Thursday, March 6, 2014

I Predict a Sweaty Mess

All day long I have been trying to get my ass in gear to get out of town. Leaving town is always a huge stressor because I am trying to tie up 49,000 loose ends and it is impossible to make those all nice, smooth knots.

Who is giving the kids rides? Did I finish that report? Is my skid mark cleaned out of the toilet? Why do I have a headache? Am I getting sick? Shit. I forgot to do that load of laundry. What will I wear on race day? What if I forget my shoes and earplugs?

IMAG2740

I am, however, very excited about the weekend. That is why I am wearing this shirt around even though I haven’t technically RUN LA (marathon) yet. Big faux pas. Couldn’t care less. It’s a cool shirt and I could die in my sleep, so I better carpe diem.

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I am also excited to meet my Asics LA Marathon Blogger Team Challenge team members including:

Brian from Pavement Runner
Monica from Run, Eat, Repeat
Rachel from Running Rachel
Jess from Race Pace Jess
Ryan from I Tri Because I Can
Jamie from Fit Approach
Mark Newman
Anne from Fannetastic Food
Kristin from STUFT Mama
Michele from NYC Running Mama

ASICS @Marathoner

There you have it. A team of my peers. Fellow bloggers and runners. I am proud to say I think I am the oldest of the group. By many years. Oh, well. As long as no one throws Depends my way (might be a good idea actually) or tells me their mother is my age, I will be fine.

Ironically, after bitching about the ice, cold, snow and wind for the past three months, I am now worried about the opposite…HEAT. It is supposed to now by 83 degrees on Sunday. That is perfect weather for sipping a margarita by the pool or running naked through sprinklers (you all do that, right?), but not ideal for running a marathon.

In fact, I have never run a marathon in that kind of heat. The warmest it’s ever been for my marathon is 65 degrees in Phoenix in January.  So basically I will be a sweaty mess along with 25,000 other sweaty messes. One big collective mass of B.O.! Or as Ken would say, “Nut soup!” (at least for those with nuts) – 50%?

I had to go back and read a post I did a over a year ago called, “How To Run In The Heat And Not Die.” Because that really is the point. To not die. Right? Reading this, I learned a lot from myself:

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Okay, time to pack some more. More from here hopefully tomorrow or Saturday if I am not busy laying around.

Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows

What is the hottest marathon you’ve ever run?

Any tips for me for doing 26.2 miles in the heat?

SUAR

43 comments:

  1. Did the Phoenix Rock N Rock when it topped out at 75 when we crossed the finish line. Which, coincidentally enough, was the perfect temperature for drinking beer.

    Odd how that works.

    But the record was 116 when we finished Hotter N'Hell in Wichita Falls, TX (on bikes)...nothing really pleasant to say about that.

    Except, of course, for the free beer at the end.... :-)

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  2. I believe it was 80+ when I finished the Chicago Marathon in 2010. Pretty sure it was already in the 70s at the start line. I never want to run a marathon in that kind of heat again.

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  3. Make sure you high five Jesus!! I think I saw him somewhere after the halfway mark, but before it got brutal (for me, 19+ miles) - everything else in the middle was a haze so I don't remember exactly. I'm not sure if he's out there every year, but I saw him when I ran in 2012 and I heard he was there last year, so I'm hoping you will see him this year! I don't think he will help you with the heat though...

    And just so we're clear, it's a guy dressed like Jesus, not marathon-induced delirium...I think...

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    1. Rats. Here I was all excited about putting LA on my list so I could see Jesus.

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    2. I saw him in 2012...but didn't realize he was at every LA Marathon!

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  4. I'm running LA too, and it's my first.....joy! I kind of picked this marathon as my first partly because it was early March.....I should have known.

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  5. I feel your pain. I moved to Guam a year ago and am still trying to get used to the heat (we're just above the equator, so it's in the high 80's and humid by 10 am most days. I'm running a marathon in April and I am concerned about the heat... just going to take it slow and do my best.

