Science or Art?

The schedule called for nine miles. I started running at 10am with intentions of logging at least ten miles today (total distance would be closer to 13-miles with walk breaks).

My Brooks Cascadia’s are DEAD. I can feel it in my legs, even when running on trails. Two new aches appeared, one in my soleus muscle and the other in both knees, a result of running in dead shoes.

This was a hot, tough run. It didn’t take long for the heat to take a toll on me. Even though I take walk breaks, I seldom stop moving forward. Today was one of those rare occasions when I had to stop. I was too fatigued to go any further. After locating a small shaded portion of the trail I sat down and proceeded to eat a gel. Within 3-4 minutes I felt well enough to return to my run. As I stood up I noticed a five-foot ring of water on the side walk where I had been sitting.

I wasn’t able to run the full ten miles or even the scheduled nine miles, but I returned to my usual walk/run regimen until I arrived back home. I’ve been able to acclimate to the heat, but I cannot acclimate to the humidity.

Run:
7.5 miles
1:25:43
11:25 pace

Walk:
1.75 miles
29:40
16:57 pace

At home I removed my wet clothes and weighed myself. Since initially weighing myself this morning I had eaten breakfast and drank nearly 70oz of water during the run. I lost an astonishing seven pounds. That is a lot of sweat!

After a small lunch I was feeling puny so I laid down on the couch. It wasn’t my intention, but I fell asleep and didn’t wake up till Andrea got home from work. I felt rejuvenated after the nap and decided to join Andrea on her run.

I laced up a different pair of shoes and took off down the greenbelts a new man. My legs were pain free. I ran through the walk breaks and even started picking up the pace on the second half of the run. It is weird how I thought I was going to die on the run this morning, yet seven-hours later I’m an entirely different runner.

Run:
4.75 miles
51:35
10:51 pace

Walk:
0.5 mile
9:01
18:02 pace

In the end, I logged more than 12 miles of running at a decent pace. I’m amazed at the human body. Understanding the SCIENCE of training makes us better athletes. When we think we have it all figured out the body shows us why we should also appreciate the ART of athletics. The combination of art & science both play vital roles in our body and today was one of those days that confirm this.

Short video near the end of my running, which is evident by my breathing..