Uppin' the mileage

95 degree heat + 95% humidity + 16 mile run = not much fun. I had to run 16 miles on Saturday, and I was NOT looking forward to it because I knew it was going to be pretty miserable. Even when we started at 6am, it was already 80 degrees and really humid. Once the sun got up, it heated up really fast. Luckily, our run was on a trail, so there was quite a bit of shade, but there were also some long stretches that were out in the blazing sun. After I turned around at 8 miles, it had gotten so hot that the top layer of tar on the trail was melting and my shoes were sticking to it every step I took. “Squish, squish, squish, squish”. Yeah, that is pretty hot.

That run made me realize that there is absolutely NO way I would be getting in these long runs without Runners Edge. This was the worst heat I have run in, but because there were aid stations every 2 miles, I was able to pour cold water down my arms, back, and over my head to cool me off. Not to mention the cold Gatorade and gummy bears that I had to look forward to. Nope, no way I would be able to do these long summer runs on my own. I would definitely puss out and call it good at about 6 miles.

I don’t know what it is, but 13-14 miles seems to be some sort of threshold, at least for me, and any runs longer than that really do a number on me. So this was my first real LONG run since the marathon, and I definitely felt it. I was reintroduced to my old friend, the “post-run, corncob up my ass, shuffle”. You runners know what I’m talking about. I spent the rest of the day hobbling around like an arthritic old woman. But Chipotle and a nap helped :)

Sunday I planned to ride to Lawrence, since it didn’t quite work out last weekend. It was about 56 miles round trip, and Monica came along for the ride. I found out that her longest ride this summer had been 15 miles, so I normally wouldn’t suggest that big of a jump in mileage to someone, but she did really well! It was hot again, but definitely not as miserable as it had been on my run. It was also pretty windy. On the way out, we had a head wind, and then somehow it switched so that we had a cross wind on the way back. Not fair! Part of my route took us down 143rd Street south of DeSoto, and last weekend that road had been just fine, but in the last week they have completely torn up the road and now it’s like it’s covered in fine gravel. I guess maybe they are getting ready to repave it. I ALMOST wanted to turn around when we hit that, but I was bound and determined to make it to Lawrence, so we kept going. It ended up being that gravel crap for about 3-4 miles, so not too bad. I was just worried I was going to get a flat, but luckily I didn’t.

I was actually surprised at how good my legs felt. I was a little worried that they were going to be toast after my run on Saturday, but they weren’t too bad. They started feeling fatigued on the way back, but nothing that really bothered me. This was the first weekend that I had a LONG run combined with a LONG ride the next day, and I’m happy with how it went. I’m a little tired today, but feeling pretty good. Up this weekend, the KC Women’s Tri!