Monday, August 2, 2010

August Rears His Ugly Head....


I, as most of you know, am not an early morning runner except for on Saturdays...and by early morning I mean 6am or earlier.  I like to get to work by 7:15 so I can get out of here early too...Therefore I have never been one to get up and run mileage during the week before work.  I would rather do the mileage after work.
However, here in SE Texas doing that almost requires (at least for me) to not run until 6pm and later (and honestly, its now more like 7pm before its bearable!!).  Then you know whats next...that just means it kinda cuts into evening stuff like having to shower, and then cook etc...at a much later time.  Plus what if you want to actually DO something???  Also not ideal.  Now if I was a runner who could run 6 miles in 40 minutes or something like that it wouldnt be a problem :)

So this week because the heat and humidity combined are to send us into heat warnings (heat indexs of 104-107), I knew I had to try something different this week.  So to make a longer story longer....  :O)

I ran 3 miles this morning (around 5:15am; head lamp and red blinky light firmly in place to light my way and make my presense known) and will run 3 more after work.  This is my plan at least for this week...quite possibly through August if need be.  Wednesdays I run 8 miles with speed, so I am going to try and do 4 miles on Wednesday morning, then head to the track at Memorial late evening to do the speed work.  I don't know if it matters much if the mileage is done all at one shot or if its "OK" to split it up...meaning is it 'cheating' on marathon training miles?  Its not like I will be doing this on my long run Saturdays...

So what do you think? 
OK to split the smaller mileage days up for the sake of health?  Or will it hurt my marathon on race day?

6 comments:

YorktownRunner said...

No it's not the same to split the mileage but it's better than not running and better than getting heat stroke. You have to adjust your "plan" to the weather. If your long run calls for 18 miles, 10 at marathon pace, it just isn't gonna happen in 100 degree weather. Use your head a train smart. Rememeber it's not about that one training day, it's about the culmination of all of the days, all of the weeks, all of the months of work. Stay cool and sorry but RUN EARLY!

Junie B said...

oh i would NEVER split up an loooong run...like this weekend i have 18 and 18 at one time i shall run! and thankfully only the last 5 are at goal marathon pace :o)

and thank you for your input!

I might just try to do 6 miles (1 mile loops) tomorrow morning...i can put out the G2/water in front of my place...i was worried about being freaked out so early running alone, but it was well lit and i didnt feel uncomfortable at all.

Anonymous said...

the new president of our runners club and friend of mine is trying splits this year. She did ALOT of research on it.

It's probably a good idea for me. I may try it. Our forecast looks killer too, can't believe everyday last summer was just like that.

I don't run as strong in the dark, because I tense up alot. I don't run as strong after work, because the heat is trying to kill me.

Pony and Petey said...

Petey doesn't like me to run in the dark so I look at when sunset is, add 15 minutes for twilight, then count back for how long I need to run...that way the temp is always getting cooler from when you start...and the sun is sinking rapidly so it's not beating down on you.

An option for you since you get in and out of work early is to start on the treadmill inside and then head outside to finish up the miles.

I do the reverse in the morning...run outside until I can feel I'm starting to get too hot, then finish up on the treadmill at home.

John has told me that whatever runs you do in a 12 hour time period will benefit you as one single run. Like you said, you won't do that on your long runs but I think doing it with the other runs is just fine.

We'll get through August somehow! hahahaha

Junie B said...

Pony i respect Johns knowledge that is for sure! as one of the best runners in the city and probably in a lot of other places too :o) that counts for something!

i didnt run this morning before work because 3 runs in 24 hours ... well lets just say this morning my legs didnt exactly feel like doing much :o)

today is gym day anyway, so i am going to be keepin' it cool inside today!!!

Mo said...

I do 1 mile loops around my subdivision and have an "aid station" on my patio... makes it go by surprisingly fast, and it's a great way to stay hydrated! Good luck, August is the worst.