M4T W15 Results

I knew I was going to make some changes to this week's schedule.  I received a phone call early Sunday morning letting me know a family friend had passed away.  Her funeral was yesterday in my home town, 220 miles away.  I made the trip in a single day, so about 11 hours of driving and sitting.   I also decided to do my last long run tomorrow - there is a route I want to do but it's a pretty busy road Monday through Saturday, it's also very dark but with the time change in the morning it should be perfect!

Sunday - Rest Day
Results: Rested

Monday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results: Rode 9.3 miles in 44:51, 12.4 mph
This is the first time I have worn a jacket and full finger gloves this Fall.  I think it was about 55 out - I was very happy!

Tuesday - Intervals - 10-11 miles w/8 x Yasso 800
Results:  Ran 3.78 miles in 46:23, 12:16 pace
I don't even remember why this run was so bad or why I didn't do intervals!  I guess it's been a long week.   I did get some great pictures of the sunrise.

Wednesday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results:  Rested
I was really tired this week and decided my body needed the extra rest more than it needed a three mile run.

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results:  Ran 5.02 miles in 1:02:27, 12:27 pace
Santa Ana winds started blowing again, worse than last week.  I wanted to run on Thursday to prove that I actually could run and not trip!  The wind made the adventure extra special as I was dodging downed branches and tumble weeds, but I did not trip!

Friday - Rest day
Results:  Sat, sat and sat some more!

Saturday - LSD 8 miles (10:35-10:50 pace)
Results:  Rode 10.52 miles in 49:50, 12.7 mph
It felt good to move again.  I was pretty stiff after yesterday so I'm glad I didn't plan to run today.

Total planned miles 26
Actual
Running  8.8
Cycling 19.82
Total 26.62

Year to date I am now at 1,706.74 miles.  Less than 300 miles to hit my 2,000 mile goal for the year!  Total miles for October - 190.40.  I'm ready for the time change - as a morning exerciser I don't like it as dark as it has been lately.  So don't forget to set your clock back tonight (unless you live in Hawaii or Arizona!)  And while you're at it...

REI to Close on Black Friday

I read a really interesting article on USA Today - "Outdoor gear and sporting goods retailer REI is canceling Black Friday this year. No promotions, no hourly sales, no doorbusters, no waiting in line. In an unprecedented move for the modern-day holiday shopping season, REI's 143 stores will be closed the day after Thanksgiving. The co-op business plans to launch a campaign Tuesday encouraging people to forgo shopping to spend time outside instead. With the hashtag #OptOutside, REI will ask people to share what they're doing on Black Friday on social media."

I love this!  I have never done the Black Friday thing.  I think I got up once, before I was married, and was at a store at 6:00 a.m., which was really early back then!  I was looking for one item.  I bought it and went back home.

We've spent several black Fridays traveling, but we have also opted outside quite a bit.  We were at Yosemite in 2009:

We did some cycling on the Pacific Coast Highway in 2010:

We rented bikes in Mexico Beach, Florida in 2011:

We were back at Yosemite in 2012:

We were back in Mexico Beach in 2013 and I did some running while Les went cycling:

Last year we stayed home and I don't have a single picture, but my training log shows that I ran 4 miles then rode 8.6 miles!

Will you #OptOutside, go shopping on Black Friday, or a little of both?

M4T W15

This is week 15 of training. After this week, race day will be one week away. From here you'll have all easy miles and rest. This week you'll really start to feel the effort drop off, as you have three easy, short runs and two days of rest, and your long run will be just 8 miles. You'll hit the track for one last last set of Yasso 800's. As tough as it may be, resist the temptation to do more—you've done all the hard work of training to get fit. Now's the time to let your body adapt to the training stresses so that you can show up to the starting line strong, energized, and ready to run your best. Today you have the option of resting or running easy.

Sunday - Rest Day

Monday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Tuesday - Intervals - 10-11 miles w/8 x Yasso 800
2-mile warmup
6-8 x Yasso 800 @ 4:00 with 400-meter recovery jog
2-mile cooldown

After a two-mile warmup, run 8 x 800 meters with 400-meter recovery jogs in between. Cool down with two miles of easy running. The total distance for the day should add up to about 10 miles.

