On Saturday, it was a very hot day. I had planned to get up early, and be out the door by 8 AM to avoid as much heat as possible. I got up early, but closer to 5:30 AM when my toddler fell out of bed. Broken-hearted and feeling awful, I didn't fall back to sleep for a while. Even though it was very cool that early in the morning, I wasn't ready to lace up and head out. I was way too tired to even think about it, to be honest.
Once my toddler fell back to sleep, I was up for a while longer. I think I fell back to sleep around 7 AM. My husband knew I was planning to head out for an early run. He kept asking if I was going to go. I kept saying I would go later. I knew each extra minute I could get for sleep would lead to a hotter run, but I also knew I couldn't run on not enough sleep.
I finally got up around 9:30 AM. My toddler slept until then so I took advantage of it. I got up, threw on my running clothes, and headed out the door. I was headed to the trail and getting started at 10 AM, a full two-hours later than I had planned. It was already in the 80s. I had used www.mapmyrun.com to figure out where the 4 mile mark would be, so I would know to turn around. I started my run with a bottle of grape Powerade Zero. It was a 32 ounce bottle. I had taken some swigs of it before I started the run.
By the time I had finished the five miles, I had finished the bottle of Powerade Zero. I was very hot and sweaty, and still had three more miles to go. I had to slow down. I knew I was burning more fuel than I had stored. It was not looking too good. I had wished that I had taken smaller swigs of my Powerade Zero. I was SOOOOOO thirsty. After about 6 miles, I had slowed way down. It was more of an attempt to not pass out than anything else. I even convinced myself to walk a little, about 25 steps. I never walk on my runs. I feel like it diminishes the purpose of being out there for me. I really had no choice and I had to "allow" myself to walk a few steps. I was about 1/4 mile away from Maverik.
When I got to 6.5 miles, there was the Maverik. I ran across the street with my empty Powerade Zero container. I went inside, visibly covered in sweat. I asked permission to fill my container with ice water. I didn't want to just assume that it was okay to do. The woman was more than accommodating and told me there was some water on the fountain drinks. I thanked her. She told me it comes out really cold. I grabbed some ice and put it through the opening at the top of the bottle and filled my container.
I started drinking my water before I even got outside. It was one of the best tasting bottles of water I had ever had. This could be caused by me really needing hydration. As I waited for the "walk" sign to cross the street, I drank some more water. I also rubbed the bottle on my forehead and neck. It felt so good! I knew that I would be able to finish the last 1.5 miles.
The run took about 1 hour and 46 minutes, which included the stop at the Maverik. By the time I had gotten home, the temperature was in the mid-90s. I had wished that I could plant trees all along the trail so in about 10 years, I could have shade the whole way. There are nice parts of the trail with shade, but there is a lot of areas without any shade. When it was so hot, shade would have been wonderful!
I was sure to "tweet" @Maverik_Inc to thank them for the free ice water on the eight mile run. Maverik is like the old "Uni Mart" in my hometown in western New York. It is like a 7-11 or a Country Fair. There are several located in the area. I have loved Maverik since I was in college. We always enjoyed their bread. Anyway, back to the run, I did finish the eight miles. It was the first time I have run eight miles since 2010. I was happy to have completed it, even though it took a bit longer than I expected. I have to run eight miles again this Saturday. I am hoping it is cooler then!
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