I am writing this post as a follow up to the run I did on Wednesday night. It was a very very hot and humid night but I went out for a 4 mile run anyway. Although I felt pretty good during the run I paid for it. The next day I had a hungover feeling. Sometimes when I run races that are hot and humid I feel that way a few hours after the race. But this time I felt it the entire next day. And by 5:00 Thursday I had the beginnings of a migraine setting in.
Overnight I was sick from the migraine. I have this amazing ability to talk my stomach down from wanting to come out of my throat but it isn’t pleasant. I ended up sleeping on the bathroom floor for a while and then got back to bed. I wasn’t right until about 10:30.
We had plan to surprise the kids with a weekend trip to New Hampshire so I really wanted to get better so I could enjoy the trip up. By the time they came home from camp I had showers and packed and was on the mend.
So I am wondering if I got sick from running in the heat that was very poor air quality or is it a hormonal shift causing me to have such terrible migraines lately. I have to start charting this information to keep track of it.
I am writing this post so that I can look back it if I need to remember that when you set out to do something, you can get it done.
I was going to run this morning but I didn’t get to bed until midnight and couldn’t fall asleep right away. So when the alarm went off early for the run I had to forego it. But I knew I wasn’t going to abandon it completely. I did 1 mile of walking on the treadmill in the morning and intended to do a run after work.
The forecast was calling for a hot and humid day and the chance for storms. But I knew the weather would feel the same regardless if I went at night or in the morning. When I got out of work I was still determined that I would run. As soon as I got home I changed and got out there.
I couldn’t run up the hill right away because the air was so stagnant and thick I felt like I could cut it with a knife!!! Rather than kill myself I decided to take it slow up the hill by walking for the first two minutes then I did my 30/30 intervals. I didn’t feel too bad once I started running. By mile 1 I was drenched in sweat but I felt ok. By mile 2 there was the slightest breeze. By mile 3 the sky was so dark I wanted to make sure I was home soon in case a storm started up. I didn’t want to be near the open fields.
When I got home I was very happy with my pace despite the high heat and humidity. It wasn’t a very fast run but it was faster than I expected with those conditions.
I am happy I didn’t back out and decide to change my running day to Thursday in hopes for better weather. I needed to train for any conditions. And if I am lucky I can get in a bonus run tomorrow!
My fellow runDisney and blogger friend, Patty wrote a great blog post today. She was feeling like she was in a funk lately as well. I had the chance to hang out with Patty a little bit at the Social Media Moms Celebration and we ran the fun run on Sunday morning. She has a great personality and you’d be surprised with a smile like hers that she could be in a funk; but it happens to the best of us!
She did what I found to be helpful lately and that was to lace up the old running shoes and just get out there and do it. This past week I got in a longer run to prepare for the Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon in Chicago and I intend to get in another longer run next week as well. Once I started to put miles under my belt I started to gain some confidence in myself again that I could do this. I began to enjoy it again and I loved being outside.
Patty also did what I needed to do to make sure she sticks to her plan – she posted to social media that she intended to run the next morning. Now that the word is out on social media you can’t back out right?! I did the same thing a few weeks ago and was glad my friend Dale reached out to make sure I got my butt out of bed! It did work though. I don’t do it every time I am going to head out for a run now but I am making sure that I am sharing my successes and my failures so that if I should start to lose my mojo again, I can look back at what I did to help get through it; or even better, maybe what I am sharing will help my other running pals work through their funky times as well! (You know who you are!)
So rest assured, it happens, it passes, the best part of it all is to acknowledge that you are experiencing it and DO SOMETHING about it! Get out there! Even if you just start off walking, just get moving.
In two weeks I will be visiting Chicago for my very first time to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon for Team Chocolate milk. My training isn’t where it should be to run a half marathon. I know I can run a half marathon at this stage in my training but it may not be with a great finish time.
To ensure I am don’t have a complete disaster of a race I went out and did a 6 mile training run on Thursday. I got out there early in the day but it was still VERY hot and humid. Next time I will bring water with me. I had expected my pace to be around 13 minutes like Jeff Galloway suggests but surprisingly my pace was around 12 minute miles.
After the run I was sure to refuel with chocolate milk. I felt ok but later in the day the heat had gotten to me. I had a dehydration headache despite all of the water I drank the day before and after I ran. As I increase my mileage over the summer I have to add electrolytes to my water to ensure that I don’t get dehydrated.
I’m glad I completed a decent 6 mile run but I will be happier if I can have 10 under my belt prior to the race.
I felt good enough at the end of the day to be able to take the kids for another bike ride. We did 5 miles again and we are really enjoying this every evening!
With my recent blog post about losing your running mojo, I took some advice from the Mickey Miles Podcast. I didn’t really think that I was doing it; it was more something that I wanted to do with my kids for something fun. But I took my bike out and have been riding it at night after dinner with my kids for 3-4 miles. It’s not a “training” ride; but it’s getting out and moving and adding variety to my exercise.
During my run last Friday I listened to the podcast about getting your mojo back and one step was about adding variety to your workouts to switch it up and to help you get out a rut. Last spring I started riding my bike for 6-10 mile rides because I was considering doing a triathlon. That’s no longer on my radar, at least for this year, but I do enjoy going for a bike ride.
My kids are getting older now and sometimes just riding their bikes in the driveway is just plain old boring for them. I also want to do activities for myself like running; but want to include them. They can’t keep up with my training runs; but I decided to take them out with their bikes along the same route that I run. I thought of this because my son recently asked me if he could run with me. I knew he wouldn’t be able to make the distance in the heat, but biking isn’t as hot for them.
The first time I asked them if they wanted to go they were so excited! It was a drizzly Saturday afternoon but they didn’t care. We got the bikes ready and I had them walk theirs up the hill since our road is such a major cut through. I rode alongside them and then we were in a safer area where they could ride. My son loved it the most. He was yelling “Wheeeeee” along the road where we had freedom to ride faster and then he was laughing and yelling out how much fun it was! That made my day. Then I decided the next day that we should do it again. It was another drizzly evening and I had just done the treadmill and some weights but wanted to get outside despite the cloudy day. It was just as much fun as the first time. But it was even better because we saw deer jumping through the high grass, rabbits out by the road and you could smell nature because everything was wet from the rain.
After work on Monday I went for my run and told the kids that I would take them out after dinner. So we hit the road again around the same time as the night before and it was fantastic. The sun was setting, there were lots of deer out and my son said it was “Magical” when we were riding. I am enjoying the daily routine of going for a ride with them at night. It’s awesome that now they are older and I can do things with them like this. I wish my husband can join us; but he can’t right now and that’s ok. It’s special time I can spend with them.
So this looks like it is going to be a daily event for us, as long as the weather holds up. And maybe we can explore other roads in our neighborhoods that don’t have as much traffic on them. Look at the beautiful views we get at twilight! When was the last time you went on a bike ride?!
We were supposed to go to a fireworks picnic tonight but it was postponed to Sunday because of the weather. I was excited because it gave me a chance to have a movie night with the family and Teen Beach 2 came out on the Disney Channel last night.
What a great movie! I am not ashamed to admit that I have a little crush on Ross Lynch. I love the music from the band R5 and the music from the movie Teen Beach was so playful and fun! The perfect soundtrack for our #SummerOfFun2015. What I like about Ross is the clean good-natured role model he is.
If you have the chance to see this movie, watch it with your kids. It’s a great movie about summer romance, surfers and a classic movie West Side Story. With a time travel twist.