Wednesday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Friday - Rest day

Saturday - LSD 8 miles (10:35-10:50 pace)

Total planned miles 26

M4T W14 Results

I am now just two weeks away from marathon #4!  I feel like this training cycle has flown.  After last week's insomnia, I took an extra rest day.  The temps have dropped significantly with most mornings in the upper 50s ~ that is my sweet spot!

Sunday - Rest Day
Results: Rested

Monday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results:  Rested

Tuesday - Intervals - 10-11 miles
Results:  Ran 7.71 miles in 1:26:13, 11:11 pace
Plus 1.21 miles cool down.

Wednesday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results: Rode 12.58 miles in 1:20:56, 9.3 mph
I hadn't ridden on the trail in over a month.  It was a quiet, peaceful morning.  I saw one runner with her dog, bear tracks, and a beautiful deer.

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results: Ran 4 miles in 42:00, 10:30 pace
I am embarrassed to admit this, but I tripped AGAIN!  This was at the end of my run (3.89 miles) and I was going UP a slight hill.  My toe caught a crack in the road and down I went!  My hands are much worse this week than last week.  Moral of the story?  Don't run on Thursday!  I had been thinking about my upcoming marathon.  It has been in the low 40s at the start this past week, so I have been contemplating wearing gloves or not.  My hands usually sweat really bad, so gloves only last a mile or two.  But now I'm wondering if I need to wear them for protection!

Friday - Rest day
Results: Rested
I thought I might do an easy bike ride but decided my hands needed a little more rest.

Saturday - LSD 16 miles or 5k Race (10:35-10:50 pace)
Results:  Ran 14 miles in 2:48:46, 12:03 pace, then walked 2 miles home.
I'm blaming my taper on today's run.  I never got into a groove.  I spent the first 6 miles worrying I was going to trip again, then I hit some hills which slowed me.  Around the 10 mile mark, I started running downhill, right into a head wind!  My GI was fine but legs felt really heavy.  It was warmer today than it had been all week, with a slight Santa Ana wind condition (my least favorite!)  I ran out of water right before mile 14 and decided that was all the running I was going to do today.  Again, blame it on the taper!

As I was finishing up this post, my daily email from TrainingPeaks came in.  Talking about taper time it said, "But whatever you do, don't do any new activities. Even if it seems like a harmless activity, like Pilates or yoga, now's the time when you're most vulnerable to injury. Just stay healthy and safe and watch your step!"  Yeah, I'm watching my step!

Total planned miles 38
Actual
Running 26.92
Walking 2.00
Cycling 12.58
Total  41.50

How Many Calories Did I REALLY Burn?

I've always read that running burns about 100 calories per mile.  That is a very arbitrary number.  There are so many factors involved and each individual is different.  I've had three different watches that read my heart rate from a heart rate monitor and calculated calories burned.  My first one in 2005 was a Polar and it seems like it showed 50-70 calories/mile.  Then I got a Garmin in 2010 and it usually was around 90-100 calories/mile.  I got my Suunto in 2013 and it is 50-80 calories/mile.

I ran three times last week and uploaded my file to Suunto Movescount, TrainingPeaks, Strava, and SportTracks.  Yes, I am a total data geek, what can I say!

Tuesday 7.12 miles:
Suunto  411
TrainingPeaks 1,137
Strava  891
SportTracks 623


Thursday 4.2 miles:
Suunto 302
TrainingPeaks  585
Strava 511
SportTracks  400


Saturday 22 miles:
Suunto 1,117
TrainingPeaks 3,467
Strava 2,676
SportTracks 1,944


On the low end, Suunto gave me 51-72 calories a mile, while TrainingPeaks gave me 139-160 calories a mile!  That's more than double, with Saturday's number being more than triple!  That's very scary to think about if you rely on "calories burned" to determine your calorie intake for the day.  Since I haven't seen much movement on the scale this year, I'm pretty sure my Suunto is the most accurate.  I can only imagine what my scale would be screaming at me if I had allowed myself all those extra calories!

