July 3, 2010

A long run gone bad

Today I was scheduled to do a slow, long 10M run, and I was pretty excited about doing it.  My husband got up super early and did a long bike ride, so by the time he got home I started my run about 10.  The first thing I noticed when I walked outside was the humidity.  It's been awhile since I've run outside in the heat and humidity, but I just wasn't prepared for what was to come.

I waved to my boys who were watching from the window and headed out.  I really wanted to focus on slowing down my pace and doing an actual slow, long run.  According to the awesome McMillan Running Calculator, my long run pace should be between 8:51-9:51.  I knew this would be a challenge because it is just hard for me to SLOW down when I'm running.  I don't know what it is, but it's something I need to work on, especially since I'm training for a marathon.  Anyways, for the first few miles I was around an 8:30 pace.  I kept telling myself to slow down and finally I was able to maintain around a 8:50 pace.  It was hard, but I was doing it!  Around the same time I really started to notice how hot and fumid (thanks for the term Jon!) it was!  I was thankful that I had Nuun in my water bottle because I was sweating like crazy.  I was trying to drink as much as I could, but the water was just not sitting well in my stomach and I felt constantly thirsty.  I knew this could lead to some problems later in my run, and I was right.

I decided to do an out and back course with a little loop thrown in the middle.  I was feeling pretty good until around 4.5 miles into my run.  I ate a Gu thinking it would give me the boost I needed, but it didn't work.  Shortly after I started cramping really bad.  It hurt so bad to run, but I kept going.  Then my back started getting little cramps.  Ugh!  At this point I knew there was no way I was going to be able to run the full 10M.  I kept thinking about how I might have to run in these same conditions for my HIM, and again, doubt crept into my head about whether or not I'm going to be ready.
  
I got back to the park where I had done a loop and just decided to head back home which was about 2 miles away.  I came to a hill and walked up it.  I rarely walk when I'm out for a run, but my body was really shutting down.  I kept burping and feeling like I was going to puke.  It felt like I had a huge ball of something inside my chest right below my sternum.  The funny thing was that I kept thinking that if I did end up puking, at least I would get the pukie award from BDD! Ha ha!  That thought, in and of itself, made me feel a little better, and I kept going.

Around the 6M point, my legs got really heavy and I was having a hard time picking them up.  I was a complete mess!  I would see a stop light up ahead and pray that it would turn red just so I would have an excuse to stop and take a break.  Well, someone must have heard my prayers, because I literally hit every red light on my way back home.  I passed some guy going the opposite direction and he said, "You better run faster because there's a bear chasing you!"  Really guy?  At the last light, I was getting really light headed and knew I had to get home fast.  Now, I know my body well enough that when I get like this, passing out is almost inevitable.  I got off the main road, turned onto my street and walked the 2 blocks back to my house.  Even when I was walking I was going so slow.  I got closer to home and saw my husband open the door to let me in.  He saw me and asked if I was alright, then I just laid down in the grass and told him that I just needed some time to rest.  He promptly brought me inside where it was cool, handed me an ice pack for my neck, and got me a big glass of ice water to drink.  He knew just what I needed and that ice pack felt sooo good!  He made sure I was alright, then went downstairs to continue watching the Tour de France time trials...ha ha...gotta love him! :)  
  Post-run picture.  Red, hot, sweaty, and thankful to be done!  Notice the "rocky mt. peaks" on my visor!

Although I didn't do the full 10M, I still got 7M in and am happy that I was even able to do that.  Looking back, I know I was dehydrated from the get go.  I thought I had hydrated enough, but I just wasn't expecting the humidity.  It really is amazing how it effects how you run.  Next time I will definitely be more prepared.

I hope you all have a happy 4th of July weekend! :)    

20 comments:

ShutUpandRun said...

Wow that is SO rough. Glad you slowed down and got home and out of the heat. Seems like it was almost on the verge of dangerous...heat exhaustion?

Pahla said...

So glad you cut your run short and got home safe! And nice job not punching the "bear comment" guy - who says stuff like that???

KC (my 140 point 6 mile journey) said...

Oh bummers! That humidity is a b*#ch! I have caught myself saying fumidity (thx to Jon!!) You'll feel better next time. Your body hasn't re-adapted to the heat and will rebel but you just keep at it and next long run will be better. Make sure to super hydrate the day before. I always try to drink 2 big bottles of Powerade Zero w/1 nuun tab in each before my long run. And, I don't get the Rocky Mtn's anymore! Glad you finished on your own 2 feet!

