Normally, I reserve Saturdays for my long runs. I decided that this would give me Sunday to recover and in essence would almost realign me with the Insanity Workout Program that I am currently following as well. But, there are heat advisories outside and the temps the past couple of days are in excess of 100 degrees F. Again, my goal is to survive marathon training so I can survive the actual marathon. I decided to sneak in my Insanity Workout this morning and see how things went from there. Yesterday, I got the run accomplished, but no Insanity. Yesterday was hot as well, but I managed to get up at 5:30 am and be out the door by around 6:30 for an hour long run/walk (Insanity is tearing apart my calves and quads making the adjustment a little rough).
Anyone should be careful when going outside in excessive heat conditions, but athletes need to be a little more cognoscente. As I am sure you know, runners sweat a lot when running, which if not properly hydrated can lead to dehydration. Throw in high temps and you guess it, potential for a climate related disaster, albeit heat stroke or other heat related ailments.
Here's the Rundown on what you need to watch out for:
1. Heat Cramps: Brief painful muscle cramps that can be in any muscle that is being worked hard. In runners, that's your legs and your stomach. The cramps are usually sharp pains or spasms. No one knows the exact cause of these cramps, but usually it is because of an electrolyte imbalance.
How to Treat: Drink lots of fluids, especially water and possibly gatorade/powerade if your electrolytes are low. A lot of times you may need to replenish the sodium in your body, remember sodium is a crucial part of your sweat, which your body uses to cool you down.
2. Heat Exhaustion: This can be the precursor to heat cramps, but this is when your body cannot cool you quick enough and you begin to get overheated. Symptoms can be a heat rash, which look like tiny blistery beads of sweat. These form because the sweat glands are being blocked. This condition is also known as prickly heat. Before my parents and I moved into our new house growing up, we all used to get bouts of prickly heat at my old house during the summer when temps were ridiculous. Trust me when I say this, it hurts a lot. Our solution was to drive to the mall and hanging out in the air conditioning to escape the heat since our house didn't have any air conditioning.
Other Symptoms to Look For:
A lot of sweating, weakness, muscle cramps, headache, and nausea/vomiting
How to Treat: Begin cool down by moving to a cooler area. Anything to help bring down your core temperature. Water and sports drinks, start by sipping slowly, especially if you feel nauseous. You want to keep the fluids down. If that does not work, then you may need an IV. For muscle cramps, an over the counter pain reliever will work.
3. Heat Stroke: This is a form of hyperthermia (meaning the body has become way too hot). This is the most serious case and if you do not treat this immediately and properly it can result in death. This is when your body temperature rises to over 104 degrees, and you begin to see changes in your nervous system.
Symptoms to Look For:
Elevated Body Temperature, dizziness, no sweating, but red flushed face/skin, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, hallucinations, disorientation, confusion, seizure, or coma.
How To Treat: Call 911 immediately. Get yourself out of the sun (this is also referred to as sun stroke) and strip down to try and cool yourself. Spray yourself with cool water. Place ice packs in areas like your armpits (think of where you sweat a lot because cooling those areas will help promote sweating). Drink plenty of fluid, especially water and sports drinks.
It should be noted: I am not a doctor nor do I have any intent upon passing myself off as one, I am just good at googling. The information above was taken from sites like webmd and medicine.net and general knowledge from living with my mother, who works at a hospital and at one time was an RN. I got lectured a lot growing up about many different things, this topic was one of them since I ran track. I just condensed what I found and what I knew down into my own words to give you a quick rundown of what it is, symptoms, and treatments. If you want to know more about the specifics, then go ahead a google! But if you have any doubts or you think you should call 911, then go ahead and do it because its better to be safe than sorry, or dead...
In this heat wave stay cool, and happy running on a more tolerable day!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Shaking off the Rust
So today was the first day that I officially ran since the 10 miler on June 16th. I brought my running shoes to the beach, but I hate running on sand and the grand notions I had of running on the boardwalk were quickly dashed. Turns out Myrtle Beach (or Surfside) doesn't have a boardwalk. I tried one day to run around our resort complex, but I quickly tired of the scenery. So, I didn't run.
Today, I did run. I was a little sore because I just started Insanity yesterday. To which I deemed myself rather unfit after completing the first of four fit test. Due to my soreness, it was a little bit of an adjustment period for my 3 mile run today. I started a warm-up, then ran 3/4 of mile continuously. I walked for a little bit, then ran up a hill and consequently down a hill, and then I walked, then I ran, and I finished with a brief cool down.
Towards the end of the run, I noticed that the tightness in my muscles was beginning to go away. If it were later on in my training and I had been running for a while, then I think would be more concerned about the tightness. But, its been almost two weeks since I had last run and I knew there would be a few problems. I think once I get back into the groove and I stop being so sore from my other workout regimens that I will be able to run no problem.