Do you pay attention to "calories burned" after a workout to determine what you consume for the day?

Sleep is a Wonderful Thing.

As I had hoped, my insomnia has gone away.  I slept about 10 hours on Saturday night, took a nap on Sunday then slept about 8 hours that night.  I took my rest day on Sunday and took another one yesterday.  At this point, missing 3 miles is probably not going to be a game changer on November 7th!  I slept another 8 hours last night and I feel like myself again.

I'm not sure that I'm completely recovered from my loss of sleep because I ended up with two different colored socks on this morning.  I showed Les just before I left and said, "If these intervals go good today, I'm wearing mismatched socks in the marathon!"

Loving my Bombas socks!

We are finally started to cool off.  Perfect temp this morning:

Today's interval workout was called the Mile Breakdown. 2 mile warm up, then 1 x 1600/ 1 x 1200/ 1 x 800/ 1 x 400/ 1 x 1200/ 1 x 800/ 1 x 400.  The goal pace is basically 2 minutes for each 400 meters.  So 8 minutes for 1600, 6 for 1200, etc. I did my 2 mile warm up and noticed it was a bit breezy, in my neighborhood that means things could get a little crazy.   But this quote from Runner's World really inspired me yesterday:

Here's hoping that these hard paces will feel great on race day!  So how did they go?
 
1600 8:14
1200 6:16
800  4:36
400  2:09
1200 5:55 - I said, "yes!" out loud when I saw this one!
800  4:04
400  2:00 - fist pumped this one and looked up to see Les riding his bike towards me!

So happy to see the times on those last three intervals!  It's funny how the first couple of intervals always seem to take forever, then before I know it I'm done.  

Mismatched socks for the win!

M4T W14

This is week 14 of training. After this week, race day will be two weeks away. Your taper officially begins. You have four easy runs, one to two days of rest, and the game breaking "Mile Breakdown" workout. Your long run will drop back to 16 miles but you can opt out for a 5k race..

The best approach to tapering is: Rest, don't rust. Strike a balance between resting to let your body adapt to the stresses of training and get stronger, but log enough challenging miles to maintain the fitness you've spent the past four months developing. A lot of marathoners make the mistake of running too much during the taper, and get injured in the final miles before the start. Others taper too much and feel sluggish at the starting line. You want to keep your fitness level sharp, but you also want to steer clear of injury. Stick to the plan, and you should get to the starting line feeling fresh, strong, and ready to run your best.

Sunday - Rest Day

Monday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Tuesday - Intervals - 10-11 miles
2 miles easy running
1x1 mile(1600) at 7:50-8:00 pace with 800 easy run rec
1x1200 @ 5:52 pace with 400 easy run rec.
1x800 @ 3:55 pace with 400 easy run rec.
1x400 @ 1:56 pace with 400 easy run rec.
1x1200 @ 5:52 pace with 400 easy run rec.
1x800 @ 3:55 pace with 400 easy run rec.
1x400 @ 1:56 pace with 400 easy run rec.
1-2 miles easy running

Today is your Mile Breakdown workout and you'll need to keep the early intervals under control so that you can finish the workout strong

Wednesday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Friday - Rest day

Saturday - LSD 16 miles or 5k Race (10:35-10:50 pace)
You may feel like you can run longer than 16 miles. It's best to stop at 16. This is a good time to review your training log. Add up all the miles you've logged on the way to the starting line, and draw confidence from all that you've accomplished, the fitness you've developed, the friends you've made, and the commitment you've already fulfilled. It amounts to way more than anything that could ever be measured on a finish-line clock!

You can instead, find a local 5k to practice going through your race day plan. This is recommended and if you're able to race a 5k follow this plan:
3 miles easy running
5k race
3 miles easy running
You can expect to be close to 25:12 for your 5k (depending on terrain and weather) so try to stay around 8:07 for your first mile.
* don't worry about the difference in total miles, the race and the experience will have your revved up for marathon day.


Total planned miles 38

It Wasn't Pretty, but It's Done. 22 Miles!

