8.22.2008

Way long update.

I completely forgot to post about my big 6-miler.

Six miles, it wasn't.
I made the (extremely idiotic) mistake of thinking I could do 5 (2.5 out and back), grab water, and tack on the last mile -- it worked with my route.

5 miles (aka over an hour) in 85ish degree weather without water ... didn't work.

I was okay 'til the turnaround. However, about 10 minutes later, I was thirsty. oops. I'm almost 2 miles from my water still.

10 minutes after that, I had a killer headache and was getting dizzy. I ended up walking most of the last mile.

By the time I got to my water, it was way too late to tack on the extra mile. I was way too fuzzy and weak to run any longer. I actually had to sit in the car for about 10-15 minutes before I felt okay to drive.

So lesson learned: I need to either invest in a fuel belt or run small loops (which I feel might lead to shorter-than planned runs, so I want to avoid this). But since summer is almost over I'm not sure. I can carry a bottle but that's only 20 oz. - How long will that really keep me hydrated?

I'm also thinking about trying Nuun (Aaron!) or Zym so I can rehydrate better. I don't want to go the sports drink route yet because I definitely don't need any extra calories.

I've been running relatively consistently for almost 8 months now, and steadily increasing my mileage and I haven't changed an ounce in weight. I was down about 4 pounds at one point (which is basically nothing) and now I am identical to my January weight. I obviously need to do something with my diet, but I'm not sure what. This isn't supposed to be a weight loss blog, because I don't want to make running about losing weight, but I'm frustrated. I don't seem to be taking in excess calories (I track on dailyplate.com) and I'm eating pretty decent food, other than I like chocolate (but I keep it to a bite-sized piece a day). One piece of chocolate a day can't possibly be negating all my hard work.

I'd love some advice, though there doesn't seem to be much to give.


Back to the running, today is the hottest day of the past several weeks and I don't want a repeat of my last run, so I'm going to take the day off and get quality runs in early on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Oh! And you can now IM me if you want - I added a widget on the right side bar. And if it's during work hours, I'm probably online! (Though potentially busy, because I do work hard... most of the time.)

3 comments:

Kitzzy said...

Do you eat out a lot? That may be the culprit if you are doing everything else at home. The same meal you can make out home can have far more calories at a restaurant. Also, try drinking lots of water every day and make sure you are eating enough. Sometimes not enough enough is worse than eating too much. Good luck with your runs this weekend!

Oh, and I do still have invites to dailymile. I replied in my blog but realize you may not see it. Just send me your email and I can send you the invite.

Aaron Cunningham said...

Wow. Not a fun way to bang out 5 miles at all.

A fuel bel would probably be a good idea, but a 20 oz bottle should last you for about an hour. Assuming you're adequately hydrated before hand anyway. :)

As far as the weight thing, here's my take: If you're breaking even, and tracking your calories, your running only kills around 100 calories a mile, so I suspect you're just at not enough of a deficit. Try cutting an extra couple hundred calories a day out of your diet and give it a month.

Matt Hart said...

i'd go with nuun, it tastes better, better ingredients, etc.