Weekly Recap (6/24/13-6/30/13) and How I Survive the Heat on My Long Runs

This picture pretty much sums up my week! This is the biggest reason why I hate training for a winter marathon. I am not a big fan of the treadmill for anything over 6-7 miles but I am sure that I will spending a lot more time with the beloved dreadmill to beat the heat this summer!

I had a decent week with the exception of the heat and I am trying to get my mileage back up again in hopes of squeezing in another marathon by the end of year. Here is how my week turned out.

Run #1: 7.5 miles@ 8:46 on the TM: Had to stay late at work to attend a City Council Meeting. Since I live 40 miles away from work, I left work at my regular time and drove to the gym which is about 4 miles away from my office. I got my run in, took a shower and then headed back to work. No excuses, right?

Run #2: 7.5 miles@8:29. I got my first taste of the early morning heat on this run. I wanted to get a run in before we headed to Disneyland and at 6:00 am it was already 70+ plus degrees out there.

Run #3: 15 Miles @ 9:15. I planned this run for Saturday morning, as you can see above it was a hot day! Sunday was supposed to be even hotter so I stuck with it, but it was not easy and was probably one of the toughest runs that I have experienced in quite a while. The temperature was 73 when I started and was 84 by the middle of the run. I kept the pace easy because I knew if I didn't I wouldn't be able to complete the planned 15 miles. I drank some chocolate milk after my run and it hit the spot!

Next week I am shooting for a long run of 18 miles at a faster pace but if the heat is still a factor then I will definitely be taking it easy!

Total: 30 Miles

How do you survive your long runs during the summer months?

I map out the shadiest routes I can find, wear sunscreen at all times, wear the least amount of clothes that I legally can and stay hydrated. I even have my spots wear I stop to refill my water bottles. I get some crazy looks when I walk in all sweaty and beet red! Here is one of my spots where I always stop to refill my bottles. Can you guess where this is at? I will give you a hint...it starts with Mc..

If you run your long summer runs on the treadmill, what is your record distance on the mill?

My record distance on the treadmill is 13.1 miles