Well happy running!
Today, I did run. I was a little sore because I just started Insanity yesterday. To which I deemed myself rather unfit after completing the first of four fit test. Due to my soreness, it was a little bit of an adjustment period for my 3 mile run today. I started a warm-up, then ran 3/4 of mile continuously. I walked for a little bit, then ran up a hill and consequently down a hill, and then I walked, then I ran, and I finished with a brief cool down.
Towards the end of the run, I noticed that the tightness in my muscles was beginning to go away. If it were later on in my training and I had been running for a while, then I think would be more concerned about the tightness. But, its been almost two weeks since I had last run and I knew there would be a few problems. I think once I get back into the groove and I stop being so sore from my other workout regimens that I will be able to run no problem.
Well happy running!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Baltimore 10 miler
 |
| Getting ready to start. |
This was my first race running through Druid Hills Park. As the name indicates, it was a hilly course. One of the more hilly courses that I have run. Since I had just had my foot operated on earlier this week (no big deal and I am fine) and I had spent the last couple of weeks healing up from previous injuries incurred by the dueling half marathons in early May, I was not in as good of shape as I could have been. I originally anticipated finishing the race in a little under 3 hours. I finished in 2 hours 35 minutes. All and all I am quite pleased because like I said, I was not in peak condition. I did adopt a strategy for tackling the 10 miler that I have dabbled with before, but I haven't stuck to too religiously. I decided that all flats and downhills would be run and any hills that were somewhat steep would be walked. Why this strategy? As my time indicates, I am not a fast runner and often I exert more energy running up a hill then I do walking it, and I go about the same speed. I decided to conserve energy. |
| See...I pushed it at the end to pass those two women walking |
For now, that's the last race of the summer. I may sign up for a women's distance festival or a smaller 5k, but right now marathon training is priority 1.
Until next time, happy running!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Am I Inspirational?
So here's the thing... I have been talking a lot to a lot of people about running, working out, etc and a lot of people keep saying the same thing that I am inspirational or that I motivate them. I am not bringing this up to be egotistical but rather because it just boggles my mind. I guess I just don't understand why anyone would think I am "inspirational."
I think why I have been getting the kudos is because of my last doctor's visit. I was excited, so I told a lot of people what my doc said. A year and half ago, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and overall my doctor was really worried about my general health. A year and a half ago was also when I made the commitment to start running. In fact, for a while my doctor told me I was not allowed to run because my blood pressure was so terrible. Actually, about a month before the Baltimore Half Marathon he told me I shouldn't be running it. I was about ready to cancel the whole thing, then I decided I would just walk it because I didn't want to waste the money I had spent and I knew I would be disappointed with myself. About a week before, I had monitored my blood pressure and things seemed good, so I decided that I was not going to listen and I was going to run as much of it as I could. (Note: I normally do not endorse not listening to your doctors). So I ran it and I felt amazing because I accomplished something, then I felt like hell because my body was woefully under-prepared for the challenge. Fast forward to 6 months ago, my doctor told me that I had been making significant improvements and that if I kept at it, I could lower my blood pressure and lose weight. The latter is really what I needed to do. Well, last Wednesday, I went to the doctor. I sat there in front of him a size smaller, with lower blood pressure, and considerably more toned, but without having lost any weight. He looked puzzled...
The crux of the conversation went something like this, I am apparently built like a tank and will never be a small person. He explained to me that through running, lifting, and cardio I have massed incredibly dense muscle in my lower half. My legs are solid rocks, little bit of bragging, he was actually quite impressed because I have more muscle in my legs than most people and he equated my muscle structure to that of a professional athlete. He also told me that muscle does weigh more than fat and, which I know we all have heard. But in my case, I have so much dense muscle that the scales are always going to look disproportionate to my actual physical health and BMI. Long story short, he told me I was in perfect health and that he wished all of his patients would do a fraction of the exercise I did. He said running and hardwork was why I am in so much better shape then I was a year ago. But what really made me feel better was that he told me I need to let go of the idea that I will have a small waist, and that I am better off being bigger than smaller because of how much body fat I would have to lose. It is perhaps the first time someone was okay with me and the way I am.
So here I am... more people believe in me and what I can do everyday. I decided I wanted to start the insanity program with my friend, and I was surprised to find that both her and my brother in law think I have a better chance of completing it because they think I am in better shape. They aren't the first to tell me this, and honestly its a little weird. Its hard to look at the person in the mirror and think of them as an in shape individual. I have also had others tell me that I am the reason why they started running or started working out because they see how successful I am in. its not until I hear these things that I begin to wonder if I am not giving myself enough credit.
