What a weekend! If you haven’t noticed yet, Rob and I can’t sit still on days off. We try to relax but it just doesn’t work. We are always on the move. We had a lot of house projects this weekend but they aren’t done yet so no pictures!
Saturday, we had the 42nd Annual Captain Bill Gallagher 10 Mile Island Run. A couple we know from rugby said they were running it so we registered on Tuesday! Packet pick up was easy once we figured out where it was and because Rob just idled in the parking lot while I ran in. Parking was a nightmare but our friend told us of a secret spot… Where we go the last spot (not so secret anymore, lol). The place was crazy packed!
This was the start line. We stood in the sand off to the side because there was no room to squeeze in. So this race is 10 miles, 7.5 of which is on the beach itself. They start so late (5:30 start time) so it is after low tide and we could run on the hard sand. Also, less innocent beach-goers to trample.
We managed to finally run into Kevin and Megan at the very last minute at the start line and quickly snapped a group picture. We weren’t sure we would see them again (and we didn’t! I think Kevin had to work). Off we went!
The hardest part was the transition from the promenade to the beach where the sand was soft and hard to run in. We had a cool view though of all the people running onto the beach.
By mile 3, I was already feeling pretty beat. It was SO HOT out and the humidity was crazy. I don’t think I had hydrated enough during the day but I had worn my water belt with 30 ounces of Gatorade. They also had a ton of water stops along the course.
By the end, Rob and I were pretty beat. The heat was killing us. Rob didn’t have Gatorade until like mile 9 and by then, his calves were cramping. He chugged some Arizona Green Tea and ate a few bananas while I drank water and the remaining Gatorade.
By the way, this was Rob’s longest race! He has done 1 5K, the Mud Run, and now a 10 Miler! Stupid boys that don’t need to train… LoL, he does run a lot with me though.
So really this race was a big learning lesson for me. There were a number of things that went bad but I knew what was going on.
1) Dehydration is a bi***. I was crashing hard when we got home, shakes and all. Some soda and sleep cured me. This was after drinking about 60 ounces of liquids during and after the race.
2) I require protein. I really wanted something to eat after we were done and we waited until we got home to eat. Bad idea because it was at least a half hour later, and at that point, I couldn’t choke anything down.
3) I need to work on core strength. I was having shortness of breath like woah during the race and I figured out that it was because I was slouching (from tiredness). I won’t slouch if I have a stronger core.
Overall though, this was a GREAT race. The support from the town was amazing, tons of people out cheering for the runners, every last one. I didn’t have the best race ever but the crowd kept my mind distracted and happy. It is also cool that it is a smaller race but still long. It is hard to find small, long races (over 5K). The entry was only $20 also making it very affordable. I will definitely consider it again! Though my calves aren’t too sure about all that beach running we did!
And just another fun thing this week, the Mars Rover landed! In case you are wondering why I am reporting this in my blog is because the group I work with at school is part of the research team. Yeah, I know, I never told you guys before. But this meant there was a press conference Monday morning with my professor and I even had to talk to some journalists about what I do on the project. Very interesting day!
Time to be off. My planning and cooking is all sorts of off this week. Hopefully tonight I will have time to remedy that. I also started P90X yesterday so you can expect a review coming up soon. I just have tons of things to do this week and it feels like no time!
Have you ever gotten sick because of exercise?
I often get sick after a run. I still haven’t figured out if it is dehydration or lack of food. I skipped the Gu on this race so that might have been a factor. And an after run snack of bananas and water doesn’t give me enough to work with!
Once you (anybody normal) runs or swims (something very strenuous) about an hour, even if starting out fully hydrated and “fuelled”, you burn through the available resources. This varies by individual but it’s about an hour into it.
I get weird at about 80 minutes, so I learned (when I was running that long, not walk-running) that about 45 minutes in, I started SIPPING some very, very watered down Shakeology. It was about 35cal of S in a pint of water but that’s all I needed, if I started at 45 minutes and then after I was done, I grabbed 70 cal or so of it and drank in another pint 🙂
I was fully hydrated to start every time and I replenished afterwards but definitely 2 pints were done during/ right after.
And yes, I’ve vomited many times WHILE running when I ate anything within 2 hours of running (back when I regularly ran). I’d barf and keep going.
I was actually doing a little experiment on myself for this run, seeing how I reacted to being without the Gu but with only Gatorade (seeing if the sugars and stuff in that would be enough). I completely forgot to use my amino acids drink though which I have used practically since I started running. I need a new canister though and want to get either unflavored to mix with Gatorade or the Accelerade which has both amino acids and carbs. Maybe the protein would have helped! And a Gu. See, it was a great “learning” run for marathon training. I did everything wrong! LoL!
~Ang
what a fun race!and rob is doing amazing with his running! recently I have been craving protein like its my job! I think cutting out the junk food is helping me eat SOOOO much better!
Way to go – and I hope you’re drinking up LOTS now! I was in the sun for like the last four days and I have been guzzling all day now! 🙂
That seems like a great race! I’ll have to keep it in mind for next year…we have friends with a family beach house at SIC. Maybe have to convince them to do it too! I’m always trying new things with runs, especially fuel…I think that I’ve got it good now, I pack coconut water and plain water in my belt and Accel-Gel as my fuel. They don’t seem to bother my belly with the sugar as much as when I use the Accelerade and Gel…try some coconut water – has some good stuff in it for running, too!