Weighing Down, Splits and Other 22-Mile Tidbits

Here are some things that did not make Monday's 22-mile recap

Heavy Load

Once I got to 22 miles, I had a choice to make - either push on through to about 22.4 in order to get home quicker or walk. At 22.08, I stopped to walk. I thought the walk would take me less time than it did, but I walked... well, at first I walked and then I hobbled and I think by the time I got home I was shuffling. Dragging, perhaps.

Anyway, somewhere along on my hobble, I tried to lighten my load. I took off my fuel belt, Garmin, hat and heart-rate monitor strap. After a few moments, I realized something. Those things were heavy.

Maybe it was just me being fatigued and exhausted, and it just felt heavier. But I really do think it was extra weight. I'm wondering if I can cut some of it down.

The thing that felt the heaviest was my hat. I might have to ditch the LB hat and go with something else, something lighter. I really don't want to do that but the hat was drenched. It was dripping with sweat for a long part of the run. I mean, literally dripping, like if you had poured water on it and the drops were just falling off the bill.

I have a couple of weeks to find an adequate replacement for the hat if that's what I choose to do. Right now, the prospect of running with a heavy hat doesn't seem like the greatest but we'll see how the hat feels to me in the coming weeks.

As for the rest of the equipment, the fuel belt is a vital part of my race and ain't going nowhere; the heart-rate strap.... well, I may give that its own blog post. The Garmin is also an important tool.

Cold Came, Vanished

One of the strangest things that happened after my run was the sudden emergence of a cold. Now, it hasn't been the hottest summer - at least not yet - but the weather has been in the mid-80s (about 30 degrees Celsius for my Canadian readers ;] ). Anyway, I haven't had a cold or anything resembling a cold for months. But within 20-30 minutes of me finishing my run, I was all but holding a box of tissues. I had the onset of a cold. It lasted all day.

I'd hoped that a good night's sleep would take care of it but it lingered. I was still using the tissues for most of Monday. Then, all of the sudden, it went away. I don't know when that happened but it's gone. It was the strangest thing. I didn't do too much research into it but I would suspect that my body was quite weakened after my run and I was suddenly susceptible to things such as colds. I guess I'm lucky it wasn't a fever or anything too bad.

Splits

I was not concerned with speed (or in this case, the lack of speed) but the Garmin keeps track of my splits for me. Here are the splits. I was all over the place apparently. I do like that my fastest mile was Mile 18, and my second-fastest was Mile 22.

M1 - 10:54; M2 - 10:22; M3 - 10:54; M4 - 10:16; M5 - 10:09; M6 - 10:17; M7 - 11:11; M8 - 10:55; M9 - 10:44; M10 - 10:27; M11 - 10:59; M12 - 10:50; M13 - 10:35; M14 - 10:37; M15 - 10:48; M16 - 11:04; M17 - 10:42; M18 - 9:57; M19 - 10:44; M20 - 11:29; M21 - 11:31; M22 - 10:05.

Pushing Through

I know a lot of runners talk mess about the treadmill, the so-called "Dreadmill." That's fine. I understand the hatred that arises when considering a run on the 'mill. But there are some times when having run on the treadmill makes for a great training tool.

There are moments in races when you just have to get some miles in. Maybe you are running at a fast pace or maybe you are wasted, fatigued, exhausted. And during these miles, all you want to do is to get the miles done.

When you run on the treadmill, that's all you can do - get the miles done. You can't really concern yourself with scenery or trying to maintain a pace on the 'mill. You control the pace so unless you push the buttons to make it go faster or slower, you don't have to worry about staying at the same pace. And you are on the treadmill and aren't going anywhere. The scenery remains unchanged.

You're a bit like a mouse running on a wheel.

That's how I felt at about Mile 19. Thinking "Oh, I'm only three miles away" was of no consolation to me. I just needed to get the miles in and get them over with. I needed to be a mouse on a wheel. I just needed to forget about everything and put one foot in front of the other, and that's what I did. I recovered both physically and, most importantly mentally, and was able to kick into gear for the last mile.

