Running Chick

Six miles into my eight mile run this morning, I bonked. It wasn’t a huge bonk, but it was enough to turn those last two miles into a real struggle. It’s clear that I’ve completely forgotten how to properly fuel and hydrate for anything over five miles.  I was carrying two bottles of a Gatorade & water mix and a pack of sport beans. I took swigs from my bottles every two miles and at four miles I ate some beans. I probably should have forced myself to eat the entire package, but I only ended up taking four or five of them, which wasn’t enough to keep me going. Actually, I really should have taken a gel with me instead of the beans for more calories. Ah well, live and learn.

I came home and my legs were doing a fair amount of complaining so I decided to hop into an ice bath. Fill the tub up with 4-5” of water (enough to cover the legs), climb in and get accustomed to the cold, then dump an entire bag of ice over yourself. The first 30 seconds are pretty unpleasant, but you quickly acclimate. It helps if you have a giant mug of hot coffee and are wearing your warmest sweatshirt. I stuck it out until the ice melted (around 15 minutes) then took a hot shower. My legs felt so much better!

So, the mileage report for this week:

Monday – 3 miles @ 10:17

Wednesday – 3.5 miles @ 10:19

Saturday – 8 miles @ 10:32

Total – 14.5 miles @ 10:26

We’re spending the rest of the day doing amateur radio stuff for Lake Superior Performance Rally. Our shift starts in Kenton at 7:00 and ends sometime in the wee hours of the morning. We’re stationed at the mid-point of one of the stages so we should really see some action.