The Too Hot to Handle 15k is a race that I’ve done several times. I don’t mind running this race in July, because they do a good job of keeping runners cool. I also like to test out my fitness a few times in the summer with longer races to see how I’m progressing. My reasoning is that if I can run x:xx in the summer when it’s hot, then when it’s cooler I’ll be flying! I talked my running buddy into doing it with me, of course. Racing is much more fun with friends.
This year was definitely hot. The overcast skies from my last two races were gone, and the sun was shining when we started.
I didn’t really have a time goal, but I hoped I could finish around 1:24:00 or faster. I also knew the chances of placing in my age group were slim. This is a popular race and there are some fast runners in my age group! My first mile was 8:57, second in 8:34, and the third was 8:43. At this point I held to the idea that a 1:24 was possible. I focused on keeping each mile under 9:00 pace. I sipped on Nuun in my handheld bottle to stay hydrated, and ran under overhead sprinklers as I passed them. It was mostly an out and back course, so I made mental notes of the aid stations for the way back. Miles 4,5, and 6 were 8:37, 8:45, and 8:57. It was after mile 6 when the heat started to get to me. I grabbed ice cold towels when I could, squeezing the water out over my head and neck. Mile 8 was my slowest with 9:06 when there was a steep hill. I was super proud I didn’t walk it. I tried to drop my pace down more for the last two miles, but basically I was hanging on with what I had left. Coming around the last turn, I wanted to kick it up a notch but I had no more gas in the tank.
My first thought when I finished was, “It’s all good until the sweat drips into the eyes.” Oh my! I couldn’t see anything due to the salt burning my eyes! It took me a few minutes to cool down using the ice cold towels and sipping on my Nuun. I had the best two orange slices ever, and sat down on the curb to watch for my friend and another runner from our group to finish.
We survived!
My official finish time was 1:24:19. My Garmin showed I ran 9.55 miles at a pace of 8:50, so I feel like I ran well – especially for a race in July. I’m not back to where I was in 2014, but I’ll get there.
This past Saturday, I decided to run 10 miles for my long run. I had no specific pace, I just wanted to get a good double digit run in because I’d be gone the next weekend. Also, marathon training starts on the 24th and the first week has a 12 miler. Our group left from our usual place and the humidity was so thick! Then in mile 2, the sky opened up and we were running in a downpour. I did feel a little less crazy though since others were out there too. Some headed back one direction, and we went a different way to add a few miles. Then I started to feel blah. My stomach wasn’t feeling great, and I found a timely construction porta-potty. By mile 7, I was ready to be done but we were still two miles from the park. Thankfully the rain had turned to a mist which kept us cooler. We made another pit stop at the gas station for my difficult tummy, and I was talking myself down from 10 miles. When we got the park, I made another restroom stop and we were at 8.7. We decided to loop around and then walk the rest of the way to the cars, but when we got close to mile 9, she says “Let’s just round it off to 10.” It was my fastest mile and the only one that felt good. If my friend had not been there to keep me going, I don’t know if I would have made it to 10. But we got it done, and then we rehydrated with watermelon. It was great.
It’s been a while since I felt that bad on a long run, so I guess I was due one. I am thankful for my running friend because we push each other to do more than we would on our own. We each have our good days and bad days, but we stick it out together.
anyonecanrun 