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.

Bad Form Running

The pictures from three recent races prove it:

I have awful, terrible running form.

I've been working on trying to improve my running form for a while, but attending a Good Form Running clinic at Fleet Feet on Sunday made me realize I have quite a long way to go.

As the first two pictures demonstrate, I heel-strike like crazy. Now, these pictures were taken at the end of the races, when I was sprinting, so it's probably exaggerated (I hope). Landing on my midfoot is something I need to work on and be much more mindful of. My shoes (Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12s) have a good deal of support (I tend to overpronate and have terribly weak ankles), so it may be tough for me to make the change successfully. 

As the third plainly shows, I have a fairly long stride, and seem to float in the air between steps. The seminar taught that the number of steps per minute should be 180. I knew I wasn't near that, but I had no clue how slow I was running - I tested myself with a natural stride earlier, and found I normally ran around 130 steps per minute. Frankly, I have no idea how I'm going to increase by pace by 50 BPM, especially since I don't run with music, which could keep me paced equally throughout.

Since I often run at night, or run on sidewalks and streets strewn with potholes and gaps that I fear tripping on, I look down immediately in front of my feet and lean forward, so my posture is terrible and I don't lean the right way.


Perhaps worst of all are my knee problems. When I get going on a longer run (or hell, even a shorter one), my knees lock and my legs straighten out, which sends shock up through the rest of my body. But since my knees are screwed up, bending them almost always seriously hurts, starting after around mile six or seven. I asked the seminar instructor how I should deal with this problem, and she answered exactly how I feared: that is NOT normal. Talk to a doctor. You might need physical therapy. [or surgery]
And so I'm afraid that despite whatever else I do, my knees will keep me from running success.

Essentially I look like this:

In any case, the most crucial thing I realized from attending the seminar is that it's necessary to practice running, like with any sport. Form has been something I figured I could change as I did my planned routines... but now, I'm going to try to run for the purpose of improving my form. In small doses, a mile or two, I'll go out and just focus on nailing as many positive aspects of form as possible.

In terms of learning how to practice, and improve my form, my timing *might* be perfect:
I already anticipate that my pace for the Half in less than a month will be terrible, and I'm just worried about finishing, so I'm not pushing myself that hard in the weeks leading up to it; and immediately after the Half, four days later, I will be out of commission, unable to run for at least a month.
In essence, I'll need to relearn how to train efficiently again altogether... I might as well learn correctly, this time.

Hopefully, I can eventually look like this:

We'll see what happens.

Hit the Wall

This is the route I thought I was going to run today - about six miles, and hopefully go even further:
(green is out, red is back)

This is the route I actually was able to run:

1.6 miles.
I thought the first mile took 13 minutes... turns out that was about 1.4 miles, so my pace really wasn't that bad.

Chicago is a pancake. Actually, flatter than a pancake. Today, even running up the bump covering the el tracks at grade was tough. I gave up at the start of the North Shore Channel Trail... the thought of having to deal with hills of any kind was too much to bear. I tried to jog back, got about 50 feet, and stopped completely.

I walked most of the same path back, and then went on other side streets to avoid being seen by the rest of the group who had started with me. Then I REALLY made sure they wouldn't find me when I stopped to grab something at a convenience store on the way back.

It was not a good idea to attempt a medium-distance run when:
- It was at least 75 80 degrees and sunny
- I hadn't run in a week
- I stood all night and didn't really take a break at a terrible night at work
- Since 1030 at night, all I'd eaten was a banana and Chobani, a cup of fruit, tuna from a sandwich, and a gel immediately before starting.

I haven't hit the wall in a while, but it was foolish to even attempt this.
It's hard to slow down when you're doing a group run, and you want to run with everyone else, and they're kicking your ass. If you fall far behind, what's the point of running with a group?

This is the look of hitting the wall:

 

But damn, that 7-11 watermelon lime slurpee tasted good on the walk back to my car.