Well, it was still 23 degrees when we ran. I could have run a couple of hours later, but I would have been alone, and I wanted the company.
When I set off, I concentrated really hard on my posture and form. The first k was okay, so that bode well... or so I thought. The next k was rather slower, and by the time I had done the third k, I was REALLY slow. I was knackered, my legs felt so heavy, and I just couldn’t get enough oxygen into my lungs. This couldn’t have been more different from Saturday’s Parkrun. Even after 5k, I didn’t feel like this.
I know I was well hydrated. I warmed up properly, I hadn’t eaten for more than two hours before running and I’d had a really good night’s sleep last night. It didn’t help that I had inhaled some sort of flying insect quite early on. This made me keep coughing. It was just a crap run, pure and simple. I had attempted to do some fartlek, but after the first one, I realised I wasn’t up to it.
I have realised that I am not a fair weather runner. I like cool, rainy weather. I can’t wait for autumn to come. Ho hum! Anyway, I’m sure Wednesday’s run will be better... 😬
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MuddledGardener
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At least you tried!! Now you know your limits heat wise, stick to early mornings or later! One set back ... keep on keeping on. You are tougher than you think! 🏃♀️
Phew. 🌞😮 No wonder you felt sluggish. 23 degrees is torture chamber stuff. I have set a definite 20C limit now after dripping my way up the stairs the other day. Far too messy & uncomfortable ever to repeat. 🤣
It’s Swedish for “speed play”. It’s basically messing around going faster for as long or as short as you like, whenever you like. It’s good for increasing speed apparently. 😊
Yes I’m sure it will be 😀 we were on a rest day so went to the beach now a bit burnt 🥵 but nice and relaxed ready for our first run of week 7 tomorrow after work
I don’t want that particular run to be waiting! I hope never to see it again! 😱 I thought consolidation was supposed to get me to a place where running for thirty minutes was supposed to be easy!!!
Don’t beat yourself up about it you will have more running days and some days we do have heavy legs put it this way your doing more than the person sat on the couch 30mins is still very good maybe try some SIS tables they are electrolytes tasty and give you what you have lost through sweating it’s not cheating it helps me as normally I’ve drained after my running and now I’m revitalised instead of being shattered 20 tables in a tube and £7.00 so worth it and will last quite a bit what have you got to loose 😉👍
You put them into your water and what you loose in your sweat which your body needs have read very interesting your body loses electrolytes when it sweats. Chloride, potassium, and sodium are major electrolytes, which are minerals in your blood, urine, and bodily fluids that contain an electric charge. Your body’s cells use electrolytes to carry electrical impulses that help your cells communicate with each other and give you the ability to taste, see, smell, touch, you buy them from Asda google SIS tablets berry flavour and some others are available £7.00 a tube or any good running shop 😉
That I’m not sure but they will be near the protein bars and protein powder and drinks aisle that is were they are at my local one but they are all different if you can’t find them ask one of the Tesco’s staff 😉
What’s a small thing you can do that can have a big effect on your performance? Drink enough water. Our bodies are mostly comprised of fluid, which means that every cell, tissue, and organ needs enough water to function. While plain H20 is the most important part of hydration, you also need electrolytes like potassium and sodium to perform at your best.
Why should you pay attention to hydration?
Hydration is necessary to maintain peak performance. Water regulates your body temperature, lubricates your joints, and transports nutrients throughout your body. Staying hydrated is particularly important during exercise because you lose water through sweat. The longer and more intensely you work out, the more necessary it becomes to get fluid into your body. When you don’t replenish your fluids, it becomes harder for your heart to circulate blood. A decrease in blood and plasma volume can contribute to muscle cramps, dizziness, fatigue, heat stroke, and heat exhaustion.
In addition to water, your body loses electrolytes when it sweats. Chloride, potassium, and sodium are major electrolytes, which are minerals in your blood, urine, and bodily fluids that contain an electric charge. Your body’s cells use electrolytes to carry electrical impulses that help your cells communicate with each other and give you the ability to taste, see, smell, touch, and hear. InsideTracker measures potassium and sodium in your blood to help you maintain your well-being and to reach your personal fitness potential.
Do athletes have any special hydration requirements?
If you’re an athlete, how much water should you drink? The answer varies depending on how much and how intensely you exercise – and how much you sweat. However, there are ways to gauge whether you’ve hydrated enough.
One way is to monitor your urine. Light-colored urine means you’re probably adequately hydrated, but dark, concentrated urine can indicate that you’re not drinking enough water. Weigh yourself before and after workouts – weight loss that occurs directly after a workout is likely to be caused by a fluid reduction.
During the first hour of exercise, you should rehydrate with water. Many athletes use these basic guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine as a reference point, and then adjust their water intake to fit their hydration needs:
At least 4 hours before exercise, drink about 2-3 milliliters (mL) of water or a sport beverage per pound (lb) of body weight. For instance, a 150-lb athlete needs to drink 300-450 mL, which equals about 10-15 ounces of liquid Consume approximately 8 oz of fluid every 15 minutes After exercise, consume about 16-24 fl oz of fluid for every pound of body weight lost during exercise.
Why is sodium important?