I just had to write about this because it has been confusing me. I just see myself as ordinary and trying to accomplish a long standing goal I have had. I never intended anything that I did to be inspirational or motivational, and quite frankly it freaks me out a little bit to think that anyone could hold me in that type of esteem. So now the pressure is really on...can't quite now!!! :-P
Until later...happy running!
Total Miles: 9.5 miles
I think why I have been getting the kudos is because of my last doctor's visit. I was excited, so I told a lot of people what my doc said. A year and half ago, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and overall my doctor was really worried about my general health. A year and a half ago was also when I made the commitment to start running. In fact, for a while my doctor told me I was not allowed to run because my blood pressure was so terrible. Actually, about a month before the Baltimore Half Marathon he told me I shouldn't be running it. I was about ready to cancel the whole thing, then I decided I would just walk it because I didn't want to waste the money I had spent and I knew I would be disappointed with myself. About a week before, I had monitored my blood pressure and things seemed good, so I decided that I was not going to listen and I was going to run as much of it as I could. (Note: I normally do not endorse not listening to your doctors). So I ran it and I felt amazing because I accomplished something, then I felt like hell because my body was woefully under-prepared for the challenge. Fast forward to 6 months ago, my doctor told me that I had been making significant improvements and that if I kept at it, I could lower my blood pressure and lose weight. The latter is really what I needed to do. Well, last Wednesday, I went to the doctor. I sat there in front of him a size smaller, with lower blood pressure, and considerably more toned, but without having lost any weight. He looked puzzled...
The crux of the conversation went something like this, I am apparently built like a tank and will never be a small person. He explained to me that through running, lifting, and cardio I have massed incredibly dense muscle in my lower half. My legs are solid rocks, little bit of bragging, he was actually quite impressed because I have more muscle in my legs than most people and he equated my muscle structure to that of a professional athlete. He also told me that muscle does weigh more than fat and, which I know we all have heard. But in my case, I have so much dense muscle that the scales are always going to look disproportionate to my actual physical health and BMI. Long story short, he told me I was in perfect health and that he wished all of his patients would do a fraction of the exercise I did. He said running and hardwork was why I am in so much better shape then I was a year ago. But what really made me feel better was that he told me I need to let go of the idea that I will have a small waist, and that I am better off being bigger than smaller because of how much body fat I would have to lose. It is perhaps the first time someone was okay with me and the way I am.
So here I am... more people believe in me and what I can do everyday. I decided I wanted to start the insanity program with my friend, and I was surprised to find that both her and my brother in law think I have a better chance of completing it because they think I am in better shape. They aren't the first to tell me this, and honestly its a little weird. Its hard to look at the person in the mirror and think of them as an in shape individual. I have also had others tell me that I am the reason why they started running or started working out because they see how successful I am in. its not until I hear these things that I begin to wonder if I am not giving myself enough credit.
I just had to write about this because it has been confusing me. I just see myself as ordinary and trying to accomplish a long standing goal I have had. I never intended anything that I did to be inspirational or motivational, and quite frankly it freaks me out a little bit to think that anyone could hold me in that type of esteem. So now the pressure is really on...can't quite now!!! :-P
Until later...happy running!
Total Miles: 9.5 miles
Monday, June 11, 2012
Breaking in New Shoes
Today was my first training run in a while. One of the issues I have had since I began training is that I have dealt with a lot of nagging injuries. In particular, I think my ankles like to take turns annoying me. I had some problems with my ankle swelling so I just decided to stay off of it. Its not that I didn't want to run, its just running without the right equipment is sometimes a bad idea.
I have posted before that my old shoes had seen some better days. I invested in two nice pairs a while back because I knew serious distances required me to have the proper shoes. This is a lesson my husband is learning. He, like many people, thought he could just throw on a pair of sneakers and run. I still maintain that when you are a person like him, which is small build, very little body fat, and a gifted runner that running in any shoes for 3 miles or less won't kill you and you may not even notice. But someone like me, who is the polar opposite, I need good shoes. Those good shoes are finally at the end of their life cycle. In fact they nagging injuries I was starting to receive in my ankles, I suspect are from my worn out shoes. I decided to rest up, after all, I had the Baltimore 10 miler on 6/16 and I didn't want to do more harm then good while training in bad shoes. Eventually, my ankle swelling went down, but I decided to delay doing any working out until today. I wanted to make sure I was adequately healed, something I have neglected to do in the past. I was always too anxious and it ended causing me further problems. In the mean time, I started to look for new shoes.
