Running on the Hottest Night of the Year: Summer Successes and Challenges

Summer continues to beat me down, and it seems like every time I have a successful moment, I have a disappointment to match.

I ran 11.7 miles tonight in 2:16:59:

Only the best paint-drawn graphics for this blog

I ran from my area, Logan Square, down Milwaukee to Wicker Park, east on Division (through a somewhat actively dangerous area formerly known as Cabrini Green) until Lake Shore drive. I ran past my aunt's old condo, down Michigan Avenue, past my favorite radio station, over the river, and continued past Grant Park to Roosevelt. I then took Roosevelt west to Halsted on the UIC campus, and headed north on Halsted to Milwaukee. I finally stopped at Division, and took the CTA home.

11.7 miles - that's a new personal best, in terms of length. The previous limit was 11 miles.
Considering I hadn't done a long run in a few weeks (I kind of stopped for a while there), I'm happy with that.
 
I attempted to maintain decent form, particularly keeping with 160 steps per minute. I did okay with that, and tried to keep my back straight, which worked well, until the end. It seemed that having better form improved my balance, and I didn't have any issues with tripping or ankles, which was nice! Landing midfoot still felt damn-near impossible, but when my knees started hurting more, I tried harder, with mixed results.

I also ran because I WANTED to, ran to improve my form, and ran to experience more of the city. I didn't just do it because I thought it'd help me lose some weight, or something like that.

One of the things I stopped to see: Hubbard's Cave, where a tunnel carrying 90/94 (Dan Ryan) inexplicably has a gap in the ceiling, which is actually a few semi-trailer parking lots.
Note: it is awesome.

And having a fairly crap pace, 11:42/mile, didn't bother me much this time.


So, several successes.


But there are a ton of things about this run that I'm completely unhappy with - and they seriously concern me.

Least concerning, I apparently didn't eat enough, again. Eating a cup and a half of wheat pasta two hours before the run held me over, but at the 1.5 hour mark, I started getting fairly hungry, and the gel didn't offset it. I didn't hit the wall with exhaustion due to hunger, but it certainly annoyed me.

The issue I've been struggling with forever came up again: stopping - for water, to avoid knee pain, and for exhaustion.
During the run, I stopped about eight times, for about 45 minutes total. Sometimes just to look at something, once to try to see what was going on at WGN radio (I'm a nerd), and a few times to take it easy.
Because it was a practice run, the stops didn't bother me that much, and it made the run much less painful, though it got pretty damn so by the end.
But I know that, in those conditions, there is no way I could have run that distance without stopping at least three or four times.
My half is in three weeks... it won't feel great if I need to stop eight times. Hell, I might not even finish within the proscribed time limit and before they break down the course. That'd be a huge embarrassment. I don't even know if I'd want to finish - just DNF me.

Much more worrying, the heat affects me like crazy.
When I started the run, it was in the mid-80s with very high humidity. I'd considered running topless for the first time but ultimately didn't - I realized that if I got desperate and had to take a cab or train home, or had to jump into a store to buy something, I might not get served; plus, the belt made me look like total crap without a shirt, and the drunken Wicker Park denizens I was sure to encounter wouldn't appreciate the view. I also forgot any sort of hat, so sweat started pouring down my face from the start. I did learn a nice trick to keeping your face cool: put your hands in the hair in the back of your head, which almost assuredly is drenched, then rub the sweat all over your face. Not the most pleasant, but it seemed to work.
At almost exactly 3 miles into the run, I overheated to the point of potential danger. Though I'd not really been pushing myself too hard, my body temperature had exploded and the air felt like it was in the mid-100s. I was having issues breathing, and I couldn't take another step. I had to walk into a convenience store (along with several cops discussing a robbery with the store clerk I'd apparently just missed - what luck!) and grab a drink, or give up completely.

Then, hilariously, I was freezing after I'd stopped a few times downtown. The temperature there had dropped to the mid-70s, and my body temperature had regulated. While I wasn't shivering, I was extremely uncomfortable, and for the first time understood why ultrarunners wrap themselves up after a race.

Maybe worst of all: I'm experiencing serious hydration issues.

Amphipod RunLite Airstretch 4 Hydration Belt

Tired of lugging around a water bottle which made pumping my arms awkward, I bought a hydration belt today. It's pretty sick.


I chose the option with the most water - 32 ounces. Supposedly this model is designed for those training for a marathon, and should be enough to satiate one's thirst during a run.
Unfortunately, almost immediately, it became clear 32 ounces would be NOWHERE near enough water for that run. Knowing the conditions I'd face, I had taken care ahead of time, and made sure to drink plenty of fluids the day before and all night beforehand. We're talking two to three full nalgene bottles tonight and four yesterday. Not nearly enough.
 During the run, I killed a 20 ounce gatorade, and 16 more ounces of extra water  - the liquids I obtained and drank along the way were 6 OUNCES MORE THAN WHAT I WAS CARRYING, and hey, I drank those bottles, too.
Instead of being okay with 32 ounces, I drank 68. After hydrating yesterday and the hours before running. Plus I almost asked the guys spraying plants on Michigan Avenue to hose me down.
I don't, really do not, understand how people run without feeling parched continually, without feeling like they're going to pass out from thirst, when out in this heat. I know in a race setting, it'll be easier, having aid stations, but it feels ridiculous to have to drink so much more than the average runner.

And this is kind of gross, but I'm fairly certain a toenail is about to fall off. Cool, man.


So... I will tough it out, and hope that summer ends quickly. Good thing this isn't the hottest Illinois summer in 24 years!

I might be the only runner I know who's hoping winter comes around sooner rather than later.