Wednesday, July 6, 2011

A must do Race

This week is week 4 of my training for Disney Half Marathon.
This is what I did on week 3:

Week 3
Mon: 3miles Hills on TM
Tue: 4 miles tempo on TM
Wed: 3 miles
Thu: 5 miles: speedwork: 10x400 (2:12 first 5 and 2:08 for the rest) on TM
Fri: 3 miles
Sat: 8 miles, was VERY hot, difficult run.
Sun: Rest
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So I thought running against the wind was the hardest thing well I think I was wrong.  The heat is worst. It is brutal now.  In the winter I can go for 6 miles with no belt and I have no problem.  Now I need my belt for 3 miles!  It has been over 100 every single day.   I struggled on the last 2 long runs I did.  It was a battle: me against the heat and I lost big time.   It was a struggle at my last race on the 4th of July also.  Race Report is here.

The latest issue of RW has a really interesting article about running in the heat on page 61.   They have advices on how to adjust workouts based on the weather.  I am in a High Heat-Low humidity (usually!) zone.  For that they recommend reducing run by 20%.  I don't see how I can do that while training for a half marathon that I will likely (90% sure) run in the heat.  On race day they won't reduce the 13.1 by 20% !!  They also say that coaches recommend adding 10 to 15% to our time when racing in the heat.  That makes more sense to me.

Someone very wise posted this comment on my race report post: "I think races in July and August just have to automatically be considered "fun" - way too hot to be doing much PRing. 2-minutes off of last year is fantastic, congrats!!" Want to know who it is? You all know her I am sure: click here and find out.

I am not after any records here.  I race because I love it and also because that keeps me in training mode and that makes me happy and gives me a little balance (ah I don't like that word but cannot think of a better one).  Of course I want to be better and improve.  For the summer season though I am OK with racing for fun and not worry too much about the time.  Same thing for my training.  I can accept that 8 miles in July when it is 106 will be slower than 8 miles in March at 60 degrees. 

Hydration is important and water is not enough.  I loose a lot of salt.  I can see it on my skin.  I cannot drink any Gatorade or Powerade.  I tried VEMMA thirst (thank you Emz) and it works for me, no heartburn, no reflux! I tried NUUN fruit punch this weekend and it also works.  This is encouraging for me.  I plan on bringing that on my next LR this weekend and I will also leave one hour earlier so around 6 am.  My husband is not happy with this plan, says it is not safe enough to get out that early.  I am sure I will not be alone on the trail.  I am not the only runner in my town.
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MUST DO RACE:

Do you have one of those in your town?  Go here to find out.
This is a National Run.  Always on the weekend around 9-11.
This year, on the 10th anniversary,  the race is actually on 9-11.
This will be a week after the Disney Half but how can I not do it..
Of course I signed up for it.  
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How was your 4th? Ours was nice, we took the kids to a concert with fireworks!
They loved it!




Of course Mini Urban made a guitar out of his glowing stick and he gave his own concert!!!




National Anthem

13 comments:

Christy @ My Dirt Road Anthem: A Runner's Blog said...

Great pictures of the kids! i also am bringing water and NUUN along on even my shorter runs now that it is in the 80's and 90's, haven't hit 100 yet thank heavens. Great pictures of the kids!

Unknown said...

Oh the heat! I can't imagine running in 100 degrees, 65 just about does me in.

Just got my RW--I'll be checking out that article...

The Ludlam Family said...

I am loving Coconut water right now to keep me hydrated. It contains more electrolytes than sports drinks and the potassium of 2 bananas. Also, I am doing the Disney Half in September! Getting my Coast-to-Coast medal! Yipee!!! :O)

Terzah said...

I hate heat too. I'm up at 6 a.m. at the latest for all of my runs. I have a half on July 17 and wish they'd start it earlier, but oh well! I'll keep in mind the advice about making it FUN.

Unknown said...

Running in the heat literally knocks the wind out of you. We definitely run slower when it's hot... and drink way more water. Have you tried freezing half of your bottles filled before you go? Keeps the water cold longer!

Looks like you had a great 4th!

Big Daddy Diesel said...

I hate running in the heat. Looks like a fun 4th for you

Becky said...

I have the HARDEST TIME running in the heat. I'm a big baby! Because I'm a wuss, I recently had to change my workout schedule to run in the bright early morning instead of running in the evenings. It's the only way I'll keep running!

Emz said...

You always get me with all the awesome family photos!!
The best!!

I read that article too. I hate heat. Hate. Heat training sounds like hell.

BTW-sent you a pkg yesterday. Funny timing on the vemma comment. ;) that's why I asked for last name again. ;)
YTB.

Jim ... 50after40 said...

Ha, the little guy's rockin'! I'll bet he can almost play "Look Good In My Shirt" (wait, that's probably a little age inappropriate)
Maybe I missed it until now, but I didn't know you are running the Disney Half! Michael and I are running the marathon ... we'll have to meet up or something! (Sorry I haven't commented in a while, I've been absent from the blog world for about 2 weeks)

Chris K said...

Yeah, I got up to run 10 miles at 5:00 this morning and it was still hot and humid. My HR was going nuts.

Great comment on the whole summer racing thing.

I got your questions. You crack me up. Man, you used to be nice. EMZ is a bad influence on you :-)

Jenn said...

ISH! I'm with you on the heat. Hard to believe, as I'm from Minnesota but it's been SO hot and humid here lately. I've been running before 5am just to try to beat the heat. I sweat SO much and my pace definitely suffers!

I'm really interested in trying this Nuun. I've heard a lot of great things!

Love all the pictures!!

RoseRunner said...

Heat can be a killer, but I totally think you can PR in it, especially for a 5k or 10k. Reasoning: I don't warm up, cause I'm lazy like that. Running on hot days always makes me feel fast right out of the gates, because my legs are so warm and loose.

For winter races, I always feel tight and stiff and cold for the first few miles. Not awesome!

Your son is so handsome. Your hubby must be a looker too!

Clazie said...

I have seen Vemma growing the past few years rapidly and many success stories being spread around. I personally love the products. Very interesting article indeed, thanks for sharing this with me because I feel like I got some value out of it.

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