After several days of researching the perfect shoe because my Mizunos were no longer being made, I decided to purchase my shoes from Dick's yesterday. Usually, I take the recommendations of the shoe finder/calculator and I plug the recommendations into amazon.com and bingo bango I have the shoes I need at at least $10-30 less than the retail price. However, I have bad feet so most shoes that I need are not discounted at all. I had two option $145 pair of Mizunos and $110 pair of Brooks. At the last race I ran, I looked around and saw a lot of people, even my friend, were wearing Brooks. Not that I am a follower, but clearly the running community must be okay with this brand if a lot of people are wearing them. I decided to use my coupons from Dicks and save myself some money, since ordering them online would only cost me more and delay their shipment to my house and in that case, I might not get my shoes before my next race.
So here are my new shoes the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12. Boy that's a mouthful. Anyway, these shoes provide stability and support, which is different from my mizunos and asics which were motion control. I wasn't sure how running in these would go. Also, I read a lot of mixed reviews about these shoes, die hard Brooks fans hate them and say they are a cop-out to the previous GTS 10 & 11. From what I gather, 10 was the cadillac of Brooks running shoes. Others said that they were great and the best shoe they have ever owned.
What do I think? With my first run, I think they are a pretty good shoe. I ran between 5 & 6 miles and the only thing I could tell is that they really were stabilizing my ankle. There was a little bit of soreness in my left ankle, but from what I gather it is because these shoes were preventing it from going all wonky. I have no blisters and I felt like I could run a tad bit faster because it was a little bit lighter shoe. The cushioning in these shoes is also incredible. I found them to be a very comfortable ride and it didn't feel like I was carting around two cinder blocks on my feet. Don't get me wrong, I loved the mizunos, but one of the only issues I took with that shoe is that it felt like I was clomping along like a Clydesdale in just about every race. Even sitting here now, my feet don't feel tired and my legs feel great. Considering it has been about 2 weeks since I last ran, I am very pleased with how I feel. If these shoes continue to be great, then I may invest in a second pair to keep on hand and to reduce wear and tear. I can see them being an excellent marathon shoe.
Until next time, happy running my friends!
I have posted before that my old shoes had seen some better days. I invested in two nice pairs a while back because I knew serious distances required me to have the proper shoes. This is a lesson my husband is learning. He, like many people, thought he could just throw on a pair of sneakers and run. I still maintain that when you are a person like him, which is small build, very little body fat, and a gifted runner that running in any shoes for 3 miles or less won't kill you and you may not even notice. But someone like me, who is the polar opposite, I need good shoes. Those good shoes are finally at the end of their life cycle. In fact they nagging injuries I was starting to receive in my ankles, I suspect are from my worn out shoes. I decided to rest up, after all, I had the Baltimore 10 miler on 6/16 and I didn't want to do more harm then good while training in bad shoes. Eventually, my ankle swelling went down, but I decided to delay doing any working out until today. I wanted to make sure I was adequately healed, something I have neglected to do in the past. I was always too anxious and it ended causing me further problems. In the mean time, I started to look for new shoes.
After several days of researching the perfect shoe because my Mizunos were no longer being made, I decided to purchase my shoes from Dick's yesterday. Usually, I take the recommendations of the shoe finder/calculator and I plug the recommendations into amazon.com and bingo bango I have the shoes I need at at least $10-30 less than the retail price. However, I have bad feet so most shoes that I need are not discounted at all. I had two option $145 pair of Mizunos and $110 pair of Brooks. At the last race I ran, I looked around and saw a lot of people, even my friend, were wearing Brooks. Not that I am a follower, but clearly the running community must be okay with this brand if a lot of people are wearing them. I decided to use my coupons from Dicks and save myself some money, since ordering them online would only cost me more and delay their shipment to my house and in that case, I might not get my shoes before my next race.
What do I think? With my first run, I think they are a pretty good shoe. I ran between 5 & 6 miles and the only thing I could tell is that they really were stabilizing my ankle. There was a little bit of soreness in my left ankle, but from what I gather it is because these shoes were preventing it from going all wonky. I have no blisters and I felt like I could run a tad bit faster because it was a little bit lighter shoe. The cushioning in these shoes is also incredible. I found them to be a very comfortable ride and it didn't feel like I was carting around two cinder blocks on my feet. Don't get me wrong, I loved the mizunos, but one of the only issues I took with that shoe is that it felt like I was clomping along like a Clydesdale in just about every race. Even sitting here now, my feet don't feel tired and my legs feel great. Considering it has been about 2 weeks since I last ran, I am very pleased with how I feel. If these shoes continue to be great, then I may invest in a second pair to keep on hand and to reduce wear and tear. I can see them being an excellent marathon shoe.
Until next time, happy running my friends!
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