Anonymous said...

That sucks, I'm sorry to hear it was so bad :[ A similar low point came for me during a 15-mile run last summer, when it was nearing 100 degrees and I felt so woozy I literally stepped off the trail, laid down in the grass, and put my feet up on a tree for a few minutes. Ugh :/ On the bright side, it must be nice to "try" to do "slow" sub-9-min miles! Hehe.

RockStarTri said...

"All you can do is all you can do." You did your best for today and it will still help you in the future. That's a success.

DRog said...

Good job pullin back and easing home...it worked out great it seems... What was that bear comment all about?! I was irritated with that guy when I read it haha
-D

Christi said...

Sorry to hear about the bad run! I am glad that your husband was there to take care of you when you returned! Thank Goodness for great hubbies!

Patrick Mahoney said...

We need to track down that guy who made the dumb joke and tell him that if he insists on making stupid cracks he could pick a better animal like a cheetah or something. I mean, put a little effort into being lame.

Tri-James said...

It is hard to check the ego and 86 a run. Good job for cutting the run short. Nothing good can come out of toughing out a run like that.

I do most of my runs in the AM to try and beat the heat – the humidity is always here in Mississippi. However, try to determine when you think you will start your run in your upcoming HIM – those are the conditions that you should try to acclimate to – after the swim and bike and depending on your start time it could be around 11AM.

Unknown said...

Hi Aimee,

Put it behind you. I had almost the same thing happen to me last week. I actually had to sit down under a tree in the shade for a few minutes!

Hey as for the running slow thing -- I am in the base training stage right now and most of my longer runs are to be in Zone 2 - which is a 8:45-9:30ish pace. I also have trobule slowing it down so on my Garmin I set up my HR zones and anytime it goes into Zone 3 the Garmin will beep 3 times. This makes me slow down -- I think I read awhile back that you had a Garmin 305 so this might help you slow down some .... shoot me an email if you need help setting it up!

jessithompson said...

Happens to all of us - you made a good call. You're one tough cookie!

Aimee said...

Patrick- ha ha...a cheetah definitely would have been a better choice for an animal! :)

TRI-James-Good idea about figuring out when I'd be starting my run for my HIM. I'm definitely going to do that!

Jeff-thanks for the Garmin tip. I had forgotten that it had that feature! If I can't figure out how to do it, I'll shoot you an email! Thanks! :)

Unknown said...

Its hard in heat and humidity!! You did great! Keep up the good work!

Caratunk Girl said...

Fumidity. Grr. Way to stick it out for 7 miles though, fumidity kills me. Like Jeff said - put it behind you and move forward.

Julie said...

Hi Aimee,
I think that you still did awesome despite the horrible heat and humidity! Nice job getting the seven miles in! God bless your husband...you better keep him around:)

Happy 4th Aimee!

Anonymous said...

Seven miles feeling like that is still awesome. Good job on listening to your body and cutting it short! Onto the next run...

Regina said...

What a rough run. I hear you though. I did mine on Sunday. it was an 80 minute run (coach doesn't do it by miles, go fig.). There were air quality warnings in effect and man I could feel it. I decided to Gallowalk the run to be safe, especially because I had a 20 minute pick up in the second half (fail!). The Gallowalking helped, but I ended up consuming 48 oz (3 lbs) of water and wast still down 1.5 lbs when I got home. It was brutal out there! Glad you are alright.

Jon said...

See why fumidity is waaaay worse than just plain ole' humidity? You should try out the sweat test to determine your sweat rate in these conditions, then you have an attack plan to stay hydrated. Chalk this one up as a learning experience!

Anonymous said...

"Really guy?" Classic Aimee statement, I can totally picture you saying that. I love how you threw that in your story, but moved on so quickly. Ha ha ha you crack me up. Atleast you weren't alone on your hell long run. I ran out of water and got lost for the second week in a row. And did I mention it was nearing 100 degrees and humid> Ugggg I hate summer time here! XOXOXO pumba, you're gonna do fab in your big event!

Big Daddy Diesel said...

SOrry to hear about the run, at least you finished and you earned your Pukie (even feeling like you want to counts)