Days Since Last Run Below 70°F: 52 (May 16, Spring was very nice this year)
53¼ miles for the week of June 30th through July 6th
M – 4¾ miles, recovery run, average pace 8:40 mpm, 84°F at 4AM [Dow]
Tu – 5¾ miles, average pace 7:16 mpm, a pretty nice morning, 77°F at 4AM [Dow/BS]
W – 7½ miles, 5x1000/400rec, overall average pace 7:21 mpm, 1,000s in 3:39.8, 3:41.0, 3:36.9, 3:38.5, and 3:36.6, 84°F at 7PM [B’Wood]
Th – 5¼ miles, recovery run, average pace 9:21 mpm, 87°F at 11AM [RiceU]
F - 8 miles with a 4-mile race at 6:17 mpm average pace, 83°F starting at 7:30AM [FC4]
Sa – 7½ miles, average pace 8:38, 89°F at 1PM [SeaC/SSTrail-MBT/SeaC]
Su – 14½ miles, average pace of 8:54 mpm, sunny and humid - crashed horribly with dehydration and heat exhaustion, 86°F to 89°F from 9AM [FWRes/MacL-2x(2M-MBTrail)-MacL/FWRes]
After Friday's Firecracker 4, I was wondering whether I was using the heat and humidity as an excuse to avoid running hard. But Sunday I had a total meltdown. I don't doubt myself now. I didn't get that late a start and the heat really wasn't extreme. But I tried to finish a full 14½ mile reservoir run after a mildly aggressive start on a rapidly warming sunny morning. I ran the first 3½ miles around the reservoir in 28:09, an 8:03 mpm pace. I thought I was running much faster than that, and as the run continued it got more difficult. At about 10 miles I stopped for a few minutes to drink some water at the park. I could either run by the Sea Center for 2 miles home or go back around the reservoir for about 4½ miles home. I reasoned most of it would be into the wind, so I decided on the longer reservoir route. But the sun was devastating. The drainage district has been raising the elevation of the dike along the reservoir and took out all of the shade trees that were growing along the sides of the dike. I was managing OK until I turned with the wind. I slowed to a stagger. When I finally reached a tree shaded area I just crashed to the ground for a few minutes. After recovering enough to make it home (and getting bitten in the back by fireants) I staggered the last mile home. The return 3½ miles around the reservoir took me 36:23. That's a 10:24 pace. My average heartrate over that segment was 145 and I was steady at 160 when I finally made it home. It was a complete meltdown.
1 comment:
53+ miles in a week is awesome, especially in this Texas heat. Keep up the great training and just remember that you'll feel like a deer once we get even a remote "cold" weather break (cold being anything below 85 at this point).
Post a Comment