Six things for surviving the sun on the run

Being a pale-skinned, major sweater, I avoid the sun as much as possible. I'm a night-time runner mainly for this reason. But, there are times when running in the sun aren't avoidable. Hello, the majority of races!

So, even the girl that runs in the dark as much as possible needs a plan of attack for the scary, giant ball of flames in the sky. Here are my six must-haves for making runs in the sun bearable.

1. Sunblock

This is a non-negotiable item. I have pale skin. I live in Florida where it feels like the sun is sizzling my skin (and it probably is). I must have a strong sunblock and preferably one that doesn’t run into my eyes when I sweat buckets while running.

It took some experimenting (and some painful, watery eyes) to finally find the one. And, I’m in love.

The one

When applied properly, I’ve never gotten a burn, and it doesn’t run into my eyes. What more could a running girl want? Oh, it also doesn’t feel greasy or heavy. It does make you shiny, though. Oh, well. There are things worse than shiny ... sunburned, for example. 

2. Sunglasses

Sunglasses are a must for me. I have sensitive eyes, and I’m a big baby if I don’t have sunglasses. I don’t have sport sunglasses. I just use one of the six pairs I use on a daily basis (As mentioned previously, due to being a big baby when I don’t have sunglasses, I have plenty of backups. I always seem to be sitting, stepping on or crushing sunglasses, unfortunately. Due to this, I buy cheap sunglasses. So, I’m a little nervous about spending big bucks on a sport pair.)

For the most part, the cheapos do the job. They are big and block the sun (my main requirements). Occasionally, I have them fog over, but I deal with it … for now. I may take the sport glasses plunge someday.

3. Bondi Band  

I normally have trouble with hair bands being comfortable, staying in place and actually blocking some of the massive amounts of sweat coming out of me. The Bondi Band is different: it’s comfortable; it stays in place; and, it blocks so much sweat (I’m a sweaty girl).

Bondi Bands (and medals) make me happy.

This delightful device helps bunches with the sunblock-running-into-eyes problem because it blocks so much of the sweat that would normally run down my face.

They come in fun colors and some have fun sayings. No matter what they look like, though, this is something I won't be running without.

4. Tech shirt

These things are the greatest invention. Remember the days of wearing regular T-shirts for working out? They’d get so sweat-logged and heavy. It was disgusting. So, you can bet that all of my running shirts are tech shirts. 

I’m still working on finding an absolute favorite, but my current favorite is the Under Armour HeatGear short-sleeve T-shirt. It keeps me really cool, and it is a decent length. It doesn't hurt that it's one of my favorite colors.

5. Water bottle

Water is a necessity when the temperatures are hot. I have two water-carrying options: handheld bottle and the water belt.

I use one or the other on most of my summer-time runs. I know some people don’t like to carry anything when running, but I really don’t mind this Nike bottle (I think it is discontinued). It has a strap and a case (so you can stuff things inside: keys or GU Chomps are my favorites). The downside: it really doesn’t hold that much water (less than 10 oz.). So, unless you’re not running a long distance or you have options for refilling it along your route, I’d recommend the water belt.

This Nathan Speed 2 Waistpack is perfect for long runs. It has two, 10 oz. bottles, plus a zip pouch (that I usually fill with keys and GU Chomps). It sits low on my hips, and I really don’t notice it since it stays in place while running.

6. Brain 

I take my brain with me on every run; I just need to remember to use it when it comes to the heat. Never keep pushing if you feel too hot, dizzy or nauseous. Stop. Walk some. Get in the shade. Drink some fluids. No run is worth serious health issues.


What are your running must-haves for the sun? Did I leave something off the list? Tell me.

A Bieber birthday and a run

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Happy birthday, Biebs! Yes, I am a 30-something woman that likes Justin Bieber. I’ve got issues. This may not be the biggest of my issues, sadly.

Oops. This already happened.

Aside from a Bieber birthday party (I kid, I kid), I had my last training group run before my half marathon on Sunday. It was 40 minutes of pure sweat. It was hot and humid and disgusting. Aside from that, the run was fabulous.

I really don’t have a particular time goal for this race. Well, I kind of do. I’d love to get the same time as my half marathon three weeks ago. So, a 2:33 finish is fine by me.

Looking like a complete tool, but I was happy with my time.

The forecast concerns me a bit. I’m trying not to worry about it, but a 40% chance of rain and windy conditions are worrisome. Also worrisome is this race’s start time: 6 a.m. I’m not a morning person. I can handle waking up by 6 a.m., but being somewhere and being functional by 6 a.m. is another story. I apologize in advance to anyone I run into there. I will most likely be out of it and perhaps grumpy. Sorry.

