It's Been a While!

Despite my better judgment, I did my first long run this morning in preparation for the October half marathon. I probably should have rested this week since I have a triathlon this Saturday, but it was a good reality check for me. It has been 7 years and 3 babies since I last trained for a distance run and I had a forgotten a LOT in that time! The run today reminded me of all of the following.

• Hills glorious Hills: I usually pick a hilly training route. Reason being, tis FAR better to bonk on a hill when training rather than during the race. That being said, I had forgotten just how much of a difference that makes compared to flats (most of you are probably saying, "Well, Duh!"). Currently, I have a strong 5-mile base when on flat ground. After 5 miles of hills today, I wanted to sit down and cry. Drat those hills! Why can't everywhere be flat like Kansas?!?
• Give me Water!: Another key is avoiding dehydration (again, "Well, Duh!! "). Not being the brightest color in the box, I drank and obligatory glass of water prior to heading out the door but did nothing to really hydrate prior to the run. Coincidentally, I had weighed myself prior to the run simply b/c I try to weigh myself once a week. When the end of my run became extremely difficult and my throat was parched, I remembered that I used to weigh myself before and after long runs when I last trained to see how much water I had lost. Goal is to weigh the same pre & post run b/c it means you are as hydrated at the end of the run as you were at the beginning. Unfortunately, I was a whole 2 pounds lighter. While that doesn't sound like much, when you start at 109 lbs and end up at 107, that's approximately 2% of your body weight. I hastily gulped down several glasses of water, but the damage was done and I still have the splitting headache to prove it.
• Cold Sweats: After longer runs I tend to have cold sweats for a few hours afterwards. This is even after I have cooled down from my run and showered. It goes away after 2-3 hours.
• GI Irritability: Something about long runs makes my GI tract feel a tad irritable for a few hours after the run - sometimes for the rest of the day. While it never manifests into sickness, I always feel a little off. Hey, who can blame my gut - after being deprived of water and jostled around for a while it's got reason to be irritable!
• My friend the NSAID: Ibuprofen is my friend when training. We began our relationship when I was training for a marathon and was in the upper teens/low twenties (miles) for long runs. I'd take 4 of him before a run, 4 after, and then 4 every 4-6- hours for the next day. He's a reliable, helpful friend. He and I reunited this morning after a long hiatus. We'll be seeing a lot of each other for the next few months.

Thankfully, I have a little break before my next long run due to the tri this weekend. I'll pick it up again a week from Saturday and will be smarter about preparing for the run and will be ready for the after effects.