I really need to drink more...

Wednesday, May 5, 2010


I started the run expecting to feel the normal aches and pains I have every day…but they weren’t there! My ankle has been quite sore though it loosens up after 10 minutes, but today…nothing. Good.

It was hot and muggy again and I didn’t have any water in the car. I’d been drinking extra the night before, but hadn’t made any effort through the day to hyper-hydrate. I stuck a piece of gum in my mouth and figured I’d be chewing like a mad dog later to keep some saliva moving.

The run was going well for the first 30 minutes and I started thinking maybe I’d make it another 75-minute plus day. By 40 minutes…things were happening that weren’t so good.

I tend to stop every 20-25 minutes to wring the sweat from my sweat band. This keeps my shoes from getting too squishy and stinky. When you sweat like I do – it actually makes sense. Today though, I couldn’t seem to go 10 minutes without needing to wring it out again. That’s a bad sign.

I was beginning to struggle around 50 minutes – slowing and starting to feel a little tingle. I tend to get goose bumps when I’m getting low on fluids and that’s what I was feeling. The cotton mouth was getting bad – I couldn’t hardly swallow – and I was still a 15-minute run from the car. I wanted to complete the run, but when I reached one hour, I figured I was good and decided to walk the last half mile. Good decision. I was still sweating, but couldn’t manage to swallow without a gag. I was feeling woozy and glad that the car was in sight. When I reached the car, I just sat there for about 10 minutes cooling down and getting my head straight.

Keep an eye out for heat illness. It comes on quickly and can be deadly. I have been running the last four days, sweating out more than I’ve been replacing. Sure, I sweat more than usual, but you still can’t let your thirst be the only indicator. Weighing in before and after a workout isn’t a bad idea. Whatever you’ve lost during the workout is fluid and needs to be replaced before the next workout. I should practice what I preach and I’ll do that in the summer, but we’ve had an unusually hot Spring and I should be doing it now.

Run duration: 62 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 140.

Calories burned during workout: 1050.