Many people associate sodium with high blood pressure, heart disease, and canned foods, but it serves important functions in keeping your body healthy:
Maintains fluid balance in your cells
Helps to transmit nerve impulses throughout your body
Helps muscles contract and relax
Because sodium is found in so many foods, it’s fairly uncommon to develop a sodium deficiency unless you’re having a bout of excessive vomiting or diarrhea. If you’re losing a lot of water, you’re probably also losing a lot of sodium too. Symptoms of a sodium deficiency include muscle cramps, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and inability to concentrate. Drinking too much fluid, especially plain water, can result in hyponatremia, a dangerous condition in which there is not enough sodium in your body fluids. If the deficiency really becomes serious, the body can go into shock and the circulatory system can collapse.
Conversely, if our diets contain too much sodium, our body tissues tend to retain water. For reference, the 2012 American Heart Association recommended that people consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day – just a bit more than 1/2 teaspoon of salt. For comparison, a medium order of fast food French fries contains about 260 milligrams of sodium. A recent study reported that Americans are consuming even more sodium – 8% more in 2010 than in 2001. Consuming too much salt can cause the kidneys to retain water, which can sometimes result in increased blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.
Why is potassium important?
In addition to helping to maintain a proper fluid balance in your body, potassium also performs the following functions:
Keeps the blood from clotting
Maintains the body’s pH balance
Carries nutrients to the cells
Protects the stomach lining from the damage that could be caused by stomach acids
Maintains healthy blood pressure
Promotes heart health
Preserves bone health
Athletes should be especially concerned with their potassium intake; potassium plays a role in the storage of carbohydrates to fuel your muscles. In addition, the frequency and degree to which your muscles contract depends heavily on having the right amount of potassium in the body. When you don’t get enough potassium in your diet, or when the movement of potassium through the body is blocked, your nervous and muscular systems can become compromised. The Adequate Intake (AI) for potassium is 4.7 grams per day, but most Americans don’t consume enough potassium in their diets.
One reason for our low potassium levels is that Americans generally don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. Bananas are a great source of potassium which helps to promote muscle recovery. Fresh fruits, especially citrus and melons, and vegetables, especially leafy greens and broccoli, are also rich in potassium. You can also find the mineral in fish, most meats, and milk. Sweet potatoes and legumes like lima and kidney beans are also high in potassium.
Because you lose potassium through sweat and urination, you need to be consuming these potassium-rich foods each day, especially if you’re an athlete. Low potassium levels can reduce your energy and endurance. A recent Australian study with highly trained athletes showed that drinking a caffeinated beverage immediately before exercise can help to maintain adequate potassium levels in your blood and delay fatigue during your workout.
Your body will definitely let you know if you’re not hydrated. If you’ve been experiencing muscle cramping or high levels of thirst, get your potassium and sodium levels checked with an InsideTracker Plan. If your potassium or sodium levels are not optimal, InsideTracker will provide you with recommendations about what to change in your diet, and introduce you to some new foods that can help.
Hydro is designed to ensure you are effectively hydrated to produce your best performance. As an effervescent tablet that readily dissolves in plain water, it represents a highly practical approach (simply drop one tablet in your 500 ml water bottle) without the calories.
Hydro meets your sodium requirements at a specific concentration (30mmol/L) that is scientifically proven to produce superior hydration compared with water alone. It was developed to keep the British Sailing team optimally hydrated at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Simply drop a tablet into water for effective hydration, with virtually no calories, before and during sports.
Key Features
• Simply drop in water to provide a high electrolyte drink
• High in sodium to help promote hydration
• When hydration is required without the added calories
• Contents: 20 x 4.3g Tablets
Hydro + Caffeine
The addition of 75mg of caffeine has been repeatedly shown by sport scientists to improve performance by providing both a physical and mental boost.
Key Features:
• Simply drop in water to provide a high electrolyte drink
"It didn’t help that I had inhaled some sort of flying insect quite early on. This made me keep coughing. It was just a crap run, pure and simple."
I know I shouldn't laugh but 😂🤣.. Sorry MG, I love reading your posts, good runs and bad runs. You've just had a bad run MG! Honestly, it doesn't matter how long you've been running you always get them... But you'll have awesome runs as well. 😁
Great job... I went out this afternoon and barely managed 2 miles, that heat is not nice, I struggled to keep the breathing right and found that I couldn’t slow it enough to get back on top of it all. You ran longer than me today, I’m a little in awe. Hopefully cooler for our next runs.
Well, you did run and some attempts don't make us feel the love for what ever reason. 🤷♂️ You know you can run, and run even better when the conditions are cool 😊
I don't mind the heat but the humidity makes breathing really really hard sometimes, once you start worrying about your breathing it all goes downhill for me. Then the heat can be draining. Heat and humidity together is just horrid. So huge kudos to you for even getting out there.👏
Thank you! Unfortunately, our pub only opens at the weekend, as it’s a community pub, although it opens on Wednesday’s as a special dispensation to the runners, as one of our members is a driving force in the pub, and has to get the beer ready for Friday! 😁
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Ha ha !
Consolidation 17 - not my best run ✂️
20 minute run...DONE
30 minute run after AGES
First consolidation run
Week 8 Run 3 - Best run yet
