I wanted to post a few thoughts about the running through August. First of all, it is fantastic that so many of you are showing up at 6:00 am to get in your long runs. These will be key to your fall racing success. If you are training for the Marine Corps Marathon, a half marathon, or even a 10k, long runs are important. Starting them early may give you increased humidity, but the cooler temps are critical to pulling through.
Don't get discouraged. You will have bad runs. I know the heat made things very difficult on Saturday, and that may have created some doubts. Don't worry if things were tougher than you expected. This was the first truly hot day we have had for a Saturday morning run. We really have been lucky this summer until now. Remember to adjust your pace on hot days. We are now heading into August, which will be the hottest weather we have faced yet. You know these will be some challenging days, but stick with it. The summer will be over before you know it, and you do not want to fall behind now.
Please RSVP. I am thrilled that so many people are showing up to run. Please do take the time to post a comment when you plan to run. We ran out of fluids last weekend. I have everything I need to supply ample Gatorade, and am happy to share it with everyone who shows up. I judge the mixing quantities based on the blog, so your comments help tremendously. Steve will also be sure to have water available when he runs as well.
Use your recovery weeks. If you try to run faster and longer each week, you will most likely get injured. Recovery weeks are important for the success of your training. There is a reason your body is sore the day after a good workout. . . it is trying to tell you something. Recovery weeks have a shorter "long run", to allow your muscles to repair, and to reward yourself for the hard work you have been putting in. Don't feel guilty about taking some recovery time.
Michael is correct. My daily runs are at 5:30 am and the cooler temp is crucial to a good strong run. Also bear in mind what you are doing on your "off" running days. Typically, Sat. is my off day but I spent 10 hrs of it doing strenuous yard work. Sun. I didn't start my typical 9 mile "long" run until 8:30 am. I Thought nothing of it, I'm strong. Big mistake! This run is usually at a comfortable 7:00 min pace. That was fine until mile 7. The effort became very hard, my hands started tingling and the pace dropped to 7:30. I was still sweating buckets but feeling like I had lead in my shoes. Since I was alone on a cross country course I stopped and got under a faucet and went home. Maybe I could have gone another 2 miles, but a dirt nap in the woods is not my idea of a constructive run. Be careful out there. Just because you don't run on an off day, you could be overly fatigued from your non running activity. Be aware of the conditions, listen to what your body is telling you and know the signs of heat exhaustion. Don't push a bad run into a dangerous run.
ReplyDeleteBrian
So you're telling me that intervals at noon today wasn't a good idea???
ReplyDeleteI guess if you were able to make this post, you were either tough enough or lucky enough to make it through your workout.
ReplyDeletevery very bad run this morning. 72 degrees and 96% humidity = no good.
ReplyDeletechinese buffet for dinner didn't help
There's a really good article at the Runners World website under the 'training' section called "turning up the heat". You were smart to stop running when you did.
ReplyDelete