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But seriously, I wanted to up the mileage and see how my body would respond. I need to get some longer runs under my belt, and now is a good a time as any to start. I must admit, I was a tad nervous about going for a longer run, seeing how I haven't run this far since last September. The thing is, running in this Florida heat SUCKS. There's no other way to describe it. The heat just wears you down and can make for a long, tortuous run. lol Running on the treadmill is ok, but I haven't done 1 triathlon where the run was on a treadmill in a nice air conditioned gym. It was ALWAYS out in the heat and this bloody awful sun. I MUST train in this heat.
So, to help compensate for running in HORRID weather, I go run where at least it's a nice place to go and you can kinda enjoy it, even though it's mad hot: Bayshore.
Peep the guy on the kayak:
I do much better running from Point A to Point B, instead of watching the seconds tick by while running on the treadmill. This is a great place to run.
Because it's so hot out here, I always carry plenty of water & Gatorade with me:
Here I am as I head out for my run:
What makes this run different is not only am I running a little further, but I'm wearing my Ironman 70.3 hat. I don't wear this hat often, but I wanted to wear it today to get mentally ready to run a longer distance. Sometimes you have to psyche yourself out, and this was my way of doing it. I wanted to imagine myself in a race today, not out there as a runner, but as a traithlete.
This is how I like to run: Hat low, shades on. You can't see my eyes, and I can't see yours. All can see is the road in front of me. I'm focused man! lol
Anyway, the mental preparation is just as important as the physical preparation, and how a person gets prepared is as varied as their training routines. Whatever works!
Here's a quick vid I took before my run:
I started the run feeling pretty good. As always, I started out slow, just to get the kinks out and see how my body would respond. It was really windy out,which is GREAT for me because it kept me cool. It takes me almost 30 minutes to get warmed up, and at 30 minutes I was feeling good. All systems were go!
I ran to Ballast Point today, since I ran a little further. Bayshore has ZERO cloud cover, but I do get a little when I do the extra distance:
It took me about 40 minutes to get to Ballast Point which is almost 5 miles for the halfway point of my run. Overall I felt good. It was still windy, but I was starting to feel the heat.
Ballast Point is a combination park/fishing pier. There were a lot of people out today having a good time:
Running around places like this also makes running "easier" because my mind isn't on the pain.
It also keeps the workouts fresh, because you never know what you'll see.
After a couple pics, a bathroom break & a water bottle fill up I headed back to complete my run.
Seeing how I stopped, it took me a couple minutes to get back into a running groove. I don't mind that, because sometimes I'll stop during races at the aid stations, or even walk becauseI'm just plain tired. It's good I learn to run hard, stop, then resume running hard. This was an indirect way to replicate what I do in an actual race.
Around mile 9 I start to feel tired. I'm feeling the heat even though it's still windy. The way I felt 75 minutes into the run is how I usually feel 2-3 miles into an actual race. THIS is 1 of the most crucial aspects of my training, and one that's hard to reproduce in training. When I start to feel really fatigued, I can't start walking. I have to learn how to maintain my form and keep running. If I slow my pace that's ok. I gotta keep running.
The thing is, it takes me running 9-10 miles in training to feel how I feel 2 miles into an actual race. That's because in a race I start the run tired. I usually don't start my training runs tired. I start them refreshed and energized. This is why the longer runs are most important. I gotta work on that...
Anyway, I finished my run in about 1:25 minutes. I was tired, but not exhausted. My conditioning is coming along nicely and my confidence is slowly increasing. I'm cautiously optimistic about my race. You can't get too confident, because overconfidence can lead to carelessness. I've done that in the past & each time something bad happened: 1 race I crashed & bruised my shoulder. Another race I wans't properly hydrated and had severe leg cramps on the bike. I barely finished the bike, and had to walk the majority of the 13.1 mile run.
All because I started to believe my own hype. So I gotta make sure I'm fully prepared and treat the race (and training) with the respect it deserves!
Here's a vid I took after my run:
All in all, I had a FANTASTIC run. I felt good pretty much the entire way, and I'm not really tired as I type this. It was a beautiful day out on bayshore today, and I was just feeling really calm, relaxed and happy as I chilled after my run in my usual spot:
Of the 3 sports, running really clears my mind, even though biking is my fav. That runners high is real! lol Today was a good day. I know I can run "10" miles no problem, and that's an important thing to know when preparing for an event.
Monday I'll be in the pool for 60 minutes. Tuesday it's weights. Wednesday is yoga. Thursday I'll be on the treadmill to do some speedwork. Friday is weights at home, and next Saturday I'll be hitting the bridges again for a good bike ride. I havea busy schedulewith work, the PT job, and training, but I wouldn't have it any other way!
Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace!
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