We've had a couple hot days so far this year, but today was definitely a bit more. It got near 90 degrees and while I was out for my run in the afternoon, it was definitely in the upper 80s. I need to try to adapt to the heat for my marathon next month.
The plan was to run 15 miles. With the heat and having run 25 miles yesterday, I wasn't sure what I could do. I did feel good beforehand though. I went to the Ironton Rail Trail, to try something different. I seem to fair better on long runs on pavement. Running on stone trails does beat me up a little bit.
I parked in the main lot. Of course I went shirtless and carried a handheld. This time, I ran without a visor or anything else on my head. The visor does tend to make me too hot.
The main paved loop is about 5.3 miles long. I didn't want to run it 3 times, so I elected to do something different. I headed out on the spur loop. It is an out and back section right off the main trail near the parking lot. It is a stone path and more remote than the main section.
I figured the change of scenery would help in the early beginning of the run and it did. I didn't even look at my watch until 1.08 miles into the run. That is rare for me. Some of this early part of the run was in the sun. That made it hot.
I didn't care at all about the pace. I just wanted to try to run super easy, adapt to the heat and not fall off too much. That was easier said then done.
This spur section runs along an industrial area. One park is next to a closed cement plant. There's a creek next to it. A couple teens were swimming in there. I'm not sure I'd want to go in the water near the plant, but not my choice. Not much else was happening on this section. A few bikers and walkers here and there, but otherwise, I mostly had the path to myself.
I continued to rarely look at my watch. I tried to enjoy the run as much as I could in the heat. I knew it would be a long day. Even with the easy running, I was sweating pretty good. Eventually, the trail ends. One plus though is that it looks like they put up a new bridge there, so maybe they will be extending that section soon.
I came back and had gone out nearly 3 miles. That was a good start. I was happy to click off every mile. Most of my miles were around the 8 minute mark. That wasn't too bad.
I got back on the main loop in no time. It was nice to be on pavement again. I was over a third of the way done with the run now. I'd have about 5 miles left to get back to my car. I wanted to run a longer segment first and then stop for a shorter finish.
This loop had a lot of shade, especially throughout this first section. That made a huge difference. I adapted to the heat somewhat. There was even a slight breeze too. A bunch of families were out. Not too many people were dumb enough to be running and I'm sure none were planning to run for 2 hours in this weather.
The back half of this loop has an open section. That was unbelievably hot. I struggled there. I hustled as much as I could to get back into the shade. The heat took its toll though. There was also some slight uphill that caused me trouble.
It was hard to believe at 7.5 miles that I was only halfway done. Miles 8 and 9 got a little better. I guess I started to adjust and I could see the finish line, although it was still off in the distance. I tried to just focus on finishing the loop.
The most difficult part of the loop was the final mile. It was a long, gradual uphill. In the heat and with nearly 10 miles under my belt, it was a struggle. The shade was gone too. I sputtered in to the parking lot with an 8 minute flat pace for 10.25 miles.
The short break at my car was much needed. My water was warm now, so getting fresh water was a huge plus. I dried myself off too. Still, I was very hot. I strongly considered stopping at that point.
I kept going though and ran the loop in the counterclockwise direction again. I wasn't sure if I could get to 15 miles, but I figured I'd be happy with every additional mile that I put in. It was a huge struggle in this first mile after I restarted. I really didn't think I'd finish at that point.
I ran past a small kid on his bike with his dad following. That was kind of funny. I kept going and tried to just focus on the turnaround point, even though I didn't know quite where that was. I kept going and going through the neighborhood and by a community pool. I went in the hot section for a bit and finally turned around right before passing another runner (at mile 12.35).
I wasn't feeling too bad right before the turnaround. That is because I was running slightly downhill. Now, I had to battle slightly uphill. I kept going. Hitting mile 13 and then the half marathon point was a huge boost.
I had to stop briefly at two different road crossings. At least a few cars let me go. The brief starting and stopping was taking its toll. I had slowed a bit during this segment, but at least I wasn't fall off much. I stayed fairly consistent, albeit slow. My legs weren't too sore.
Climbing the last short hill back to the parking lot was difficult. Luckily, I was almost done. I ran out to the road and only had a short distance to go. I went on the sidewalk briefly and turned around and finished the 15 miles.
What a tough day, but it was great to battle through the heat. This will definitely make me stronger. Whether I'll be faster or not, well that remains to be seen. I've been trying to tell myself that I really don't want to get to Boston bad enough, but I guess I'm lying if I can suffer through a day like today.
I've put in 40 miles in the last two days and I believe 120 miles in the last 9 days. Tomorrow, is a much needed day off. Either on Wednesday or Thursday morning, I'd like to get up early and run hard. I need a good, hard workout in cooler weather. I'm hoping to finish the week with 85 or more miles. So far, so good as I'm almost halfway there.
15 miles - 2:01:35 (8:06 pace)
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