprint with dog, then stop when she has to sniff/pee/stare at a squirrel, then repeat. For variation, throw ball, then chase dog to get ball back. Not a bad workout!

[jessmarimba]

My favorite speed work: the doggy fartlek. Usually done in street clothes, sprint with dog, then stop when she has to sniff/pee/stare at a squirrel, then repeat. For variation, throw ball, then chase dog to get ball back. Not a bad workout!

Hahaha sounds fantastic! That's why I need a dog!

Thanks for all the encouragement! That was an unhappy race. I'm still pretty tired. I'm definitely retaining water. I can't wait for the weather to cool down...!!

[OakLeaf]

I'm definitely retaining water.

I was going to say something before, because it didn't sound like you got near enough sodium ... Be careful.

http://www.ultracycling.com/old/nutr...natremia1.html