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  6. I ran a sprint triathalon in June in Raleigh. It was in the 90's when we finished. The people who live in the neighborhood do set sprinklers on.
    BTW….it sucks!

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  7. That's about how hot it was, and pretty humid too, at the Miami-Keys Ragnar this year. So dress lightly, hydrate, and don't forget sunblock!

    And 85 and humid is a typical Florida summer run… unless you get out before the sun comes up, and sometimes even then.

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  8. I ran an October marathon in 2011 here in Nova Scotia (was 48 years old at the time) - was 82 degrees and I could not finish as I too am not a good heat runner. I started walk-running at 13mi and it became more walking until I had to actually stop at 25miles. Thank god someone sent help back for me ......... but I am sure you will be fine !!

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  9. Dump a cup of water on your head at every water stop. It really does help.

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  10. Good luck, Beth!

    Wear a white hat and make it wet at the aid stations. Your head will feel cooler. Also pour water over your wrists.
    And yes, you might have to slow down a bit.

    Hi from Austria
    Gabrielle

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  11. Ha, I was in LA last weekend and the high was 55-60 with off and on showers-- I wish we could've swapped weekends! You'll do great; good luck!

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  12. Good Luck! I ran the Steamboat Springs marathon in 2010 and although we started in the mountains at 40 degrees, we finished in the 80s. The worst hills of the race were the last five miles when it was hot, but I would do that race again in a heartbeat. Beautiful!

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  13. Good luck and have a great race. Hopefully the weather is more co-operative than anticipated. Hotest marathon for me was Boston 2012.....gave up "racing" after 1 mile and just enjoyed the experience. Have run other hot ones though and did ok, just stay hydrated and look for shade on the route.

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  14. The weather in LA always gets cooler / foggier / wetter as you get closer to the beach, so even if it's a warmer than you would like at the start, you can be pretty confident that the temperature isn't going to rise much as you make your way toward the beach. I remember standing around last year in shorts and a tshirt at 5 am at Dodger Stadium and thinking that I was screwed but then getting to the finish line and needing a jacket.

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    1. I was going to point this out as well! Yes, it's been warm here and will be warm on Sunday, but it will NOT be 83 so early in the morning along that route. As you get closer to the beach, it will cool down dramatically.

      Unrelated: I am training for a half and am doing 10 miles (Big Bad Scary Distance for me!) on Sunday in a different part of LA. I will think of you and everyone else running the marathon if things get hairy.

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  15. I ran a 50K in MN, and it was over 90 degrees. Unfortunately, though it was a trail race, a good portion of the course went through open meadows, and the sun just sapped the life out of me. I ended up with heat exhaustion, and I really didn't recover from it until that fall when the weather finally got cooler. Probably the only reason I even survived that race was that the aid stations were really well prepared for the heat--they had ice-cold water and gatorade, cups of ice, and buckets of ice water with sponges in them. I hope LA will have good aid stations for you!!

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  16. Start hydrating a couple days before the race! Have a great run!!!

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  17. Best Tip - DO NOT overhydrate in the days leading up to the race. Hydration unfortunately doesn't have much to do with how well you can run in the heat, but it can easily make things go to hell fast. Overhydrating has taken many runners out of a race in a bad way.

    Accept that this won't be a PR. The heat cannot be bargained with, or tricked with fancy supplements. The only thing that works is to slow down.

    3. Have fun and don't stress, and knowing you, you will! I hope you will have a great time out there, Beth.

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  18. Get out there and nail that race. So excited for you! I did a couple races last year that were in the 90s. Bleh. Thankfully they had ice at aid stations and I threw it in my sports bra - worked wonders!!


    Good luck and have a blast!

    Miss you!!!!!!!!!!

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  19. Louisville Ironman with feel like temp over 100 degrees. ... take salt stick or ecaps, u probably already know that, but it helps. Hopefully u will be done before it hits the high temp. Good luck!

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  20. Don't know if you ever use Weather Underground (http://www.wunderground.com/) - it has a map that will show temperatures along the route. It's in the 50s every where right now. And as Grace said, it will be cooler in Santa Monica. Good luck!