I've been both dreading and looking forward to today's run. 22 miles is a long way to run without a finish line waiting for you! Training Peaks said this about today's run: "Just focus on finishing. Remember, this is your last long run. When you finish, it's tapering time. Many runners mistakenly take advantage of their well earned fitness and run this last long run too fast. DO NOT make that mistake, save that effort for race day. (Pace:10:35-10:50 /mile)"

With that in mind, I planned my route for today's run.  When I leave my house I have two choices - up or down.  I chose to go up,  I knew that would keep me from running too fast.  I also ran with a light for the first 10 miles so I wouldn't fall again.  I was hoping to finish in about 4 hours, that would have been at the upper end of my planned pace.  If you read my weekly recap, you know that didn't happen!

I don't really like to overshare.  (So why am I a blogger, right?)  Anyway, in a nutshell, I am dealing with lots of side affects of peri-menopause, one of the worst being insomnia. Bottom line, I really didn't sleep much all week.  Some nights I'd get about 3 hours, others maybe 6, and those were interrupted.  It was the "stare at the clock and the ceiling" type, not worrying about anything, just not sleeping.  Definitely not enough sleep. It is what it is, other than taking a sleeping pill, there's not much I can do.  Fortunately, this only happens about once every other month so I'm very hopeful that I will be well rested on November 7th.

So, back to my run...

I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and after about 10 minutes of ceiling staring, knew I might as well get going.  I was out the door at 4:45.  My legs felt pretty good, my right knee is a little tender from Thursday's fall, but I can't blame it for slowing me down.

I ran the first 10 miles in 1:54:47, 11:30 pace.  Not great, but not too terrible because this had the biggest hill of the day in it.  I made a pit stop at home and exchanged my light for sunglasses.  I was still feeling pretty good about things at this point.

At the 14 mile mark a made another pit stop at the park.  My GI was a bit off, but I was determined to keep going.  This was my last chance for 20 miles or longer.  Mile 17 was my slowest because I started feeling sick to my stomach again!  I was pretty discouraged and feeling sorry for myself.  I really gave myself a talking to and reminded myself that my Mom went through menopause at the same time she was going through chemo.  That didn't make my stomach feel any better, but it did make me determined to finish!

One last pit stop just before mile 18 and then I was determined to get home.  Luckily I had run a big enough loop that the only way to get home was to finish my 22 miles!  No shortcuts at this point and Les was an hour away on a bike ride.  Mile 20 was my third fastest mile at 10:40. I was happy to see my pace drop to about 9:30 for a little bit during that time.  I hit 22 miles about a quarter of a mile from home but I stopped by watch immediately!  I was done.

I'm starting to wonder if GU is the culprit with my stomach issues.  Until late last year I'd always used Hammer Gel.  I'm going to use Hammer Gel next week and see how I do.  Although I used GU during my 25k and didn't have any problems, so I just don't know what is going on!

I've had several hours to think about this.  While my pace wasn't what I wanted, I'm glad I went the distance.  Surprisingly, my legs aren't feeling too bad.  My plan for the marathon will now include Imodium.

A bunch of data:

22 miles in 4:32:29, 12:23 pace
Ave HR 128
Max HR 151
Calories burned 1,116
1,129 feet ascending
1,207 feet descending
Recovery time 53 hours
Average temperature 76

M4T W13 Results

It's good to be home again!  Nothing like sleeping in your own bed, even with insomnia. This has been a goofy week.  I'm working on a post about today's run and I'll talk about it more there, but I've just been "off" all week.  I really enjoyed getting back on my bike but I didn't find much joy in running.  Three weeks from now marathon #4 will be in the books.

Sunday - Rest Day
Result:  Rested

Monday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Result:  Rode 8.75 miles in 39:55,  13.2 mph
It was so great to be back on my bike!

Tuesday - Intervals - 10-12 miles
Result:  Ran 7.12 miles in 1:28:55, 12:29 pace

Wednesday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Result:  Rested

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Result:  Ran 4.2 miles in 46:08, 10:58 pace

Friday - Rest day
Result:  Rode 8.6 miles in 40:39, 12.7 mph

Saturday - LSD 22 miles (10:35-10:50 pace)
Result:  Ran  22 miles in 4:32:29, 12:23 pace
It wasn't pretty, but I got it done.  Full post coming soon!