So instead of focusing on my Garmin and thinking things like "Why does this thing not move any faster???" or "Oh my God this sucks, I just want to be done" I was able to just plow through that mileage.

The treadmill helps me get through miles like that. And I know that I will have a few miles like that in San Francisco.

Picture

I snapped a picture of myself after the run, mostly so you could see the type of weather that accompanied me along my route.

 

I tried several times but this is the best shot I got. Ain't great but oh well. I'd just run 22 miles so you'll have to forgive me.

I might have some more to say about this run but I may not. Fo rnow, that's all I've got.

Fuel Up

Before I get into my blog post, I wanted to give a shout to blog buddy This Stop Willoughby. She's got a great blog over there. Anyway, I was a guest blogger over there for what she called her "Cocktail Party." Even though I haven't been drinking much lately, I figured it would be worth to stop by.

Anyway, check it out if you have a chance.

Now back to our regularly-scheduled programming.

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It's only been part of my repertoire for all of three runs but I can say one thing about my fuel belt with certainty: I heart you.

My fuel belt is awesome. From the first run, the positives vastly outweighed the negatives. There are drawbacks, of course, with the fuel belt but I think you can say that about most any piece of equipment you introduce. It's easier to run without the iPod for instance, in the sense that you don't have to worry about the iPod seizing up on you or the cords getting tangled anywhere.

The belt has allowed me to feel much, much better after long runs. For instance, after the Half Marathon in April, I was completely and utterly wasted. Immediately after the race I felt like I was going to collapse. After my previous double-digit mileage runs I was wiped out the rest of the day as well. But this time around, I've ran 10 and 11 miles respectively with the fuel belt on. I've had a lot of energy the rest of the day.

My only problem, if you can call it a problem, is that I don't know quite yet how to time my drinks. So, it has four small bottles and all total I'd say they hold like 20-25 ounces of liquid between them, maybe more. After each run, I've finished with Gatorade in the bottles still. Not a whole lot but still, some liquid in there. So obviously I'm not drinking all of it during the runs.

I think for Sunday's run I'll start taking a sip after Mile 2. It's a 12-miler on Sunday so a little sip at Mile 2 and then probably finish off that bottle on Mile 4 and then go from there.

Also today I'm going to try and get me some Gu. If you aren't familiar with Gu, it's an energy gel. I've heard it described as flavored toothpaste. The purpose of that is to replenish your body since after a certain point you start to deplete your reserves. After about an hour's worth of running, no matter your pace, you should use Gu. Not sure if you should use it after each hour or at what point you use it frequently but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Now, I say after an hour and I mean that for normal people, not professional runners who run marathons in under three hours.

As far as drawbacks, it's still a matter of getting used to. As the belt has liquid, it can weigh you down slightly. It's not enough to prevent you from running or anything but it can slip if it's not on properly. But that's a minor issue that is corrected once you use it. And once I'm getting into the run, before the first mile is up, I've usually been able to get it on properly so it doesn't move too much. And I anticipate having it down to where it's on right before I even start the run.

Mostly, though, it's been a great experience so far and I look forward to my long-distance runs more now because I know that I won't be out of it the rest of the day.

Fuelin' The Runs

It's not often that I add things to my running repertoire. In terms of adding things that I will use often such as watches, GPS and things like that, I've only had a handful of those moments. From my first pair of running shoes to taking The Garmin out for the first time, those moments have been few and far between.

Today, though, was one of those times.

I got my new fuel belt on Wednesday. It will accompany me on Sunday's run.

Now, I won't use it every run of course. No need to break out the belt for a three-miler, for instance. But from Sunday to Dec. 13, a span of less than three months, I am scheduled to run in more than 10 double-digit runs with the Lopers. Not to mention my Ragnar runs, when I'm sure I'll utilize the belt at some point during my respective three legs, and I'm going to put some use on the belt soon enough.