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  21. I ran RagnarDC last fall when the heat index was 99, seriously. Both days! We were getting texts from the Ragnar folks warning us to check all runners for heat exhaustion. It was the first time I ever ran in just my sports bra (with a tutu, because it's Ragnar, natch). It was so hot I was giving very few $hits about my belly flaps.

    What also helped was wearing a white hat, then saturating that hat in cold water at aid stations, and slapping that blessed cold thing on my head.

    Go get 'em!

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  22. You may be the oldest from the team but you are hands down the funniest! You are going to rock this race. You are an Ironman. LA marathon in 80 degrees has nothing on that!

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  23. Good luck on your race! I wish it was 86 here! Hopefully you start early enough that it won't reach that temp while you are running.

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  24. Can't wait to meet you! I'm also a little worried about the heat sitch... currently trained for sub zero and lots of snow. Yikes! Pumped about that pool, though!

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  25. Good luck! And stay hydrated in the heat

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  26. Boston 2004 and 2012. 2004 was hotter but I managed it better than 2012's blistering suckfest, for some reason. My advice would be to TAKE that advice you listed. Do not think that altitude training will carry you through those temps. Just let it go. Better yet, sign up for another marathon (Colfax again, perhaps? CO Mar?) to take the pressure off of this race. You seem pretty chill about your goals, and this winter has been a beeatch for training, so to have made it this far says A LOT. Just start slow, stay slow, and enjoy the ride. I still went for it in Boston that year and I NEARLY DIED. Ok, slightly overstated it there, but I did barf shortly after finishing. I was in 3:20 shape and ran 4 hrs. SUCKED. I wish I'd just let it go.

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  27. Having lived through marathon training in Florida I will say this...it sucks...but you are beyond strong and will find a way to make it sucktastic :)

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  28. Drink early and often. You will get dehydrated - just try to delay it. Salt / electrolyte tablets if you can as water alone won't keep you going and sports drinks may give you more sugar than you can tolerate (talking for myself here). Did my first olympic tri in 93 degree water followed by 103 degree air for the bike and run* *run = walk for me because every time I tried to do something more, the cramps stopped me. I did finish and shortly after putting my bike in the car, passed out. Result was 3 liters of fluid via IV.
    Did I tell you to drink early and often? And don't forget salt.

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  29. Good luck! I have no helpful hints since my one and only marathon, Chicago, was run in 80 degree heat...and it was not my best race. Looking forward to your race report!

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  30. Haven't run a marathon in the heat, but here in Memphis, I run year around. But I don't run when the heat index is over 106°.

    My tip is to try and keep your brain cool by cooling down the carotid arteries on each side of your neck. Lay out two bandanas on top of each other. Fill with ice and roll up to form a fat sausage.

    Put the "sausage" around your neck and tie in front. 2 bandanas will keep the ice from freezing your neck. The ice will melt and drench your front and back with cold water. The ice will cool your carotid arteries.

    The ice will last about 30 - 40 minutes. That may not seen like much in a marathon, but you may be able to refill the ice at an aid station. It also gives you a 40 minute lead on everyone else before the heat starts affecting you.

    Worse case scenario, you use the bandanas to wipe your face and tuck then in your race belt when running.

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  31. It was 75 degrees at the 1978 New York City Marathon; it just felt like 95. During the 1983 Skyline 50K (the original point-to-point course covering the entire East Bay Skyline National Recreation Trail), finishers at my pace (5:38) coped with temperatures that topped 100 degrees during the final 10 miles leading up to the finish line Lake Chabot Marina in Castro Valley.

    http://gurmeet.net/hiking/hikes/East_Bay_Skyline_National_Recreation_Trail.GoogleMap.html

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  32. Thanks for listing your fellow bloggers!

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  33. Dương cương tốt Trong khoảng ngàn xưa gừng đã có thể sử dụng như là quan hệ bằng miệng bởi hiệu thuốc chữa trị liệt dương nâng cao đẻ lý con

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