Believe to Achieve

Since I am changing MP to next weekend I ran this conservatively and THANK GOODNESS I did or I would have been admitted to the hospital for IV fluids.  HOLY MOLY did the TEMPS start to sore.  Again I had to be there for my kids this morning so I didn't leave my house to drive to the mouth of the canyon until just before they left with my husband to school at 8:50am.  I arrived at 9:02.  Left for the ascent at 9:05 am and ran up 6.5 miles!!!  I ran so slowly because the first few steps I was completely thinking I should go back home and forget the 20 miler today.   I just wasn't into it.  There was a great WARM  head wind for the first four miles up and the sun was intense in the unshaded areas.  I tried to stay focused and didn't care what my pace was.  My legs began to feel light and fluffy.  And my shoes (not my new ones) were like I was on squishy pancakes.  After a while it became harder and harder to run in these old pair of mizuno precision with well over 500 miles on them.   You should see the "nonexistent" tread on them, especially the forefoot.  They felt way too squishy.  No shock abosorbment going on.  Just squish.  I fatigued way too early in this run and when I hit the valley in the 94+ degree weather--- survival run is what became the point here.  I stopped at the bathroom at the Golf Course bathroom and put my hat  AND shirt under the faucet.  In fact I already had stopped six times before this point, although they were short for the most part, less than a minute except at the top.   I was utterly losing it in this heat.   When I finished leg cramps hit me hard so I knew I was not getting enough water.  But I did at the finish take in over half of a 32 ounce gatorade.  I got on the scale and had lost over 3 pounds!!!  NOT good.  So I kept drinking and drinking but then felt like puking.  So I took slow sips.  The water at the high school I gulped and gulped and gulped and couldn't get enough.  It was ICE cold and amazingly refreshing, but I still had almost two miles to go. 8 stops.  What a wimp.  One was only a half mile from my house under a shade tree.  My body was begging to be cooled down.   But you know what, heat is a curse for a runner.  It is not easy to run in the heat.  My gatorade at my car (mile 13) was PUTRID warm   and I took 5 gu chomps and ate one every four or so miles.  This run was only easy until mile 6.5.  My six MP miles downhill were fine but I was too hot.   My muscles didn't ache, my legs just weren't in the mood to turn over.  So at least I averaged 6:42 for those.  I thought  I might try two more but that was enough.  The valley heat was just too intense.  The only other people I saw out there was one couple and several bikers enjoying the cooling wind when riding downhill fast.  AP UP NICE AND EASY, it really did feel quite wonderful after the first .5 miles--6.5 miles at 9:04 AP.   1/2 mile easy downhill before starting  the  6 MP miles.  Then 6 miles @ 6:42 AP--splits:  6:56, 6:58 (can't seem to run fast), 6:43, 6:40, 6:35, 6:33.    The rest were 7:30s until the last four or so miles at  8  (8:02, 8:02, 8:02, 8:18)  with the last .8 at 7:56.  DOWN AP for 13.8 miles= 7:27 AP.  Total miles 20.8 @ 7:56 AP.  Talk about heat killing my pace.  I guess in the heat like this you are to factor in being at least 30 to 60 seconds slower per mile so I will try to be positive here.  What a morning!!!   Leg cramps gone now.  Totally hydrated.  I even sweated up a storm vaccuming.  My AC is on so I must be a bit hormonal here.