I will recover when I get this sweet piece of metal in my hand.

That, friends, is why I chose to do this race. Believe me; it wasn’t that pesky 6 a.m. start time.

Things I've learned since my first half marathon

With my second half marathon fast approaching (this Sunday ... eek!), I started thinking about things I learned from my first half marathon. And, here's the list:

• Don't sweat the things you can't control. Well, let's get one thing straight: I sweat. A lot. Not sweating is not an option for me. But, in this case, I use "sweat" in place of "worry about." (Probably a poor word choice now that I think about it.)
  

  

  Hot mess

  I can't control the weather. If it is hot and nasty, I will be too. I can't change it. I just have to deal with it. Before my last half marathon (in November 2011), I started looking at the weather forecast 10 days out, and I kept obsessively checking it. This was not productive in the least bit. Even if I was worried about the weather, I couldn't change it.

• The race isn't over if you have to stop to walk. I put a ton of pressure on myself to run the entire race. When I stopped for a walk break at mile 6, I thought I was a failure. I kept going and finished the race, but in a way, I kind of gave up at that point, unfortunately. So, this time around, thanks to some brilliant advice from Corey, I've tried to add a stop or a short walk into my long runs. I used to really fear stopping. But now, I know I can stop if needed (to drink some water, tie a shoe, whatever) and restart. Or even add a short walk break in. And, even with a stop or a walk, I can still have a decent (turtle) time. 
  
• It's supposed to be (mostly) fun. During my last half marathon, I focused on the misery. "Wah! It's hot. Wah! I'm sweaty! Wah! I'm miserable." Yes, I acted like a big baby. I did not enjoy the experience. Now, looking back on it, there were so many things to enjoy. But, if you're acting like a big baby, you miss out. You're paying for the race; get some enjoyment out of it.

WAH!

Women's Half Marathon, St. Petersburg, Florida, Nov. 20, 2011: race review (Part 2)

I woke up at 5 a.m. on race day. Normally, I hate waking up early. I wouldn't say it was my favorite thing this day either, but I was happier than most days.

First thing: toast an English muffin, spread with a little peanut butter and slice a half a banana on it. Second thing: eat this.

Due to the aforementioned car starting problem, as soon as I ate my runner's breakfast of champions, I headed out with my dog to see if my car would start (oh, and to let my dog go to the bathroom). The car started! My dog went to the bathroom! Hooray on both accounts!

Knowing my car would start made the morning a little more relaxed. Of course, I thought that even though it started that time, it may not start the next time. Sheesh! I always think of something to ruin my relaxedness.

After getting ready (handy that I set out the clothes the night before and packed everything I needed ... I should do this every day) and after Chloe wished me luck, I headed out the door.

I still left in enough time that, if necessary, I could call a taxi. I was a little nervous starting the car, but thankfully, it started without issue. Whew!

Since my running buddy, Caroline, lives close to the course, I parked at her house, and we walked to the start line (probably about a one-mile walk). We left her house at 6:30 a.m. for a 7:00 a.m. start time, and even with a stop at a porta-potty on the way in a park (not a race porta-potty, thankfully; this one smelled like cinnamon and had hand sanitizer) and a stop for a quick photo, we made it to our corral by 6:52 a.m.

This was just enough time. I didn't get nervous about not making it, but I also didn't have too much time to stand around and get nervous about the race. Although, one thing did trouble me: I started sweating on the walk there. Yes, a walk. Before sunrise. I was afraid bad things were to come.

I was extremely impressed with the organization of this race. About 7,000 runners fit easily into their corrals for an on-time start. Almost three minutes after the horn to start the race, Caroline and I crossed the start line to "Going the Distance" (I love some Cake. I'm glad the race organizers do, too.)

The first few miles were a breeze. The street was crowded, but it wasn't too difficult to pass someone if necessary. There was a ton of fan support at the start, so that helped pass the time, too.

Miles 4-5 got a little hot and boring. We ran through a neighborhood with little crowd support. But, we did hit our first water stop of the day, and we ran into the race photographers. I tried to keep my vow to myself: look happy in all of the photos. I started off on the right track.

Even though you can already see my shirt is soaked with sweat, I'm still happy (or pretending to be). Caroline is still really happy, too (I love this picture).

I don't really remember being that happy from this point in the race forward. Oh, wait. I was happy when I saw Caroline's husband and parents. That was fun. But, that was probably the last memorable happy time during this race. We kept trudging along until we took our first walk break (about the 6-mile mark). It was then we decided if we wanted to finish, we needed to walk some. It was freakin' HOT and HUMID, and it was barely 8 a.m. Oh, and it's November!