Total planned miles 43
Actual
Running:  31.32
Cycling   17.35
Total 50.68

That Time I Tripped On the Sidewalk (Again)

The Insomnia Monster has been back this week.  I haven't had a good night's sleep since Saturday and I'm really tired.  I had 4 miles easy on the schedule, so since I was awake anyway, I headed out while it was still dark out.  My legs were feeling pretty good, while running by the golf course I thought, "It's really dark right here.  I need to be careful so I don't trip."  Not one minute later I was on the ground!

This has happened to me more times than I care to remember!  I've written about here and here and here.

I sat on the ground just shaking my head for about a minute then got up.  My hands were scraped up a little and my right knee was hurting but no major damage.  I was less than a mile from home.  Decision time: turn around and go home, walk, or try to run?  I walked for about a minute then started running again.  I didn't feel too bad so I continued on.  I took a couple of walk breaks but finished with 4.2 miles.  Good enough!  I'm also glad that I had a bone density scan last year and know that my bones are healthy!

So, during this training cycle I have:

• Gotten a huge blister on my foot
• Been attacked by bugs
• DNF'd a long run due to GI distress
• Had a tight hamstring and cramped calves
• Been rained on
• Experienced slight heat exhaustion
• Fallen down and skinned my hands and knee

Everything that can go wrong already has!  Bye bye, Murphy!  You've done your damage, now I'm gonna rock my marathon!!  Either that, or I'll miss the bus to the start like I dreamed about the other night...

To Interval or Not to Interval. Plus, I Get to Run, And Why

While we were finishing up our stay in Hawaii last week one thing I was really looking forward to was coming home to cooler temps.  I kept seeing low 60s in the morning.  That's pretty much perfect.  I got up this morning and checked my weather app:

Oh wait!  That's Honolulu... we're home in Simi Valley now:

This is a cruel trick of Mother Nature!  California hasn't gotten the memo that it's Fall now.  The highs have been in the 90s everyday since we got home and this morning was the warmest yet.  My schedule was intervals.  Mile repeats.  I was ready mentally until I saw the temperature.  That was warmer than last Friday when I started getting heat exhaustion.  I knew it would be a mile by mile decision.  I did my 2 mile warm up then hit the lap button to start running my first interval.  I started pushing the pace and felt okay for about a half mile when my heart rate started ramping up and I started feeling nauseated, again.  I'm really trying to be smart without being a major wimp, so I backed off and just ran easy for 7 miles.  I had water with me, but I think my body is sending early warning signals at this point.

This was a tough decision for me.  I really wanted to see improvement.  I wanted to feel like I was flying again.  But 79 degrees is not the day to find out if heat training has helped.  I got home to an email from MapMyFitness.com.  "6 Highly Effective Habits of a Consistent Runner."  It was exactly what I needed!  Point number one was on point:

1. Listen to your body.
Tweaks, niggles, whatever you want to call them … if your body is warning you that something may be off, don’t ignore it. Often times, when runners fear missing out on training, they’ll run through the pain, which, unless they are some sort of genetic freak, will almost always lead to injury. I prefer to take the cautious route and give any issues time to heal before I hit the road again.
By now, I know my body well enough to decipher between a serious threat and a minor issue. But even so, I’m not hesitant to tend to the sore area for a few days, cross-train, foam roll, get a massage. Sitting out of a workout or two can be frustrating, yes, but it’s a far better option than being forced on the sidelines for months further down the road.

So I'm not the only one who is cautious?  This was written by longtime runner and triathlete, Sarah Wassner Flynn.  I've DNF'd my share of training runs but I've never had a long term injury or stress fracture.  (Knocking on wood here!)  I need to remember this when I'm feeling like a wimp and realize that maybe I'm being smart instead.

One of the many thoughts going through my mind while I was running was, "I get to run."  Running isn't my job, I won't lose a paycheck because I didn't do today's intervals.  PRs and medals are cool, but running is much more than that to me...

