So as I write this, I'm looking at a little icon on the top of my screen that's indicating a temperature of 85 degrees with humidity in the 60s...and when I click on the icon, I am whisked away to a screen that tells me it "feels like" 90 degrees (whatever that means).
In other words, Summer is here...well, at least it's here in Florida.
So what does that mean for me? In short, it means it's time to start running in the dark, which for me is to get to bed earlier on the nights before running days, waking up at 5:00am, and hitting the pavement by 5:30am (well, this morning I went with 6:00 because I was just doing a short run). It also means that hydration becomes even more important when pounding the pavement, and while I don't wear my belt for my three milers (which has become my short run distance), I'll definitely have it on for all other distances.
Regarding hydration in the Summer months, what I've read is that the body needs about four ounces of liquids per mile, so with a water belt with a capacity of 32 ounces, I can keep myself safely "watered up" for eight miles (probably ten if running completely in the dark). That said, because my upcoming hybrid half- and full-marathon training schedule (more about that in a few weeks) has me hitting the nine-mile plateau in late July, I'm already beginning to strategically consider where I can fill up the bottles along the way. Depending on the route and distance, on some weeks, I'll be able to fill up at a convenience store; but on others, I'll need Michelle to meet me with some fluids...and she's already told me she's willing to help keep her hubby from getting thirsty (or hungry...but I'll talk about nutrition in future posts).
Being that this is my first journey into the marathon world, it's been fascinating to see (and experience) that the physical challenge goes beyond merely getting one's legs, body, and cardio into "running" shape. There's this whole nutritional aspect that is key to endurance sports, and I never even considered how much thought, planning, and time needs to go into ensuring proper amounts of rest, fluids, and nutrition as one trains for a marathon. But to train through the heat of a Florida Summer, it's obvious that these are all critical components to my training success...and, of course, it all starts with hydration! So drink up!
On a different note, I meant to submit another post over the weekend about last week's and this week's training schedules, but I was sidetracked by the holiday weekend. So here are last week's results and this week's schedule (better late than never, right?)...
May 20 - May 26
Monday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 7), Ab Machines (2 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Tuesday - 3.08 Mile Run (10:47 Pace)
Wednesday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 7), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Thursday - 5.16 Mile Run (10:51 Pace)
Friday - OFF
Saturday - 3.11 Mile Run (9:33 Pace)
Sunday - 2.07 Mile "Family" Run
Total Distance on the Pavement: 15.1 Miles
For each run (other than the "Family" run, I also do 14-minute-paced Warm Up and Cool Down walks, which end up adding about 1.5 to 2.0 miles to my total distance for the week
May 27 - June 2
Monday - 4.10 Mile Run (10:48 Pace) - DONE
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps) - DONE
Wednesday - 3.13 Mile Run (10:17 Pace) - DONE
Thursday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 7), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Friday - 6.5 Mile Run
Saturday - OFF
Sunday - "Family" Run
So the heat is here, and although I've seen my pace slow a bit as the temperatures have risen in the past couple of weeks, at the end of each training day, it feels so fulfilling to get out there and continue to strive toward the ultimate prize, which so much greater (and more important) than the collected race medals, tech shirts, and bibs...but let's talk more about that in future posts.
Until then, enjoy your journey...
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