We kept going. Hit the next water stop hard. I took water (sometimes two or three) from each stop (The water stops were plentiful and well-stocked. I am extremely grateful that this was the case. Thank you, Women's Half Marathon organizers). I drank some and poured the remainder on my head.

I think miles 8-9 (I may be off on my miles because I was somewhat delirious from the heat)were the toughest of the course. It involved running The Pier. No trees. No shade. Out and back. Extremely hot. I almost had a meltdown when I realized we had to run around the stupid thing as opposed to turning around in front of it. This was really probably only an additional 0.1 mile, but this explains my level of hate of this portion of the race. We ended up walking a portion of this stupid pier, too. Maybe our longest walk break of the day. Stupid, stupid pier!

After the stupid, long, hot pier, we headed up to downtown St. Pete. At this time, we saw our coaches (both guys; they probably felt like pimps) and yelled at them, so that was a nice distraction. It was fun and all smiles until I realized they were finishing the race. Then, I got angry and bitter. I wanted to be them, but we still had 4 miles to go. Ugh!

The coaches saw this; we did not for another 4 miles

I knew that we were headed to Tropicana Field (home of the Tampa Bay Rays), but I didn't realize that we weren't taking a direct route there. So, when we had to turn to run around a lake in a park, I almost had another meltdown. I was also literally melting. I was hot. Really hot. As in, getting dizzy hot.

After more walking and more water, we dragged ourselves to Tropicana Field. I should have enjoyed this. I love baseball in a serious way. I love the Rays in a serious way. I should have been super-pumped that we got to run around the warning track of the stadium. I DID NOT CARE. I just wanted this race to end.


On the field at a much, much happier time

We walked some in Tropicana Field and some outside of it. Down to our last two miles, I thought I felt a surge of energy. I was wrong. Or it only lasted 0.5 mile. We walked some more and ran some more.

Thankfully, we ran into another coach at about the last mile of the race. She finished the race (in 1:44, no less), and then kept going out to find people in our group and run them almost to the finish line before she ran back for the next group. This was the sweetest thing ever and exactly what we needed. She had us running and running at a pretty good pace for the last mile. As she left us, she said the finish is just around the corner. She lied about that (or our ideas of "just around the corner" are different). But, we finished, and we finished strong!

My official time: 2:48:26 (Oh, my gosh. I am slow, but not that slow. Except on this day). I was really hoping for a  2:35 finish, and based on my training runs, I could do that (of course, our long runs were on 60-degree mornings with no humidity, and this was an 84-degree day with high humidity). I really think the heat and humidity were to blame. My body felt great. I was prepared. Nothing hurt. I just felt out of it. Dizzy. Nauseous.

After about the 6-mile mark of the race, I started feeling disappointed. I wanted to run the entire thing. I wanted to feel good throughout the race. And, things were falling apart fast. I had this feeling the entire race until the finish. Crossing the finish line strong really made these feelings go away (somewhat). I guess I'm still kind of disappointed, but hey, it was my first half marathon. It was unseasonably hot and humid. And, I finished. And got a cool medal. I now remember that this is part of the reason I signed up for this race.

It's so big and shiny! And, it has a detachable charm that you can add to a necklace or charm bracelet ... still haven't decided how I feel about that.

After getting our bling, we headed to the post-race refreshment area. First stop: ice bags. Oh, this felt glorious on my head and chest and neck! I finally could cool down.

After sitting on the asphalt (sitting on the hard ground never felt so good) applying the ice bags for awhile, we decided hit the snacks. I really wanted an orange. They didn't have oranges. But, they did have bananas, frozen strawberries, granola bars, pretzels and yogurt. I took some for later, but couldn't even think about eating anything at this point. All I wanted was liquid. So, I drank more water and more Gatorade along with more water and more Gatorade.

We finally found Caroline's parents and husband and got the cameras out!

Even though the race didn't go as I wanted it, there were a lot of great things about this race:

• Extremely scenic, beautiful course. Sometimes I forget how beautiful it is since I live and run here all the time.
• Well-organized race. Everything seemed to go the way a race should.
• Well-manned and plentiful water and Gatorade stations. This was a lifesaver on this hot day. I really don't think I could have finished without the many, many water stops.
• Great crowd support. It was pretty awesome hearing people you don't know yell your name.
• The Bondi Band did the job! I love this thing! It stayed in place (no headband ever stays on my head), and it prevented sweat from going in my eyes. Amazing!

