bonk bonk

I bought a new shirt and new socks, just got my new heart-rate monitor and I was all rested-up. Everything was in place for my 20-miler Saturday morning. I was going to leave the house at 6 AM, but I didn't actually take off until 9:45. "No big deal", i thought. Boy was I wrong.

Saturday was one of those days where you think Spring passed us by and Summer is already here (or so it felt). Actually, the temp only climbed to the mid 80s, but when you're used to running in 50-60 degree temps, a change like that can have some harsh effects. Sure, i had water with me, but it lasted only an hour. I would have re-filled it, but where are the water fountains when you need them??? I got about 9 miles into the run and started to overheat. I slowed my pace, but my heart rate continued to hover around 165. Then (despite my slower pace), my heart rate rose to over 170. I got scared so I stopped running altogether. It took 10 mintues for the rate to drop to below 140. For the next 5 miles, I'd run until my heart rate climbed to 175, then I'd walk until it dropped to 150, then I'd run again,...etc... Finally, I called Mende and asked her to come get me. I made it 15 miles.

THE TOLL: Dehydration, sun burn, blistered right foot, bruised ego

I figured that i would not push myself unnecessarily during a training run. If I were on the marathon course, I'd have fluids every mile and trained paramedics ready to intervene if things got too bad. This was not the time to "push it".