During the summer I get up pretty early to get the run done before the heat becomes too obnoxious, and today was no different. Large dog and I headed out the door at about 6:30 AM and got nine miles in before I could no longer stand the fact that he kept trying to pull me sideways into the ditch with him while I tried to stay moving in a roughly forward direction. After dropping him off, I slammed out the last 8 solo, feeling pretty good even though by the time I finished it was nearing 10 AM and the sun was all out and starting to blaze.
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| My God I just want to run without having to counteract his sideways pull. |
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| WHEE 17 hot miles |
I honestly didn't feel that bad for the last 8 miles in the heat, as it wasn't humid and there was enough shade along my route to get some relief. Also, I think I'm getting acclimated to the heat now that it's August and temps will start to cool soon. Of course.
Anyhoo, a lot of people ask me how I can run all these crazy miles every Saturday. Most often this question is phrased as "are you NUTS you run that far for fun?!?" but I'm sure they really mean "Gee, Terie, how do you prepare to run all of those miles each weekend like the badass you are?" Well, to answer the latter, here's the lowdown on my long-run logistics:
1) Make sure you have good shoes. And by "good" I mean "shoes you pulled out of the back of your closet and decided to run in since you haven't worn them for awhile and they're only 2 versions back from the current brand and model you wear." In my case, I grabbed a pair of Brooks Launch 4s that looked like they could have used some fresh air. Tiny dog seemed to approve of this choice as well.
2) Make sure you're wearing comfortable gear. This means making sure you have clothes on that don't chafe but yet make a definite statement to all of the cars that pass you during your run. The statement my gear made today was "It's hot and I'm fat and don't give a rat's arse what you think of me running around in just a sports bra and shorts because it is glorious that a shirt is not sticking to me--GLORIOUS I TELL YOU"
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| My gear apparently had a lot to say today. |
3) Never ever ever (ever) forget to bring toilet paper with you on a long run. I actually bring it on every run, tucked away in my running belt all snuggled up in a plastic bag so my sweat won't destroy it. Because Mother Nature has the WORST timing for calling me.
4) FOOD. MUST BRING FOOD. While I always throw down a banana before I leave the house, I bring my two favorite flavors of gels with me that I buy by the case because I can:
If you're running long, you have to have some nutrition with you or you're going to be in a world o' hurt after about 90 minutes or so. I may or may not have made this mistake and ended up curling up into a ball on the side of the road once. *ahem*
5) I back off the pace for the first mile or four. I don't really know why this works for me, but I find that if I just run in the 10s for the first few miles I am pretty much banging out the last few miles well above my planned pace and feeling fantastic while doing it. This was the case today as well:
Betcha can't tell which miles Mother Nature called me, can you? Actually, I bet you can. Glad I had that toilet paper.
6) I plan for my post-run recovery. This means jumping into a bathtub full of ice-cold water and using my foot massager as I blog about all my running nonsense.
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| "NNNNNNGGGGHHHHH COLD" |
While the ice baths are NOT PLEASANT AT ALL (and occasionally a curious cat falls in the tub with me), they have really helped my sore hip and the sore top of my right foot that had been plaguing me for weeks. In fact, my hip and foot didn't bother me at all, unless you count when some insect-ish critter had crawled into my right shoe during a Mother Nature stop and then proceeded to bite the hell out of the top of my foot. Stupid nature.
Speaking of stupid, this post is now over. You know that because you're about to read about tomorrow's workout below.
Tomorrow's workout: Some spin and some upper-body weights; gotta keep working on the guns, after all. Oh, and rest my legs or something.
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