Really, the only negative things I can think of had nothing to do with the race itself:

• HEAT AND HUMIDITY (Oh, did I mention this before?!?)

I'd definitely do this race again ... on a much cooler day. And, I'm looking forward to my next half marathon in February, when it better be cooler.

Day 32 (Oct. 20)

I needed Thursday’s run to be good, and thankfully, it came through for me.

Our workout: a 55-minute run with a 10-minute warm up, a 30-minute hard run, and a 15-minute cool down. I went a little slower than I had in past weeks, but I still got a good workout. My running partner and I were talking about how amazed we are at our progress. We used to always have to walk at some point. Now, it’s not even a concern. In fact, we wanted to run more than our 55 minutes.

Of course, the weather rocked (and it never really has for any Tuesday or Thursday night run to this point). I did not sweat through everything I had on. In fact, I barely sweat. For a major sweater, this was quite the accomplishment.

We run in a pretty peaceful place (for being in the middle of a city). Well, aside from the occasional jet taking off, which is rather loud and obnoxious and fumey (yep, I just made up that word). It’s pretty, open and green. Pretty soon, though, we won’t be able to see it (due to daylight savings time). I’ll take darkness blacking out my views as long as that big, scary sun is out of the sky.

Day 25 (Oct. 4)

Tuesdays are dreaded speed intervals day!

This week’s workout involved running a total of 50 minutes. Easy enough, right? Well, throw three five-minute speed intervals in there. It was difficult, but manageable. I made it, and I was really happy with my time. My hard intervals were significantly faster, and my warm up and recovery times weren’t too shabby either. Yay! Improvement!

Since I always include pictures of the crappy gym, I thought I should include a more pleasant photo of my Tuesday-Thursday route.

The big, scary sun is really big and scary. It’s getting less big and scary with somewhat cooler temperatures, but it is still my enemy. I’m pale. And, I sweat a lot. These are two things that are in direct conflict with the sun.

But, I think training in the hot sun beginning in September will make running in cooler months a breeze … or so I’m hoping. If Sunday is any indication, this theory is coming true.

Aside from the big scary sun, you can see a nice flat road. I like flat roads. At least for running, I do. Our group of about 20 girls runs along this road every Tuesday and Thursday. We actually run on the road for about a mile before we hit a sidewalk. There isn’t much traffic since it is an airport service road. I’m thinking of investing in some fluorescent running clothes before the time change. I always wear black pants and a darker shirt. I’d prefer to not get hit by a car, so maybe some bright colored shirts are in order.

I don’t care if I have to deal with a big, scary sun or traffic; it’s still better than the craptastic gym.

Day 22 (Sept. 27)

Due to a pesky thing called work, I missed our group training run on Tuesday. Boo!

But, I was determined to stay on track. After getting home late, and after it raining buckets during the day, I decided to hit the craptastic gym for a treadmill run. I know, I know. I already said I highly disliked the treadmill and that sorry excuse for a gym. But, it was after 9 p.m. by the time I was ready to run. And, there are some deep puddles around the neighborhood from the buckets of rain we’ve been getting lately (How do I know this? I stepped in one while walking my dog. It was a foot deep, seriously.).

When I arrived at the gym that looks more like a kitchen, I noticed the fan was unplugged. Since I sweat an extreme amount last time, the first thing I did was plug it in and turn it on. Well, there was a reason it was unplugged, it didn’t work. Argh!

I had some issues getting the TV working, too, but thank goodness, it eventually came on. After finding the Rays-Yankees game (Go Rays!), I hit the treadmill. After my last incident with the safety key on one of the treadmills, I decided to give the other one a shot.

Tonight was a speed interval night: four, three-minute hard intervals followed by three-minute jogs, with a total run of 45 minutes. All was well for about four minutes. Then, I started sweating profusely. Darn! This so-called gym is blazing hot!



I ran a 10-minute warm up, and then I started in on the speed intervals. I ran two of the three-minute hard intervals with three-minute jogs in between each. After my third three-minute hard interval, I walked the three minutes (solely due to sweat recovery) instead of jogging. Sweat was beaded on my arms. Sheesh! I did the next hard interval with a three-minute recovery walk (again to try and control the sweat). I ran the remaining time slowly (and sweat profusely). Man! I’m OK with the limited equipment, kitchen-like appearance, and cheesy artwork, but get some decent ventilation in this place, people!

Knowing for certain that this ridiculous amount of sweat would come across in a photo, I snapped one after the run.