I got the fuel belt for a total fo 32 dollars on Amazon (thanks Willoughby for the tip!). That saved me about 15-20 bucks from having to buy it off the rack at the local running store. I used some of the mouse funds to buy the belt so thanks Mickey!

I like the color but really I didn't care... too much. I couldn't bring myself to run with a purple belt but red suits me fine. The belt fits me nice and snug so I don't anticipate having any problems of it slipping when I fill up the water bottles. The shiny part in the front is a little pocket, which I'll use to store some Gu. I'm not up-to-speed on Gu yet since I haven't tried it but it's an energy gel that you are supposed to use during long runs to help restore some of the resources you've depleted. Gu is just one of many brands but it's the one that's been recommended by the Lopers (at least my pace leader) so I'll have to get on that soon enough.

But I'm pretty psyched this morning about my run on Sunday. I plowed through The Interval on Wednesday and felt so good afterward. Friday's a 4-5 mile run (sadly, on the 'mill) and then Sunday's my first 10-mile run since late spring/early summer. Can't wait.

More Word Association

A few topics here for you this morning...

I had fun with this Word Association on Saturday so I'm going to try it again. Here's the link in case you wanted to have a go at it yourself. This blogger does this once a week apparently. Anyway, if you do try it, of course I recommend not reading this first so my awesome answers won't influence you.

1. Abusive :: Strangle
2. Psychotic :: Neurotic
3. Parents :: Grandparents
4. Yell :: Rebel
5. Amulet :: Romeo
6. Sandstorm :: Iraq
7. Amusement :: Park
8. Imitation :: Fur
9. Baby :: Crying
10. Rainbows :: Colors

Sorry but amulet didn't ring a bell when I did this. Juliet Capulet popped into my mind. Apparently, an amulet is sort of like a talisman. I must have missed that day in English class when amulet was on our spelling list.

Oh The Pain!

On Sunday, I ran 9 miles with the Lopers. It was a great run but had two consequences. First, it left my body depleted and I came down with a fever on Sunday evening. I think, though, that the fever had more to do with my daughters' respective health (they were not feeling well last week) than the run itself but I do think the run played a role, no matter how small. But my fever broke during the night and I suffered through only a sore throat on Monday. Only... as if that didn't bother me...

Anyway, the second part of the run was my bloody nipple. Body Glide (not to be confused with the other glide) took the pain element away but it didn't prevent my nipple from bleeding. My shirt had a large red spot from the blood. Luckily it didn't hurt during the run. Nor did it bother me too much after the run (believe it or not) but it still frightens me.

I don't know what to do about that. If nine miles is enough to make it bleed, what will 26.2 do to it? I guess I should ask the Lopers. They seem to have answers for everything.

Fuel Belt? What's That?

Last week, I'd intended to get out and buy a fuel belt. In case you don't know, a fuel belt is a belt that has small water bottles and pockets so you can store water, Gatorade and other small items on your respective runs. They help you hydrate yourself which is important particularly during long runs.

I went to the local running store, where I got my shoes. No luck. All they had in my size was purple. Then we went to another sporting goods retailer and they manager there said they didn't carry them. Instead of hitting up another store, I decided to call ahead to save myself another trip.

LB: "Just wondering if you carried fuel belts."

Dunce On The Other Line: "I'm sorry. What?"

LB: "A fuel belt for runners. Do you guys carry them?"

DOTOL: "I'm sorry. Say again."

LB: (with increasing irritability) "A belt for runners."

DOTOL: "I'm sorry. Could you explain..."

LB: (laughing, an angry I-can't-believe-this laugh) "Nevermind. If you've never heard of them, you obviously don't carry them."

So what did I do on Sunday? I filled up a 16-ounce water bottle with Gatorade and ran with it. I needed the extra fuel during the run to keep from getting too depleted. It worked. I'm still lost with what to do about a fuel belt. I might try ebay. Or maybe I'll get the purple belt.