Hydration & Long Runs

So, it's been a few days since my 12 miler on Saturday.  After the run I felt sore and exhausted.  I knew that the soreness was probably because of being tense from the cold, wind, and rain.  What I couldn't figure out was why I was feeling so worn down and exhausted.  It took me a very long time to catch my breathe.  I drove home, took a shower, and still was feeling a bit out of breath.

Disclaimer:  I'm about to say something a bit nasty, but I'm sure most can relate.

After going to the bathroom and seeing the color of my urine, I realized why I was so exhausted.  I was not properly hydrated.*  Where did I go wrong?  I've been thinking about this since that day.  It's now Monday night and this run was on Saturday morning.  Obsessive much?  Yes, I am!

 *Dehydration causes fatigue because if your body doesn't have enough fluid, it draws fluid from your bloodstream, making your blood thicker.  When your blood is thicker, it puts more strain on your heart resulting in fatigue.

I know I hydrated properly the evening before...and the morning of.  So, I must have failed properly hydrating myself DURING my run.  I have to admit that I usually drink more water than I did this past week.  Our friends from Patriot's Landing in DuPont are always out there (rain or shine) on the 3 mile route handing us bottled water.  They truly are awesome and put a smile on my face every week.  I usually take a bottle and sip on it during the course of the run.  I haven't yet mastered the art of running and drinking at the same time, so I usually have to stop to drink.  Lately, I've taken a bottle and have practiced drinking on the run.  I'm slowly mastering the skill.  (Sounds silly, I know).  Back to the point.  This week, I didn't take a bottle with me because I didn't feel like carrying it.  It was cold, windy, and raining.  No thank you, I couldn't be bothered with carrying that bottle for miles.  BIG MISTAKE!

I did have a small cup of water at the other water stops and had a cliff bar as well.  So, I'm sure my issue was not having enough carbs.  Side note: I finally have learned how to eat and run at the same time...I know! Silly. But on long runs, it's essential.  For those training for the ultra marathon (the 12 miler), I stashed some water and gatorade along our route.  Unfortunately, when we arrived at that point, my cooler was gone.  Someone took it.  Not sure if someone wanted the cooler, the contents, or took it by accident to store for Wear Blue.  At first I don't think any of us minded much, but when we headed back to the park, that water was really missed.  In reality we went almost 1 hour without hydrating while running.  NO GOOD.

I don't think I felt it much during the run because it was extremely cold, windy, and raining.  I just wanted it to be over.  You don't really feel yourself sweating and I guess the rain prevents you from feeling dry (even dry mouth).  However, it was a great learning experience.  No matter what the weather, how much you sweat, or how you feel at the moment, you must hydrate. 

This is why long runs when training for endurance events are so important.  You learn what works and what doesn't work.  What you should and shouldn't do/wear.  What you feel comfortable with or in and what you don't. 

So, I leave you with 2 important things you should know as a runner.

1. Importance of Hydration
2. Importance of Long runs

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please leave me a note below.

Happy running.

Preparation is the Key

By the time I finished my run on Saturday with Wear Blue: Run to Remember, I felt so accomplished.  Not because I completed 6 miles.  I knew I could do that.  It was because I felt magnificent during and after my run.  I knew that this wasn't a fluke.  Not only had I crossed off all of my workouts during the week (remember, I love check lists), but I returned to my healthy eating habits.  Two disciplines that make you a better, stronger, and faster runner.

Preparation is the key to every successful workout.  I have experienced this time and time again.  Sometimes, when I get lazy and don't prepare, I wind up frustrated with myself because I know that I have no one to blame but myself.  A consistent training plan and proper nutrition are the primary factors when preparing for a training session or a race.  For race day, much more goes into preparing, but for trainings it really is a routine that you have to create to ensure you have effective workouts.

Now that I am finalizing my ultra marathon training plan, I am getting my butt in gear.  I must be a well rounded athlete.  One who realizes that to become a stronger and faster runner, I must cross train.  One that recognizes that nutrition has a vital role in how my body handles my workouts.

Sometimes a 3 miler is the easiest thing in the world and other times...it's torture.  I'm sure fellow runners understand this.  My goal is to make my runs as easy as possible more often. 

Off to look for my next runner's high...

A Plan to Cross the Finish Line

Now that I have a goal, to complete my first ultra marathon (52.4 miles) on July 29, 2012 in San Francisco, I have to start planning.  Yes, I have to plan how I'm going to travel there, where I will stay, who will watch my girls, and how I will pay for this whole venture.  But I'm not talking about planning the logistics of the actual race.  I'm talking about planning how I will train myself to get to a point where I can be confident that I can get myself to the finish line.  Official training for the ultra is suggested to begin in March, but I prefer to gear myself up so it's not such a burden on my body when I begin the formal training.

Planning isn't just about figure out what days I will go out for a run.  I took the time to do research online to find suggested training plans.  Training plans usually include the number of days you should train in a week, as well as the number of miles for each training day.  Ultra training is a bit different from half marathons or marathons because the focus is primarily on the number of miles or time spent running.  Usually in a training plan you have a day where you have speed training or an occasional hill training.  Not with ultra training.  It's about getting your body ready for the endurance and getting those miles in.

I found a few plans and they were all pretty similar so I chose one that would work best for me.  Now, I'm not a fan of cookie cutter anything, so I took that plan and made it my own.  I work full time and have a family, which includes 2 daughters in daycare.  I studied the plan and tried to determine what, if anything, I needed to change in the plan to make it work for me.  If there is one piece of advice I would give you is YOUR PLAN SHOULD BE REALISTIC.  One that you know you will be able to follow.  Life happens and you may miss a day of training here or there, but for the most part you should be able to follow the plan.  If the plan has 5 days a week and you know that it will be extremely difficult to commit to that every week, then adjust the plan to 3 days a week and adjust the miles.  If you find there is a week you can get an extra run in, great! 

I love running, but I don't want running to be the only type of fitness I do.  Most ultra plans seemed to fill your days will running.  So what I did was change the plan to work for me.  I simply took a low mileage day and turned it into a cross training day...for me that means Spin.  I may not be getting those miles in, but I'm still getting the aerobic training in.  Those days may be scheduled for Spin, but there is nothing prohibiting me from getting a run in if I have the energy or the time to do so.

No matter what you end goal is or what finish line you dream of crossing, make a plan.  Take the time to do research to find suggested approaches, determine what you are looking for in your "training", figure out the amount of time you can realistically commit to, and write it down.  Preparation is just as important as the actual event.  Take the time...it's worth the investment.  I promise.

 This is my preferred method of documenting my training plan.  Once complete, I print it out and hang it somewhere I will see it numerous times through out the day.  For me, it's a way to keep myself accountable.  Find a way that works for you.