Sweet 16?

I think NOT!



Yesterday I ran my first 16 miles, aka sweet 16. Less than halfway in I decided that there wasn't really anything sweet about it. I've been cruising through my training, working hard, but not really bumping up against anything that felt un-doable.....until this.



I made it through about 6 miles, stopping for a few water breaks but not walking. But at mile 6 I couldn't stand it anymore. And neither could the group of 4-5 others that I was running with. We stopped to walk, ate some fuel (gu's, gels, sport beans, luna moons--all shots of sugar and electrolytes to replace the carbs our bodies burn through while running.) Starting back up was tough, but we did it. But, I found that we were just exhausted and needed frequent walk breaks. I looked at my watch at one point and we were 11 miles in and had been running for 2 hours and 30 minutes. What was so weird is that my whole group had run the CDC (half-marathon) 2 weeks earlier in around 2 hours and 10 minutes. Here we were, less miles in, more time on the clock, and not really wanting to run any further.



Want to know what the difference was? My FAVORITE topic...THE WEATHER! When I got up for the CDC it was in the 50's. I actually wore my sweatshirt to the race and shivered after I put it in the coat check area until the race started. Once I started running, and the sun continued to come up, the weather was beautiful and in the low 60's. At times there was a cool breeze blowing off of the lake. It was awesome running weather. But yesterday? Not so much. I remember looking at the temperature gauge as I was leaving the house and it said 71....and it was 5:45 a.m. I quickly decided to leave my coat behind. I stepped outside and realized that it was a balmy, steamy 71. Yuck. I hoped for the best thinking that it's usually cooler on the lakefront.



We didn't get our running mission underway until around 7:30. By then the sun was BLAZING, the humidity was high, and I was sweating by mile 2. And thus the struggle began. Did I really just say only 14 more miles to go? I'm glad to report that we all finished, but it took us 3 hours, 10 minutes and 7 seconds. Once I stopped running, I was immediately stiff. I sat down to stretch, and learned that it would be a stretch just to get back up! Lucky for us, Athletico was there at the ready with tables set up on the lawn stretching people out. If it weren't for them, I fear I would still be sitting on the sidewalk.



It was an extremely uncomfortable ride back to the suburbs. My legs hurt so bad I could hardly stand to sit there. The only thing that kept me going was the massage appointment that I had at 1:30. And let me tell 'ya, never before has a massage felt so good and been so deserved! Nancy has magic fingers. I got off that table feeling like a new woman! Seriously, the soreness was gone and I walked away without a limp.



This morning I was watching a little news and learned a few things. First of all, the temps topped out at 92 yesterday. For those of you that reside in Texas, 92 is not that big of deal. I'm used to 106, right? Well, right, but 92 with Illinois humidity is no doubt just as bad as or worse than the 106 heat in Dallas. I scoffed at those that told me Chicago was humid. I now take that back. I also learned that though the temps were 92, THEY WERE HIGHER ON THE LAKEFRONT. My theory of cooler on the lakefront only holds when it's COOL! And, to top it all off, air quality was poor. Not good for runners. Oxygen can't get to the muscles and they lock up.

I guess it's good to have a bad run every now and then. It teaches you to listen to your body and to fine tune mistakes that you may have made during the week leading up to a long run. I'm blaming a lot on the weather here, but did I properly hydrate? Did I eat enough salt? Carbs? Probably not. I definitely paid closer attention to what I did before the CDC since it was a race and not a training event. Trust me, I'm paying better attention now. I have to get through an 18-miler and a 20-miler yet before the big 26.2.

This pain also reminds me why I'm running this distance. Sure, I like the idea of completing a marathon, but this has become more about The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and all that they stand for as well. I remind myself that chemo treatments are a whole lot worse than running a few miles in the heat and humidity.


But do you know what I love about Chicago? Hot weather doesn't stick around long. Guess what happened overnight? A cold front came through, dropped the temperature into the low 60's and sent the humidity away. AND, the news reported that temps are COOLER on the lakefront. Today is a beautiful day to run! Sweet 16 anyone?