Day 8: Holy Hotness

Kill me Now

~as said by Toddy (right now)~

Distance required: 3 miles

Distance completed: 2.5-3.1 miles (To be explained)

Problems: Hot

Prides?: that I did it at all?

Tip of the Day: Get a Road Id.

Okay, so I'm writing this to you, within moments after my 3 mile run today, so I can be as descriptive as possible how it feels to run in the middle of the day, in DC, in July. Let's just say, I think this was stupid and dangerous and I don't recommend it. I ran between 2:10-2:45pm in 101 degree heat. For the record 100 degrees in the middle of the day (as a high) is a HUGE difference between the low of 80 degrees that we can assume existed early this morning and will return much later tonight.

My head is throbbing, my hands are shaking, I feel nauseous, I'm feeling actual sensations of pain in my chest/heart area. I'm a bit disoriented, the backs of my hand feel sunburned/they are literally on fire, I'm dripping sweat, my face looks like a burnt lobster tourist at Myrtle Beach on Memorial Day weekend. This is not fun. I tried to give a lost girl in her van directions and I could barely think I was so out of it.

I walked A LOT of this run. Probably 1/3rd. I ran the first half - 1.5 miles through. It was definitely a struggle. I felt like my whole body was just dry and fatigued and not fluid. I felt tired. My legs were definitely tired. I know I partied this weekend but why did it feel like someone took a baseball bat to my left thigh and how is it possible to feel the pain of "bruises" when you are running but not actually touching or poking the affected bruised area?

I feel awful. My chest is so tight and my body so overheated, I immediately had to take off my shirt and 2 of my 3 sports bras to get cool and release some tension on my chest.

CAN THE SUN AND HEAT REALLY DO ALL THIS???

I'm dizzy. Seriously dizzy.

The only intelligent thing I did was bring two water bottles and my Road ID but within 10 minutes of the run the water was warm and didn't provide much relief even when I poured it on my face, neck, and wrists to try to cool down even a little bit. Even drinking it, my mouth still felt dry. I stopped to walk mostly when I felt SO HOT that I was seriously concerned I might overheat and pass out or faint or at least trip and hurt myself. I would walk in the hopes of cooling down. For awhile the walking breaks did help me cool off and then I'd go back to running but during the last half mile I JUST COULD NOT COOL DOWN and so I finished the last quarter of a mile entirely walking. I like to finish my runs with actual running as a final sense of pushing myself and accomplishing something, but today I can only say that it was what it was and there's not much I can say about it. If you don't already have one, go get yourself a Road ID. It's only around 20-30 bucks at RoadId.com . You can put your name on it, emergency contact number, e.g. Dad, Mom, Scarlett, etc., any emergent health conditions, e.g. diabetes, allergies, etc., that you are an organ donor (god forbid), your blood type (apparently very helpful to EMTs) and then for yourself you can put a nickname or a motivational phrase to look at and be reminded of on your run. They make them for your wrist and for your shoe. Mine is for my shoe. Its just this tiny little belt buckle that wraps around my shoelaces. It weighs approximately nothing and takes up very little space. I just leave it on my shoes and never take it off. You might have noticed the pic of it above. Just possibly.

Time and Distance:

My watch says: 36:51 seconds. My "MapMyRun" iphone app says: 37:26. The discrepancy is the distance. I clocked this distance in my car and using another online running tracker last week and one gave me about 2.9-3 miles and the other 3-3.1 miles. Which would mean I ran/walked a 12minute mile pace which would be right about where I want to be. However, My Map My Run app says I only ran 2.49 miles. Which, if correct, means I only ran/walked the distance today with an average of a 14:42 mins/mile pace which would NOT get me past the 20 mile mark/14th mile bridge closing of the marathon. But I find it really hard to believe I went that slow considering I ran the first 1.5 miles at a fairly decent clip. I'm hoping that the GPS just isn't perfect and there was a "blind spot" if you will or something where the GPS didn't work. Looking at the route now it does look like I was shortchanged 3-4 blocks of my run but I really don't know if that would constitute 1/2 mile. Oh well. At any rate I was out moving my body -- running/walking/jogging, whatever for 36-38 minutes for at least 21/2 miles and I survived the heat. But I'm still l not happy about it.

Overall Sentiments:
I don't feel like I pushed myself as hard as I could of but then again I don't know how safe it would've been to push myself harder. I am mad at myself for not getting up at 6am when my alarm woke me up and running in the "cooler" temperatures. I am mad at myself for walking. I don't feel ready for the marathon. I don't think I can do this. Why is 3 miles so much of a struggle? How will I ever do training runs of 13, 15, 18 and 20 miles, when I can't even do 3? I'm hot and I'm in over my head. I'm feeling very negative and defeated.

I have to go stretch and drink a barrel of water and maybe do a little bit of ab work because its good for the running/back support. But I'm cranky. Definitely cranky. I know you don't want to now but, still, do it anyways...

Come Run With Me.