Hot

Today was hot.  Tomorrow will be hot.  But I don't think race will be as hot at 2016.  Hourly forecast shows 90 with a heat index of 98 at 6 pm.  By midnight it will be 78 with a heat index of 84.  I will run slow and hydrate and be fine.

Jim took out for pasta tonight.  Eating for a evening race is always tricky for me.  Especially a 6 hour race.  I need nutrition but I don't want to upset my stomach.

I went to see Dr. Lauren and lunch time today.  She worked me over.  I am ready to race.  She will lap me multiple times.

Afternoon Run and the River

Today Jim and I went for an easy 3 mile run at 5:00 pm.  I set my watch for 4 minute run, 2 minute walk.  This is my plan for the Get Your Butt Kicked Race.  It felt pretty easy.  We were even faster than my 5 mile run when I had the watch set at 4/1.

We put water shoes in the trunk of the car.  After the run we changed into our water shoes and walked down to the river.  We thought it would be refreshing to walk into the river up to our shorts.  The river was like bath water.  We were expecting it to be cool and refreshing.  It was warm but still felt good.

Today I wore my light blue shorts.  I really like my light blue shorts but I always feel more confident in black.  Today I trusted my GI system enough to go with a light color.

The Definition of Insanity

 It's often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  I keep going to the weather web site and clicking on the forecast for Saturday expecting that miraculously it will change and the temperature will drop.  I do this over and over and over and it doesn't change.  It will be hot and humid.  Does this mean I'm insane?  Is there a difference between insanity and crazy?

Looking Back

I looked back at my records from the 2016 Get Your Butt Kicked Race.

• It was 95 degrees when the race started.
• We walk ran with 4 minute run and 2 minute walk.
• Overall average was 13:49 pace
• Moving average was 12:51 pace
• We were moving 5:34:02 stopping time included 2 bathroom stops, once when Kathy changed shorts and a few short stops at the car to get ice and water.
• We saw an opossum along the trail.
• A lady wanted us to put some magnesium lotion on our legs.  We thought she was going to spray something on our legs so we turned around.  When nothing happened we realized she was going to put the lotion on our hands for us to rub on our legs.
• I was asking the race director a question while shining my head lamp in his face.
• We had fun.
• It was the inaugural slug sister run.

Evening Running

I decided I needed an evening run to prep for the race Saturday.  I went to the trail at 7 p.m.  It was warm and humid but not awful.  I did my 4/1 run/walk for five miles.  I keep watching the forecast for Saturday.  The humidity will be down some but it will still be hot.  At least it is in the evening.  I think it will be a little cooler that two years ago.

Yesterday Jim and I went to Don Robinson State Park and hiked.  It is a newer park.  The hike was really nice through  a little canyon.  At one point when we were walking Jim said, "This would be a good trail to run".  He's beginning to think like a runner.

Clif Blok Review.  When Sports Academy had Clif Bloks on sale I decided to try a bunch of different flavors.  I tried the ginger ale thinking that ginger ale soothes an upset stomach and it would be great.  I didn't like the taste at all.  Thumbs down on ginger ale.  Then I tried the salted watermelon (it has 2X the sodium).  I really liked the sweet and salty taste.  Thumbs up on salted watermelon.  This is what I will take for the race on Saturday. 

Cooler Weather

I was beginning to think that I was getting slower, much slower.  My runs lately have been slow.  My legs feel heavy.  It's been an effort to run slow.  This morning I woke up to temperatures in the 60s.  Jim decided on a bike ride.  We picked Kathy up and hit the trail.  Jim rode his bike while we ran.  Running is so much easier when it is cooler.  I felt a bounce in my step.  I finished 10 miles feeling good.  On the hot days I have been whipped at the end of my runs.  I know it will get hot again but I am going to enjoy these couple days of cooler weather.

When cold is 90 degrees

A cold front is coming.  It's only going to be 90 degrees tomorrow.  Since when is 90 degrees cold?  I guess since it's July in St. Louis.  I may have to get out a sweatshirt or something.

Today Jim and I took a walk  after dinner.  It was hot.  I did runner's yoga and foam rolling.

Independence Day

Holiday - no work today.  Got up early and dressed to run.  Jim decided to go with me.  Usually when I run before work I don't eat breakfast first.  Jim wanted to eat.  We didn't get to the trail until almost 8:30 a.m.  It was the busiest I have ever seen the trail.  I think every runner who wasn't downtown running the 5K went to the trail.  There were also a lot of bicycles.  Most people were dressed in red, white and blue.  I had on purple.  What was I thinking?  Jim was wearing red.  Jim's knee hurt before we started so I set my watch for a run, walk.  With the heat and the run/walk we averaged 11 minute miles which was great.

When I got home I did my runner's yoga and foam rolling. 

Signing Up for Races

Today I signed up for the Get Your Butt Kicked Race.  It's the end of July in St. Louis so it will be hot and humid.  I am going to it approach as a fun run.  Really a walk/run.  I have already run a  training run one mile farther than my longest training run the last time I ran the race.  If my slug sister doesn't sign up I will be out there by myself (or I might be joined by an opossum).  Dr. Lauren will be there.  I'm sure she will pass me multiple times.  I say it is for fun but I would like to go at least as far as I did last time I ran it two years ago.

I also signed Jim and I up for the Alpine Shop Trail Run Series at Castlewood in August.  Jim really likes the races because he gets hot dogs and beer.  I don't eat hot dogs or any kind of processed meat so we don't have them at home.  They are fun social runs.  I have not done any hills for a while but I know that I can walk them.  I am going to approach them as fun runs.

Morning Run

This morning I ran before work.  Running in the morning has been the coolest time of day even though it is still warm at 7 a.m.  It was foggy this morning and very humid.  I ran 4 miles on the trail.  The first mile is always slow to warm up.  I did a few strides in the last mile.

Running in heat and humidity is harder on the body.  For sweating to occur the body moves blood to the surface of the skin.  This means less blood for the muscles which makes running feel more difficult.  The heart works harder to make this all happen.  A 10 minute per mile pace will feel like an 8 minute pace in hot and humid temperatures.  I feel my runs have been getting slower but I am working just as hard.

Cross Training

I felt good today after running 16 miles yesterday in the heat and humidity.  This morning Jim and i took a 15 mile bike ride.  This afternoon we went to a party at some friends' house.  They had a pool.  I spent over an hour in the pool - mostly treading water in the deep end.  It felt good on a hot day.