Kat Ran Antarctica : Tags : heat

Nerves

Posted by DCtoPgh Jun 12, 2008

I very rarely get nervous. I've found that the best cure for nerves is to prepare. Then, even if things don't go as planned, I know that I did all that I could leading up to the event.

Well, I am signed up for a 10K on Sunday and I am nervous.

Recently, my runs have sucked and I don't know why. There are legitimate factors like the heat, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm just in worse shape than I thought. I look back on my training log and before I got sick, I was cranking out awesome bricks... 15 mile bike rides followed by 6-8 mile runs at tempo pace. I'd been doing this weekly for about two months in addition to running three other times a week. But since I've been sick I've been having a hard time cranking out 6-8 mile runs at a slower pace and without the biking beforehand. I've been consistently hitting my other runs and those have been going great, but my long runs are really lacking. I can't figure out what is going on and I'm not sure what this is going to mean for my race on Sunday.

I also think some of this is psychological. This race last year was my first 10K in about a decade. Going in I was dehydrated, I rolled my ankle getting into the car the morning of, and I had no idea how to pace myself or what I was capable of. Even with all of that I far exceeded my expectations and had what, for me, was a really great race. Then in September, after a summer of marathon training, I smashed that solid performance with a 10K that I still can't believe I ran as fast as I did. That leaves me with a most recent 10K that is well out of my reach and a prior strong performance on this course... I have a lot to live up to with this race which compounds a bad two weeks of running.

I put off registering for this race all week but then I realized that NOT running this race because I was scared of doing poorly would be taking the easy way out and the wrong reason for not running. I'm not that person, so this morning I signed up. If nothing else, even if I have a bad race, I'm really glad I'm going to get out there and give it a go. Wish me and my nerves good luck

380 Views 2 Comments Permalink Tags: training, 10k, heat

Ohiopyle and beating the heat

Posted by DCtoPgh Jun 9, 2008

Tomorrow (June 10th) I turn 25. I'm not so excited about this birthday, in part because in terms of running it bumps me up an age bracket and that age bracket is more competitive. But, I think I made the most of the last few days of my youth:

Ohiopyle

Chris surprised me with a birthday trip to Ohiopyle for lots of hiking on Saturday. We covered about 8 miles of moderate to pretty tough terrain and had an absolute blast doing so. Seeing everyone on the bike path made me realize just how much I want a bike (we went bike shopping on Friday). There was a bike that was halfway between a mountain bike and a road bike that wasn't a hybrid and of course I can't remember the name of it, but I've been thinking about it pretty consistently since we left the Trek store. Maybe that will be my present to myself for surviving a quarter of a century (although NOT biking in Pittsburgh could really help me make the next quarter century mark). Also, there is an adventure race I'd really like to do with Chris at the end of August that will involve biking... might as well start now, right? Anyway, a picture from Ohiopyle:

Beat the Heat Sunday run

Phew, it was hot on Sunday. 92 degrees when I headed out for my 8 mile run.

What I did right:

Since I knew it was hot I ran loops in the park to benefit from the shade and water fountains
There were times where my heart rate got around 97% of my max when I was at a slow jog pace. I knew I was getting overheated and I stopped to walk when I needed.
When I got home I immediately hydrated and grabbed ice packs to cool myself down. By the time I got home I was feeling pretty dizzy and confused so knew I needed to take care of myself ASAP (things I learned from years as a lifeguard, swim coach and lifeguard/first aid instructor).

What I did wrong:

My legs were not fresh after a day of hiking which was compounded the fact that I...
Picked hilly loops. At one point you climb about 30 stairs to exit the park and my legs were so shot I had to stop to rest half way up the stairs. At this point I still had three miles to run home. Three very ugly, sweaty miles.
I didn't bring my camelback since it was only 8 miles. Point learned that it's not "just" the distance I need to consider.
I didn't bring any gu which I don't usually use on runs that length, but I think it would have helped (or couldn't have hurt, at least).

Wisdom comes with age, so maybe 25 will teach me some things to help my training. Here's to a good run in a new age bracket

339 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: training, hiking, marathon, heat

Once a non-runner, I am now an ultrarunner and triathlete. Running has taken me to Antarctica, and past what I once thought were my limits. My races and training cover the good, bad, and ugly, but it's always an adventure- one that you can follow here.

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