MUDDY SHOES SATURDAY LONG RUN (Note – early start)
Well, guess what…IT’S JULY IN DC!!! We all knew this was coming. Every year, right after June, we get July. Never fails. And with it we get the H&H. That stands for HEAT and HUMIDITY, not Habanero and Hell-on-Earth. Maybe that would be better! I dunno!
What I do know is that we still have to get our miles in. Heat training is essential for those of you signed up for big Fall races. Factoid-for-ya: the human body uses blood to manage its ability to cool off. That’s why we sweat. Sweat, as it evaporates, helps cool the skin. Blood vessels feeding the skin dilate, which allows warm blood to flow to the skin surface. This helps remove heat from the body core in the form of moisture (sweat). Makes sense. However, the body still has to make sure the muscles and organs receive enough blood to keep them functioning. So, to compensate the body makes more blood. This is the result of your heat training. Surprisingly the human body can make up to 2 litres of extra blood. WOW! Amazing! OK, class dismissed!
Saturday morning is going to be really Summer-like, to put it mildly. You need to be really, really careful. Here are some tips I put in the Tuesday run announcement:
- HY-DRATE!!! All day. Keep chugging H2O. Yes, it will require more frequent bathroom breaks but, hey, that’s a good way to excuse yourself from some boring blah-blah work meetings.
- Dial your effort back a notch. There are no races today. No winners and losers. No need to go all out. Get your training in but be smart about it.
- Electrolytes. Its good to replace these as you sweat them out. They help with your performance. You can get these either through a sports drink, an additive powder or capsules. Chat with your fellow trailies to see what they use.
- Keep an eye on each other. I’m not going to give a dissertation here about the signs and symptoms of heat related stress but here is a good link to read up on it. https://www.cdc.gov/…/heatstress/heatrelillness.html
OK, now for the exciting run details, Coach Mike (Edwards) has come up with a new one for us. We’ll meet at C&O Lock 23 (aka Violette’s Lock). Mike has a loop that is 6.5 miles long (Caltopo will be available). Here are the details:
Location: C & O Lock 23 (Violette’s Lock)
Address: Violette’s Lock Rd
Darnestown, MD 20874 (Go all the way to the end by the canal to park)
Coords: 39.06762, -77.32860
Time: *** Early start at 0700 to avoid heat.
Distance: 6.5 mile loop (max – two loops)
Heat rule: You must have water with you to participate.
OK, C U there!
Cheers,
Muddy Shoes