A Hot, Hard, Long Run

I set a PR that I didn't want to set during my long run on Monday.

It was hot. But worse than that, it was HUMID. It was THICK. The plan was to do two 10 minute efforts in the middle of my long run, and I figured that was something I could get through. My splits weren't quite as good as when I did this workout 14 years ago (remember that I'm using Coach Jen's workouts from back then to try to have a good TC 10 Mile): over those two 10 min efforts I went 1.69 and 1.70 miles in 2010, and 1.66 and 1.69 miles this year (which were 6:01 and 5:55 pace). Overally NOT TOO BAD based on the conditions, just a LITTLE slower.

When I stopped running hard after the last effort, I didn't stop and walk like I had to 14 years ago, and a minute later I MAYBE got some slight chills. Oh dang. And I was SOAKED with sweat. The run was supposed to not end easy, but at more of a moderate pace, so I was still working a bit. I got home and had to put my shoes on our boot drier because they were soaked through with sweat:

And later in the day, I posted this:

I wish I had weighed myself pre-run... I lost POUNDS of fluid!


The response when I texted my wife.

Later, I looked at how hard my Garmin thought I was working based on the "exerise load" number. It's not something I ever look at for training purposes, but I glance at it now and then... I know that an "easy" run is well under 100 (like usually 65-80). My last 3 long runs before Coach Jen's workouts were just under or over 300, which is pretty standard:

Long runs usually average just under 300.

My 2 long runs that were Coach Jen's workouts were less, as they didn't have EXTENDED lengths of running hard (something that I've realized makes it go higher):

My last 2 long runs, Aug 11 and 18.

But this hot and sweaty run on Monday wasn't in the mid- or upper-300s, but it crossed into the 400s for the first time ever!!!

Wild run! Glad I made it through the rest of the week!...