On April 27, 1990, I celebrated my 26th birthday (I'll save you the math and tell you I'm 51 now.)  On that same day my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She was 50.  She fought an 8 1/2 year battle and we lost her on October 10, 1998.  My mom gave birth to four children in five years.  She loved her family and put taking care of us ahead of herself.  She struggled with obesity for years and lived a sedentary lifestyle.  I started running about a year before we lost her.  I knew that the odds for me were stacked because of Mom's breast cancer, but I also knew a healthy life style could make a difference.  (I've had annual mammograms since my 30s and they've always been fine.)

Mom's High School Band picture in 1956

I thought a lot about my Mom during this morning's run.  It's been 17 years and I always think about her even more during Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I may never win any races, there are plenty of people who are faster than me, but I still get to run and my number one "why" is for my health.  I'm dedicating the rest of my runs this month to her memory.  She's totally bald in the picture below, wearing a hat that said, "Another Bad Hair Day!"  She never let cancer take away her sense of humor.

What's your "Why" for running?  
Do you run through pain or are you on the cautious side?

Improvement!

I forgot to mention in Friday's post about some major improvements according to Strava.  I knew my first five miles were strong and Strava agreed:

Ala Wai towards Diamond Head PR (14:43) 
This segment is 1.4 miles, pretty much flat, but happens at the beginning of my run.  I have run this 60 times in the past three years and Friday was my fastest!

Monsarrat-18th-Kilauea 6th overall (32:34) 
This was a segment I didn't even know about.  It is 2.7 miles with 156' of elevation gain.  It's the first time I've run it and I was 6th overall.  This included a pit stop - Strava's time doesn't stop if you stop in the middle of a segment, so my moving time was even faster!

Diamond Head Rd to Kilauea Ave via 18th Ave PR (3:21) 
This is a shorter segment, part of the Honolulu Marathon course, so I've run it a few times, including during the marathon.

Kilauea Stretch (Eastbound) PR (13:06)
This is a 1.2 mile segment, also part of the Honolulu Marathon course, so I've run it a few times, including during the marathon.

There are times when I feel like I'm getting stronger and faster and it's so great to see that confirmed!

M4T W13

This is week 13 of training. After this week, race day will be just three weeks away. You will up your Yasso 800's to one mile repeats and complete your last long run of 20-22 miles.

Sunday - Rest Day

Monday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Tuesday - Intervals - 10-12 miles
2 miles easy run
4-5 x 1 mile(1600) @7:50-8:00 pace with 800 easy run rec.
1-2 mile easy run

Today's quality workout will be a series of 1 mile repeats. This is a difficult workout but you are fit and ready for the task.  **If you are on pace through 4, add the 5th. If you're starting to slow down, stop at 4.
Wednesday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)

Friday - Rest day

Saturday - LSD 22 miles (10:35-10:50 pace)
Just focus on finishing. Remember, this is your last long run. When you finish, it's tapering time. Many runners mistakenly take advantage of their well earned fitness and run this last long run too fast. DO NOT make that mistake, save that effort for race day.

Total planned miles 43

M4T W12 Results

I'm four weeks away from marathon #4!  Two long runs in six days time made this an interesting week.  I've done a ton of recovering and walking!  The pictures in this post were all taken during this morning's run. We fly home tonight and I'm looking forward to cool morning temps again.

You can go anywhere on Oahu, just take Tha Bus!

Sunday - Rest Day
Results:  Ran 14.67 miles in 2:47:56, 11:27 pace
The Brio Ice Cream 25k!
Followed that up with a walk to Les' company picnic and back - 2 miles.

Diamond Head

Monday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results:  Rested
Walked 3.94 miles

Tuesday - Intervals - 10-11 miles
Results:  Walked 7.18 miles
I knew I wouldn't do my intervals this close after a race.  My legs were still feeling pretty sore.  I walked 3.4 miles first thing in the morning, then ended up wandering through the Waikiki strip for a while.

