It's Hot

I thought Saturday's run was great. Beautiful neighborhoods. Enough hills to keep it interesting. Enough humidity to make it feel like you were swimming. Actually, that's the only thing that bothered me, the heat and humidity. I kept up around an 8:30 pace during the eight mile loop. Then I went back over the course and did almost six more miles, but I slowed considerably, mostly due to the fact that I was getting dehydrated. Or was I just getting tired?

Monday's hill training was fun, but it was sure hot, and I didn't have time to set out water for the group. The ice water back at the store was a welcome relief! Thursday we will be doing intervals again. I am thinking about keeping them short - maybe 200s or 400s instead of 800s - because of the heat. It looks like it is going to continue to be hot for a while, and I thought it might be good to post a few hints for coping with the heat:

• Run at the coolest time of day, usually in the morning. Do I follow this advice? No. I run at noon and with the group in the early evening, almost at the hottest part of the day. At least my long runs are in the morning.
• Run in the shade as much as possible. I do try to do this.
• Wear light technical fabrics and as little as possible to encourage evaporation and wicking of sweat. 
• Don't wear a hat. It will tend to trap the heat. Wear a visor instead, if you need to keep the sun out of your eyes. However, some people soak a baseball cap with water, stick it in the freezer and then wear it during their runs.
• Roll up some ice cubes in a bandanna and wear it around your neck.
• Hydrate before, during, and after your run. Consider carrying water bottles (either hand held or on a belt) or a hydration pack.
• Run a shorter distance than you might normally run in cooler weather. 
• Run slower than you would in cooler weather.
• Take more walk breaks. Sometimes, in order to make the most of the shade, I will run in the sun and walk in the shade.
• Hose yourself off during the run. Or at least splash yourself at the water fountains.
• Run with friends, or let someone know where you're running and when you'll return. 
• If you feel nauseous or light headed, or if you have chills or stop sweating, stop immediately, get in the shade, and drink something cold.

Here is an article that should serve as a warning about running in the heat:

www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--11446-0,00.html

Running in Ozawkie

I missed last Saturday’s group run because I was at a family reunion in Kansas, but I did manage to get in a 12 mile run on the way too hilly streets of Ozawkie.

I didn’t feel that good on the run and almost quit after 6 miles, but I stuck in there and finished the miles that I had planned on running. By the way, Ozawkie isn't a very big town, and I ran on every street (except for some very short dead ends) at least once, and some streets as many as four times. The hill in the picture above was hit four times, twice in each direction. Almost too steep to run down, and on one of the trips up it was too steep for me to run up, so I walked a bit.

I hope you all had a good run and a good Independence Day weekend. I know some in our group (Stormy and Sam and maybe others that I don’t know about) competed in the 50 mile Midnight Madness race. Be sure and congratulate them and ask to see their blisters.

This Saturday is the Poker Run, which will start at Veterans Park at 7:00 a.m. For a minimum five dollar donation you can receive cards during your five mile run, and the ones with the best poker hands at the end will receive prizes. You don’t have to participate in the Poker Run to run with the group, but it is fun, and there is a good chance that you will win something good. I will have to miss the Poker Run because I have a church meeting that I really need to be at. I hope to get in a run sometime in the afternoon or evening.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is our interval workout, starting at RunnersWorld at 5:30 p.m.  I had 20 x 200 meters planned, but Patty says she would rather do 800 meter repeats, so I guess we will decide when we get to the store.

So, I guess I will see you all on Thursday, Monday, or a week from Saturday.

Take it on the run!

TATUR Dave

Closing Out the Month of June

The interval workout went well last Thursday. Six bouts of 800 meters with about three minutes rest in between. In cooler times the rest period would have been shortened, but it was in the 90s and pretty humid. Stormy led the pack with, I don't know, maybe a little under 3 minutes per 800. Sally and I ran together and averaged 3:20 for the 800s. Andy and Steve kind of hung together, and Beth, Patty, and Kaci made good running partners for this workout. Larry also ran with us. I think that's everybody, but I may have inadvertently left somebody out.

I recovered well from that workout by Saturday. Not too much soreness in the legs. It was warm and humid again when we did our long run - so much that we are going to try starting an hour earlier beginning next week. Our eight miles was at a fairly brisk pace for a sort of long run. Will held back and led us at around an 8:15 pace for about five miles, and then I think the pace picked up. But I'm not really sure because Steve and I lingered at the water stop. I ended up with an 8:15 average for 8.23 miles. I think Brian, who was with the lead group said his average was about 8:09. I'm sorta hoping that as our runs get longer that the pace for most of us will slow down just a bit.

After the run I went with Kathy and Brian to LaFortune Park and played tennis for an hour and a half. It was the first time I picked up a racket in 20 years. I had a lot of fun, but it exercised a few muscles that running doesn't seem to get too well. My glutes were a bit sore Sunday and even Monday morning.

It's Monday night now, and I'm in Memphis. I missed the hill training this evening. In fact, I didn't get in my run today. But I did take about a three mile brisk walk in downtown Memphis and pumped some weights in the hotel fitness center. After the workout I looked just like Arnold Schwarzenegger. After that I went to eat at Corky's Barbecue and had dry Memphis style ribs. They were pretty good, but I think I prefer the wet ribs. Too bad I overate, and now my body doesn't look like Arnold's anymore. On the way back to the hotel I passed a convenience store and took a picture of their sign, and it reminded me that I should try to run some this week.

Hopefully I will be back in time for our Thursday group run, but there actually is a pretty good chance I will miss it. For sure I will miss next Saturday's run, but I should be back on the 5th for another hill run.

Saturday's run will start at Veterans Park at 5:45 a.m. The route is to go south on the River Parks trail and then turn around and return to Veterans Park. Where you turn around depends on what group you are in:

Beginner Half: 4 miles. Turn at 41st Street. There will be an aid station there for the Midnight Madness 50 mile race.
Advanced Half, Beginner Full: 7 miles. Turn at the 4.5 mile marker (or you can go on to the park at 56th
Street, which will add about a half mile to your run, but there is a nice water fountain there.)
Intermediate and Advanced Full: 9 miles. Turn at about 61st Street. I would say the 5 mile marker, but they took it down when they redid the trail.

Everybody should offer words of encouragement to the 50 milers, who will be into their 6th hour of running when you guys get started.

Take it on the run!
TATUR Dave