Here I am mocking the flamingos at the Memphis Zoo. The boy in pink shoes is NOT Isaac.
Isaac and Chasen wait for the sea lion shoe to begin.
Isaac enjoys a dip in the wading pool at the zoo. Members Night is the most fun!I previously thought that life couldn't get any more busy. I was wrong. My new thing is running at dusk. No sunscreen required! My quaint neighborhood has gas lamp posts in each front yard, so it is rather well lit. One night I couldn't even make it out until past 9 PM. It was threatening to rain, but I was desperate to cover some miles. Midway through it began to pour rain. I have to tell you -- it was the most invigorating event of 2010! I felt so ALIVE running in the rain. It was awesome. The only downside was that it took my shoes 48 hours to completely dry. Small price to pay!
Isaac loves to go to the spray park. What a great place for little kids!
Venturing out in this heat requires water fun.
Isaac loves to go to the spray park. What a great place for little kids!
Venturing out in this heat requires water fun.It has been super hot lately, so I knew that my 17-miler better start early. 5:50 AM was the earliest I could make it out on Saturday. Yikes - it got hot FAST. It was more like a 17 mile death march. I walked about the last *gulp* 5 miles. I even took off one sock for a while because a blister was developing. That led to a blister in another unprotected area. Aye aye aye! But I covered 17 miles, even though it was not pretty.
The marathon is 17 weeks out, and Chasen feels that I could run one in a month's time. 17 weeks is definitely a long time to wait, but considering long runs are only every third week at this point, I think that's a good length of time until the "big day." And I have to commend the speedwork sessions. They're brutal, so I feel they're doing me some good. Ha!
Back to the heat: I am pondering how to tackle the remaining long runs. The ONLY way, in my estimation, to beat the heat is actually to try to beat the sun. It's hot 'round the clock, trust me (and weather.com) so I have two plans of attack:
A) Start the runs even earlier, like at 3 AM. The problem with this is my lack of ability to get into bed early enough to make this happen. The days of 8 PM shut-eye are gone. I'll get about 10-12 miles done in the dark and finish up in the HOT sunshine.
B) Start the runs at about 9 PM. Maybe I could begin a nap when Chasen gets home (a girl can dream) and then be a bit more rested for the run. I'd do the whole thing in the dark, get in past midnight, then hit the hay.
What do you think? Either way requires, obviously, running in the dark where I'd be wearing blinky lights. It's not ideal, but when you live in "Memphississippi" like I do, it's merely survival. The "low" temp here has been 80 degrees lately. Seriously.
My "cola/caffeine free" anniversary has come and gone. I did celebrate with a Coke Zero, which tasted like a cleaning product (not that I know from personal experience what cleaners taste like). Ick. I have since tried Diet Coke on several occasions (like while volunteering at Vacation Bible School for a week) and it didn't do much for me. I am not saying I am OFF the stuff completely, but I am saying that it'll be a rarity for me. I am fine with that.
Stay cool out there!
7 comments:
I had a similar long run experience yesterday.
HOT!
I was pondering alternatives too. Let me know what you decide.
Hi there! WTG on the 17 miler no matter what! You're champ!
I see that Isaac takes after mommy and runs too, how cool is that?
About the heat... I hear you and it's not *that* hot here. I guess it's something we have to learn to live with... I don't know. I can't stand the heat! I to will train after 9pm or early at like 6am.
IMO, going out at 3am is a killer... nights were made to sleep :p I couldn't do it!
Wow... 17 weeks to go... where did time go? You'll rock it though!
Go Susan Go!
It's not at all safe to run alone in the dark where I am late at night or early mornings so I only run when it's light out. And it usually takes me a good 2-3 weeks to "adapt" to running in the heat (by that, I simply mean I can finish my runs). This year seems to be taking longer as I keep running marathons in cooler places.
Good luck whatever you decide!
When I go running in the middle east, I usually go out at night, 9/10pm. I've tried putting on a wet tshirt, and it's marvelous at keeping me cool! It's a bit heavy.. but it does dry up haha
I love running in the rain (I better do as here it rains everyday), and I welcome the rain every times is there, as I welcome the sun when comes in its sporadic visits....
And Isaac has grown so much. Love to see him enjoying the water...God bless him!
After cutting back on soda, now I get craving for a "refreshing" soda pop, but get disgusted with the taste. Nothing like negative reinforcement! Good for you for making the anniversary!
Running 17 miles so far out from the marathon...wow- I have a feeling you'll be plenty ready when the time comes!
When my shoes get wet, I stuff them with newspaper....when the newspaper gets damp, I change it out for dry paper. It works SO WELL and dries your shoes in half the time or less. Try it!
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