Um, hmm. Maybe not. Sweaty, yes. But, it really doesn’t convey the level of sweat that was occurring (although it does showcase one of the causes – the broken fan).

I’m glad I got the run accomplished, even if it was in a sauna setting. So many nights after working late, I crawl home, watch a little TV and hit the bed. Things are changing, though! This training group keeps me extremely accountable – I don’t want to fall behind. I’d highly recommend a group to anyone training for a race (or just wanting to run, period). It really is changing my life (ha! That sounds so dramatic and so not me, but I really feel like this).

Day 20 (Sept. 22)

A thunderstorm rolled into the area about 4:30 p.m. I thought it was the typical Florida afternoon storm, and I thought the rain would clear long before our training group's 6:30 p.m. run. I thought wrong.


When I left work about 5:50 p.m., it was still raining. After walking to my car and trying my best to avoid the rivers and lakes that formed in what used to be streets and parking lots, I started toward our group meeting place. I figured the rain could clear. If not, our coach has indoor lesson plans. This is when things started going downhill.


Traffic was a nightmare (as it usually is when it rains). I finally got to my exit, and traffic was backed up on the exit ramp almost to the interstate. I figured there must be a wreck at the bottom of the ramp. I figured wrong.


While waiting on the ramp, I noticed a raging river. Problem: no river is usually there. I noticed this raging river flowing along the ramp and wondered where it was going. I found my answer at the bottom of the ramp: the road I needed to take to get to our training group.


After watching other cars drive into the deep water, I thought I'd give it a shot. I didn't really have any other options ... unless I wanted to wait for the water to go down. I'm not patient, so this wasn't going to work for me. Thank goodness I have an SUV, so I made it through. Problem #2: the next intersection was the same ... maybe worse. At this point, I made the decision to just go home. But, I still had to get through the water. After turning left through more deep water (off of the flooded road), I thought my troubles were over. I was wrong yet again.


The road I was now on was clear for a bit ... then I hit more water. This was definitely the deepest water I encountered. Cars were stalled. Some were just waiting it out. Eek. Since I knew I wasn't waiting, I had to make the decision to go through this deep water or turn around and go through the other two sections of water that I went through to get here. As mentioned, since I'm not patient, I really didn't feel like going back into the traffic mess I just managed to free myself from. I waited and watched other cars try to make it through. Most cars failed. But, trucks, SUVs and vans seem to be able to make it. Having a smaller SUV, I was still nervous, but I gave it a shot. It's a strange feeling driving through deep water and a bit unnerving to look around you and just see water. But, thankfully, I made it. And, thankfully, the rest of my trip did not involve flooded roadways.


When I finally made it home, I decided to run (must have been the adrenaline from the flooded roads adventure). But, since it was still sprinkling and lightning some, I decided to hit the treadmill.


I haven't used a treadmill in my training, and now I remember why.


I did find an Ashton-free "Two and a Half Men" on TV in the condo gym (I use this term very loosely), so that rocked. (Side note: I love Charlie Sheen and all his craziness. I watched the first episode of "Two and a Half Men" starring Ashton Kutcher, and I thought it sucked. Ashton seemed so dull and unfunny. Maybe I'm biased, though.)


Other than the superb viewing option, I liked nothing else about this experience.


I needed to do a 10-minute warm up, 15 minutes hard and a 20-minute recovery/cool down/normal pace run. The 10-minute warm up felt like it lasted hours. Even with Charlie, it was still boring. Ugh. I started in on my 15-minute hard interval, and it went really smoothly.


Until this:



The pesky safety key. I understand its use and realize this could be a good thing. Could. Not in my case.


Despite the air conditioned room and a fan, I sweat. A lot. I think I sweat more inside than I do outside. One of the many times I was wiping sweat off of my forehead, I hit the string to the dreaded safety key. And, I went from running at my fast pace to a dead stop. Argh! I was just getting in a groove, too. I started running again, but I lost all my data on the treadmill, and I had to estimate how much time I had remaining in my interval.


The rest of the run went smoothly. Until I hit the blasted safety key again. Argh. But, I got the run in. Despite being extremely boring (and that dang safety key), it went well.


I felt the sweatiest I've ever been when I finished, so I took a picture to document it. Hmm. Massive amounts of sweat don't really come across in photos. I think I look pleasantly dewy here. Not drenched in sweat like I was.

Also, you can see the crappiness of the gym in this photo. That is all of the equipment (aside from one treadmill that was beside me). And, this gym feels like a kitchen with the linoleum and cabinets, but at least I have it. I guess I shouldn't complain. I tried to get the TV with Charlie in the picture, but I missed it. Darn.