5 Sports Drinks That Actually Work
I came across this article while checking out my rss feeds. Cool stuff!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
I'm back!
So the race is over. Phew!! Here are a few of the highlights:
It was really, really hot. Like Atlanta hot. In the summer. The high in Chicago that day hit 93, and I am pretty sure that it was around 85 by the time I finished.
When I read forest preserve, I thought there would be lots of trees and maybe even dirt trails for much of this course. I was so wrong. Open concrete. Again, soooooooo hot!
All in all it was a good race though. Considering the heat, I feel very proud about my overall time (2:42). That puts me right at my training pace, although I noticed during the race my pace was a lot faster until the final couple of miles when the heat finally wore me down. I learned a lot during all my training and during this race, and I hope to keep that momentum going. I'll be running a 10k on Memorial Day and am considering other races in the future - especially a half on Thanksgiving.
The only downside to everything is I caught a cold. Even ran with the cold (although it wasn't anything but a sore throat at the time of the race). I'm just going to say babies are lethally cute and airplanes are a great place to get sick.
What's next? Good question. Other than the 10k I don't really have much planned but I do want to keep the long runs going. We'll see what other races I pick up this summer. Honestly that is the best way to stay motivated in my opinion.
Happy running!
It was really, really hot. Like Atlanta hot. In the summer. The high in Chicago that day hit 93, and I am pretty sure that it was around 85 by the time I finished.
When I read forest preserve, I thought there would be lots of trees and maybe even dirt trails for much of this course. I was so wrong. Open concrete. Again, soooooooo hot!
All in all it was a good race though. Considering the heat, I feel very proud about my overall time (2:42). That puts me right at my training pace, although I noticed during the race my pace was a lot faster until the final couple of miles when the heat finally wore me down. I learned a lot during all my training and during this race, and I hope to keep that momentum going. I'll be running a 10k on Memorial Day and am considering other races in the future - especially a half on Thanksgiving.
The only downside to everything is I caught a cold. Even ran with the cold (although it wasn't anything but a sore throat at the time of the race). I'm just going to say babies are lethally cute and airplanes are a great place to get sick.
What's next? Good question. Other than the 10k I don't really have much planned but I do want to keep the long runs going. We'll see what other races I pick up this summer. Honestly that is the best way to stay motivated in my opinion.
Happy running!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
It's almost race day!
Tapering? Check.
Race gear packed? Check.
Travel plans finalized? Check.
Excitement building? Double check!
So we're a handful of days away from the Chicagoland half marathon, and I'm totally psyched. The start time for the race has been pushed up to 7 am due to the anticipated heat, which is fine with me. That's still 8 am EST, which is normally the time I tackle my long runs, and I live in a city whose corny nickname is "HOTlanta". Yes, it's terrible but it does get really hot and humid here. I think I'll be fine for the race. Regardless, I'm still going to be vigilant about staying hydrated but that was always the plan.
When we come back, I plan on some light runs and then a 10k on Memorial Day. I think 6.2 miles ought to be very doable a week after the race. If it isn't, well I'll let you know.
Stay tuned for race pictures and results!
Race gear packed? Check.
Travel plans finalized? Check.
Excitement building? Double check!
So we're a handful of days away from the Chicagoland half marathon, and I'm totally psyched. The start time for the race has been pushed up to 7 am due to the anticipated heat, which is fine with me. That's still 8 am EST, which is normally the time I tackle my long runs, and I live in a city whose corny nickname is "HOTlanta". Yes, it's terrible but it does get really hot and humid here. I think I'll be fine for the race. Regardless, I'm still going to be vigilant about staying hydrated but that was always the plan.
When we come back, I plan on some light runs and then a 10k on Memorial Day. I think 6.2 miles ought to be very doable a week after the race. If it isn't, well I'll let you know.
Stay tuned for race pictures and results!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
More Lessons Learned
Alright, it's been a minute since I've posted an update. I have been crazy busy, and it's hard to blog from my phone. Possible, but annoying.
Anyhoo, here's what happened.
I missed my 11 mile run for a migraine. Looking back I realize that I was getting tired and was due for a migraine. If I had paid attention, I would have taken my migraine meds like I was supposed to but hindsight is always 20/20. At the end of the day I think that I needed the break. My next runs were really good.
This brings me to the 12 mile run I completed this morning. The first 8 miles were fantastic. I was feeling good, on track for a 12:20 pace, and enjoying myself. Then I ran out of water. And it was about 80 degrees at that point. Dehydration did not treat me well on those last 4 miles. I walked so much I added a minute to my average pace, but running made me so worn out. Oh well. The positive: at least this happened on my training run so I have time to recover from it. The negative: it was my final super long training run. Again, oh well.
I have a plan for the race. There are water stations on the course, and I plan on taking my water bottle with me. I'll drink from my bottle while running and make sure I get extra water at the stations. Crossing my fingers on the weather, but with it being cooler up in Chicago I shouldn't sweat as much but I'm going to keep focused on my hydration. I've learned that dehydration overall is my biggest enemy. We can talk about tight calf muscles, form, motivation, pacing, whatever, but dehydration tends to get me every time.
But here's the best part: it's time for the taper!!! Two weeks to the race: I'm very excited =)
Anyhoo, here's what happened.
I missed my 11 mile run for a migraine. Looking back I realize that I was getting tired and was due for a migraine. If I had paid attention, I would have taken my migraine meds like I was supposed to but hindsight is always 20/20. At the end of the day I think that I needed the break. My next runs were really good.
This brings me to the 12 mile run I completed this morning. The first 8 miles were fantastic. I was feeling good, on track for a 12:20 pace, and enjoying myself. Then I ran out of water. And it was about 80 degrees at that point. Dehydration did not treat me well on those last 4 miles. I walked so much I added a minute to my average pace, but running made me so worn out. Oh well. The positive: at least this happened on my training run so I have time to recover from it. The negative: it was my final super long training run. Again, oh well.
I have a plan for the race. There are water stations on the course, and I plan on taking my water bottle with me. I'll drink from my bottle while running and make sure I get extra water at the stations. Crossing my fingers on the weather, but with it being cooler up in Chicago I shouldn't sweat as much but I'm going to keep focused on my hydration. I've learned that dehydration overall is my biggest enemy. We can talk about tight calf muscles, form, motivation, pacing, whatever, but dehydration tends to get me every time.
But here's the best part: it's time for the taper!!! Two weeks to the race: I'm very excited =)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)