After yesterday's hot mess of a run/walk, I wasn't sure what to do today. I could have taken a rest day because yesterday took a lot out of me--and the day after a long run is a rest day on my plan. I thought about giving 18 miles another go this morning. Bill suggested doing seven miles to make up the seven I was short yesterday (I did a total of 11 miles with the walking). I went for that plan.
Bill and I ran seven miles tonight. It cooled off some today. Finally. But anything under 90 degrees seems cool right now. Anyway, the run felt great tonight, and I really wasn't sure it would because I still felt a bit dehydrated and (for the first time in this process) I'm sore. Also, I haven't been smart about my eating. However, the run was easy and enjoyable. I felt great. It was one of those runs where you think you could run forever. What a change from the last 4-5 days.
Seven miles, at this point, is a pretty short run for me. And I know that running 7.5 miles, walking four, and then running another seven the next day is not the same as running 18 consecutive miles. However, mentally, the seven miles I ran tonight is important because I did do 18 miles this weekend. It was not how I envisioned it, and I don't have the sense of accomplishment of doing an 18 mile long run, but that's okay. Things don't always go as planned. I ran 16 last Saturday. I know I can run 18, even though it didn't happen this time.
This weekend was the first time I have not completed a training run as planned. As I've mentioned, I love the Runner's World SmartCoach app, and I trust it because it's based on solid training principles. I follow it closely and have now doubt I will complete a marathon if I do as it tells me. But what to do if I can't do what it tells me? Do I try to make up the mileage the next day? Scrap that day and move on? Obviously, you need to get your runs in, but what if you think doing the run puts you at risk of illness or injury?
As my runs get longer and longer, I wonder if this will happen again. I guess this is why some people (even slow, amateur people like myself) hire a coach. The training plan is awesome, but what if you wake up and know you are dehydrated (like I did yesterday)? Do you still try the run? The training plan doesn't know if you're sore, tired, sick, dehydrated, etc. It also doesn't know if it's over 100 degrees for five consecutive days. You have to make a decision, and sometimes the decision will be right and sometimes it won't.
Saturday morning, I had doubts about doing the 18 miler. I thought about waiting until today. However, my training plan said 18 miles on Saturday, so I set out to do it. In retrospect, I should have waited and tried it Sunday. Here's an example of when you should listen to your body (and the weather) over your training plan. Lesson learned. It's not being a wimp. It's being smart.
Another lesson learned this weekend: The heat impacts you more than you think it does. It can make you sick, dizzy, confused, etc. When I was running yesterday, I knew I wasn't having a good day, and I kept thinking about how I could head to one of my friends' houses if I couldn't make it home. I had all of these contingency plans--I could walk to Pat and Bob's, or maybe walk to Jessica's...Thinking about it later, these plans made NO SENSE because I had apparently lost the ability to effectively evaluate distances. In other words, I was confused. Not in a dangerous way, but I wasn't on top of my game when it came to cognition--because of the heat. The most interesting thing about this is that I didn't realize I was not thinking clearly at the time. It's only thinking back that I realize it.
In summary--
Lesson 1: Listen to your body (and the weather).
Lesson 2: The heat impacts you more than you think it does.
This week I will get back to the speedwork (on Wednesday). I skipped the quick pace this past week due to the heat, and the week before was a recover week so it wasn't on the schedule. I really do hate speedwork. However, I value it because it makes me appreciate the slower pace I have on other days.
I've also decided that I like running in the evening rather than morning on hot days. This is mostly because it gets cooler, rather than warmer, as I go along. It's tough mentally on hot days when you get out and run in the morning, knowing that it's only going to get hotter as you get more tired. I also do better with hydration when I run in the evening. I can drink fluids all day in preparation. When I run in the morning, I struggle to get enough fluids down after waking up. There's a major problem with my logic though, and that's that races happen in the morning.
In other news....
Congratulations to my father in law, who completed a sprint triathlon this morning!
No comments:
Post a Comment