Sunday, February 08, 2009
Sunday Six
Today's Run: 6.0 miles
Run Time: 1 hr 9 minutes
Total Miles to Date: 945.3
Thoughts on the Run:
Whew! We're getting closer to the first 1,000 miles. Exciting!
Today was a great run. I didn't dread it one bit. I was looking forward to it. I knew it might be a challenge because of my tough leg day yesterday, but I was eager to try it out and see how it felt.
I slept in and caught up on some much-needed rest, then cooked a delicious breakfast (if I do say so myself): two whole eggs and two eggs whites scrambled with chipotle-flavored Tabasco sauce, organic hashed browns with red pepper and olive oil, and chicken sausage. It was delicious!
I waited two hours and then set out on my jog. I decided to try something different for hydration this time. As you may know from reading my blogs from last year, hydration has been my biggest challenge. Most of the time I would fall way short and end up getting nauseous or dizzy. I figure as a bigger guy than most runners, my needs are a bit higher. However, when I'd bring lots of fluid and drink it down constantly, I'd end up with major stomach discomfort.
This year because it's been cool, I've avoided the hydration (during the run) issue for the most part. Now it's starting to warm up and I'm running longer distances. I almost talked myself out of bringing fluids today, but then realized how ridiculous that would be ... I'd be on my feet for well over an hour in the hottest part of the day.
So I tried something new. I brought two 16-oz bottles, but instead of filling them both with just water or just Gatorade, I did one water and one Gatorade. The water alone doesn't do well for me because I sweat a lot and therefore lose plenty of sodium. I need the electrolyte replacement. On the other hand, I get sick of drinking Gatorade because after awhile it is just too sweet tasting to me.
So, I brought both and alternated between the two.
The second thing that I did was instead of sipping constantly, which seems to cause me to have the stomach discomfort, I swigged every mile. Each mile I would grab one or the other bottle and then take three big swigs.
This strategy seemed to work out. I never felt like I was running low on fluids and I did not have any stomach discomfort.
I have to say this run was one of the first times I can truly say I tapped into what I would call a true "runner's high" or second wind. I was about 4 1/2 miles into the run when I came upon my old nemesis, "Hamburger Hill" and began the long (1/2 mile) ascent to the top. By this time, my legs were on fire and I was getting a little tired from the run. I instantly felt drained as I began to climb the hill and for a second my mind was saying, "Maybe we'll walk it."
My iPod Shuffle, upon hearing these thoughts, decided it was time to kick into action and obediently switched to a high-energy, upbeat song. The driving rhythm was too much to allow me to slow down and I had to clench my feet and start pumping my arms and begin to pace myself up the hill.
Suddenly a strange thing happened. It was like my vision narrowed for a brief second and I had tunnel vision. I was afraid I was starting to get dizzy and would have to stop, but then I realized my eyes were just intently focused on the ground in front of me. I was aware in my peripheral vision of the trees going by on my left and the cars in the street on the right, but I was tuned out of the distance I had to go and focused solely on the rhythm on my pace as I ran up the hill. My breathing settled into a cadence and I no longer felt like I was gasping for air. The pain left my legs and my whole body just felt nice and light.
In this state I pushed easily to the top and continued on. It lasted the remainder of the run and felt great. In fact, when I finished, I was still a good 1/2 mile from the house, so I went ahead and ran most of that as well.
It was a great run that I enjoyed and I'm happy to have made it through this week with all of my schedule workouts. I'm looking forward to another abundant and successful week to come!
Warmly,
Run Time: 1 hr 9 minutes
Total Miles to Date: 945.3
Thoughts on the Run:
Whew! We're getting closer to the first 1,000 miles. Exciting!
Today was a great run. I didn't dread it one bit. I was looking forward to it. I knew it might be a challenge because of my tough leg day yesterday, but I was eager to try it out and see how it felt.
I slept in and caught up on some much-needed rest, then cooked a delicious breakfast (if I do say so myself): two whole eggs and two eggs whites scrambled with chipotle-flavored Tabasco sauce, organic hashed browns with red pepper and olive oil, and chicken sausage. It was delicious!
I waited two hours and then set out on my jog. I decided to try something different for hydration this time. As you may know from reading my blogs from last year, hydration has been my biggest challenge. Most of the time I would fall way short and end up getting nauseous or dizzy. I figure as a bigger guy than most runners, my needs are a bit higher. However, when I'd bring lots of fluid and drink it down constantly, I'd end up with major stomach discomfort.
This year because it's been cool, I've avoided the hydration (during the run) issue for the most part. Now it's starting to warm up and I'm running longer distances. I almost talked myself out of bringing fluids today, but then realized how ridiculous that would be ... I'd be on my feet for well over an hour in the hottest part of the day.
So I tried something new. I brought two 16-oz bottles, but instead of filling them both with just water or just Gatorade, I did one water and one Gatorade. The water alone doesn't do well for me because I sweat a lot and therefore lose plenty of sodium. I need the electrolyte replacement. On the other hand, I get sick of drinking Gatorade because after awhile it is just too sweet tasting to me.
So, I brought both and alternated between the two.
The second thing that I did was instead of sipping constantly, which seems to cause me to have the stomach discomfort, I swigged every mile. Each mile I would grab one or the other bottle and then take three big swigs.
This strategy seemed to work out. I never felt like I was running low on fluids and I did not have any stomach discomfort.
I have to say this run was one of the first times I can truly say I tapped into what I would call a true "runner's high" or second wind. I was about 4 1/2 miles into the run when I came upon my old nemesis, "Hamburger Hill" and began the long (1/2 mile) ascent to the top. By this time, my legs were on fire and I was getting a little tired from the run. I instantly felt drained as I began to climb the hill and for a second my mind was saying, "Maybe we'll walk it."
My iPod Shuffle, upon hearing these thoughts, decided it was time to kick into action and obediently switched to a high-energy, upbeat song. The driving rhythm was too much to allow me to slow down and I had to clench my feet and start pumping my arms and begin to pace myself up the hill.
Suddenly a strange thing happened. It was like my vision narrowed for a brief second and I had tunnel vision. I was afraid I was starting to get dizzy and would have to stop, but then I realized my eyes were just intently focused on the ground in front of me. I was aware in my peripheral vision of the trees going by on my left and the cars in the street on the right, but I was tuned out of the distance I had to go and focused solely on the rhythm on my pace as I ran up the hill. My breathing settled into a cadence and I no longer felt like I was gasping for air. The pain left my legs and my whole body just felt nice and light.
In this state I pushed easily to the top and continued on. It lasted the remainder of the run and felt great. In fact, when I finished, I was still a good 1/2 mile from the house, so I went ahead and ran most of that as well.
It was a great run that I enjoyed and I'm happy to have made it through this week with all of my schedule workouts. I'm looking forward to another abundant and successful week to come!
Warmly,
Labels: long run
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]