Winter Blues

The time has come.  Seems as though it gets earlier and earlier every year.  I have had it with Winter.  Dread it getting here, dread it even more in the midst of it, and eventually fed up completely with the cold and bitterness.  Jesus, and I don’t even live in the north.  My blood has completely thinned out in the years that I have lived in the south.  Winters here have been a walk in the park compared to those when I lived in NY.  That day is here though, I am ready for Spring!

So many of my usual things get hampered by the lack of daylight, the lack of sunshine, the lack of warmth.  My energy levels suck this time of year.  Why do I find this time of year is best spent on the couch or in bed?  The weather just lends to lack of motivation for me.  I have to force myself to bundle up and get outside for a run.  Does this happen to you?

My training miles really suffer at this time of year.  Looking back on my running calendar I realize just how unmotivated I am at this time of year.  60 something miles in January?  How pathetic is that?  What’s even more pathetic is that of those 60 miles, 26.2 of them were during a marathon.  I didn’t even take my running shoes on vacation.  Didn’t run once.

I can only hope Spring gets here soon.  I have a bunch of racing to do in the coming months, and that means training if I want to perform well.  I have Asheville Half and Full in four weeks!  Then All American Full three weeks later.  Then Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Full the week after that.  I need training miles to feel ready.  What do you do to motivate yourself to get those training miles in for the races ahead?  Dreaming of Spring, warmer temps and sunshine doesn’t seem to be cutting it for me these days.  I need something more! Bring on 101 degrees!

Satan’s Ass Crack

Ok, I’m not sure where you live, but does it ever warm up to over 100 degrees there?  It does here.  Today is perfect evidence of it.  Thank God the humidity is only about 30%, otherwise it would be pretty much unbearable outside.  Not very conducive for a run later, I’m afraid.

Oh no, and don’t check the 10 days forecast if you’re not a fan of starting to melt the moment you walk out the door.  It’s a pretty brutal fact, and here it is….

6/16- 104

6/17- 99 (a nice chill down)

6/18- 102

6/19- 100

Then we have 98, 99, 99, 95, and 98.

Summer is here, and Satan is sitting his ass crack down smack dab in the middle of North Carolina.

I actually went for a 3 mile run late yesterday when the sun went down below the tree line.  It wasn’t fun but I got it done.  It was like 92 at the time.  How will I ever endure the coming week?  I actually prefer running in the heat versus the intense cold, but these temps are making me really think hard about if that’s truly the way I feel.  I’m pretty sure if I cracked an egg outside on the ground it would start to cook today.

Historically, it doesn’t get this hot that often here.  I remember about seven years ago we had a Summer where we hit over 100 degrees like seven days in a row.  It was brutal.  The weather extremes these days are incomprehensible.  I will say this though.  I need to suck it up because winter always returns with a vengeance, and I truly don’t like to be cold.  So, as with everything else in life, I have learned to endure the struggle.  The heat must not affect my training that badly, as my Fall marathons are always faster than my winter and Spring marathons.

How about you?  Are you a cold or hot weather runner?  It seems around here that my favorite months for running are March and October

Persistence pays off

Well, I did it.  I got that twelve miler in yesterday late afternoon.  

Here’s how I survived the heat and humidity….

– two changes of shirt

– two bottles of gatorade

– three sweat buffs

-plenty of Body Glide (love this product!)

-two towels

-1 hour cool down followed by a cold shower

-relaxing on the couch for three hours

How do I feel today?  Contrary to how I thought I would feel, I woke up feeling fully recovered.  That’s what training will do for you.  I thought I was going to die, but I didn’t.  Persistence in training works.  Follow the plan.  Try to be smart about when you run, and how you run and survive it.  Give your body the rest it needs to recover, and by all means stay hydrated.  That is key!

So I feel good about the next long run already.  Training for a BQ attempt sure is different from regular training.  I know what’s at stake, and it keeps me more focused and positively impacts my routine.  I know I need to put in more work than ever before, so if I don’t, my BQ attempt will be lackluster, and I don’t want that.  I want to be ready on race day.  If that means sucking it up on really hot days, the that is what it means.  Boston doesn’t come cheap.  Especially for an aging dude that’s not in 100% good physical shape.  I don’t always watch my diet, and I should.  I have to keep focused on the prize.  Eyes on the prize, as they say.

As you step out the door during the dog days of Summer, remember that goal race.  Use that goal to get you moving.  Use that goal to better yourself, however or whatever that means to you.  Best of luck out there on the road.  As for me?  Two more long runs prior to Big Cottonwood.  An 18 and a 20 miler.  That’s all that’s left.  Well, that and about 100 other training miles between now and September 13th. 

Satan Called. He wants his weather back!

Man oh man.  I hate to complain, so I won’t.  I really don’t mind the heat, its the humidity that sucks balls.  Stanky, sweaty balls.  It’s not really fair when you can’t tell if you’ve dried yourself off enough after a shower, or if you’re already sweating again.  Ok, so I kinda complained some.  

I have finally figured out just how draining humidity can be.  I just don’t feel like dealing with it, especially on a run.  It’s harder for me to psych myself up for a long run, when I know the minute I step out the door I am going to start sweating before I even start my Garmin.  

But run I must.  I can get through it, I know I can.  Trying to get myself pumped for three four mile hill loops tallying the magical 12 miles I am looking for today.  The temperature is 86, the humidity is 90%.  I’ve got two bottles of Gatorade at the ready, and will be lubing up with Body Glide before I get my shoes on.

The dog days of Summer have arrived.  Just in time for the height of my Fall marathon training.  Trying to find a happy place about it.  It’s just hard to run when you feel like you’re wading in a swamp.

How do you deal with heat and humidity during your runs?  Any special tips or tricks to help beat the heat?  Please share.