The Fountain at Kapiolani Park

Wednesday - 3 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results:  Rested
We were up really late Tuesday night and I decided to sleep in.
Walked 2.03 miles

Thursday - 4 miles easy (10:35 pace)
Results:  Ran 3.12 miles in 33:43, 10:49 pace
I was ready for a run but wanted to take it a little easy with my long run planned for Friday.
Also walked 3.75 miles

The sunrises here...

Friday - Rest day
Results:  Ran 9.2 miles in 1:44:40, 11:23 pace.  Plus walked 2.8 miles for my cool down.
My legs felt so good this morning.  I started off really strong and had an average pace of 10:45 at the five mile mark.  My average heart rate was 149 and I knew I was working hard.  I stopped to top off my water about that time and started feeling nauseated again like I did during Sunday's race.  I ran/walked for the next couple of miles and noticed when my HR was under 140 I felt okay, but when it started climbing so did my symptoms.  I finally stopped my watched at 9.2 miles as I was really suffering.

After a little research, I think I may have been on the verge of heat exhaustion.  One type of heat exhaustion is salt depletion - signs include nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, and dizziness.  I had both nausea and dizziness.  I probably didn't drink enough early on and even though I was taking Endurolytes, I must have needed more.  Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are not something to play around with, it is dangerous to vital organs so continuing on would not have been good.  I also know passing out in Waikiki would have been a really bad idea.

As soon as I got home, I ate a bunch of pretzels and drank a bunch of water.  Normally I would have a protein shake, but that didn't sound good at all, so I finished off the last of our Brio Ice Cream!  I figured I would benefit from all the nutrients provided.  I feel fine now and going home to cooler temps is sounding very appealing right now. 

According to Suunto, I spent 28 minutes at hard effort (127-144 bpm), 1:07:04 at very hard (145-162 bpm) and 1:36 at maximal (above 162 bpm.)  About 8 minutes at easy or moderate. I knew I was working hard.

Saturday - LSD 12 w/6@ tempo (10:35-10:50 pace)
Results:  I know I'll be resting.  Our flight is scheduled to land at LAX at 7:40 a.m. and I'll be a zombie all day.

Total planned miles 37
Actual:
Running 26.99
Walking 25.09
Total 52.08

Brio Ice Cream

Brio Ice Cream was the sponsor of the 25k on Sunday. 

The founders of Brio are twin brothers Ron and Arnie Koss.  Ron devoted 10 years to the product development, engaging some of our best nutritionists and dietitians, as well as renowned ice cream product developers who once led the way for Ben & Jerry’s. Ron and Arnie report that the inspiration for Brio was their mom, Judith Koss. "She loved ice cream and she wanted it to be healthy," said Arnie. "We thought, 'Great idea!' and 'Why not?'"

When Judith actually needed supplemental nutrition to support her health, ice cream as a delicious healthy snack and meal supplement made perfect sense to Ron and Arnie.  "Liquid nutritional shakes had very little appeal to our mom," explained Ron. "And when you don’t like something or don’t have much appetite, an 8 fluid ounce can seems like a lot to drink."

That story right there hits really close to home with me.  I remember my Mom's battle with breast cancer.  Near the end, most foods did not appeal to her and her doctor wanted her to supplement with nutritional shakes as well.  I don't think she ever finished one.

We were given free individual cups of ice cream post race.  I tried the Vanilla-Caramel and while I was gobbling mine down, I looked at the nutritional label in surprise:

That's a lot of nutrients for a half cup of ice cream!  It is advertised as "25 percent fewer calories, half the total fat, 65 percent less saturated fat, 75 percent less cholesterol and 10 percent less sugar when compared to similar flavors of super premium ice creams."  While all that is great, I think it's the added nutrients that push it over the top.  The FAQ page is one of the more informational ones I've seen.

So nutrition aside, how did it taste??  Really good!  I thought the texture was a little firmer.  The lower sugar and fat made it more similar to gelato in my opinion. I took the taste test to the next level when I found it at the local grocery store, Don Quijote.  They had buy one get one free, so I bought Coffee Latte and Tropical Mango.  Les and I sampled both and they were good, too!