Surviving the Long Run in Florida

Alternate post title: “Surviving Death”

...Dad and I ALWAYS do a "How do we FEEL?!" picture post race.  Tradition haha!  

First of all, Happy National Running Day!  Even though I am not primarily a "runner," triathlon does include a run leg, so I do my fair share of training to associate with the running community. This week coach had me run 14 miles at a "comfy effort."  Afterwards I said, "well, it was certainly a strong consistent effort...but I wouldn't call it "comfy."  I don't think it's possible to run in this heat/humidity and be "comfy" haha! 

Whenever I train (competive swimming, triathlons, etc.) my reaction to discomfort/pain goes like this: 1-get really angry at whoever decided I should do this, followed by 2-get really sad and cry because I’m in so much pain and being angry takes too much energy from whatever I have left. 

No matter what I do, it is going to be hard to run in these conditions (I know it's getting pretty hot/sticky up north too), but there are some things that make it slightly less miserable…slightly…

1)  Music

A good playlist is SO important.  It's really what I look forward to the most.  I create a playlist before whatever distance I’m doing and add songs that I’m currently into-usually a mix of genres.  Really as long as it has a beat or is sung by Enrique, I’m good to go.  I try to make sure that there are enough songs to last the entire run.  Around the 3 hour mark in my marathon, I started to hear songs repeating since I didn't have enough in the playlist-I was like, reeeeaaaallllly?! Not cool.  Not making that mistake again!! Here’s  a sample of a playlist I recently created for a long run.

I'm Born to Run-American Authors
On and On- The Score
Deeper-Meredith Andrews
The Pheonix-Fall Out Boy
Red-Taylor Swift
Raging Fire-Phillip Phillips
The Fighter-Keith Urban
Nothing Is Impossible-Planetshakers
Relentless-Hillsong
Kryptonite-3 Doors Down
Move Along-The All American Rejects
House Party-Sam Hunt
Between the Raindrops-Lifehouse
Snow (Hey Oh)-Red Hot Chili Peppers
Burn-Ellie Goulding
Clocks-Coldplay
Stronger-Kelly Clarkson
Bailando-Enrique
All In-Lifehouse
Drag Me Down-One Direction
Stitches-Shawn Mendes
God's Great Dance Floor-Chris Tomlin
Brand New- Ben Rector (even when I shuffle the playlist to be random, this song always manages to be played during the final mile...oh the IRONY!!)

2) Water...WITH Electrolytes

In the past, I would NEVER dare stop for a sip of water…and you can IMAGINE  how awful this made it! What used to be something I NEVER included in my runs, this has become absolutely essential to me now.  It’s also always exciting to find some sprinklers along the route.  I usually need to refill a 20 oz bottle once every 5 miles (40-45 minutes).  BUUUUTTT DO NOT forget to add some electroytes to the water since you will loose so much through sweat. Gatorade of choice: Blue Frost (it's refreshing and mild unlike the lime which I think is a wee bit too strong for my liking and kind of makes me want to gag). This is the bottle carrier I use (I hate things around my waist, so this is works well for me): 

3) Shorts WITH a Drawstring

Don’t even THINK about wearing shorts without a drawstring when running here.  My shorts become plastered to my legs and start falling down because they are that drenched in sweat.  After running 12 miles with the final  3 miles done holding onto my shorts, I was NEVER going to wear the wrong shorts again.  Lesson LEARNED.

4)  Hat

I’m still too vain to wear sunglasses during training haha.  My tan lines are bad enough without having “raccoon eyes” to boot, but a hat gives just enough shade annnddd keeps some of the sweat from dripping in your eyes.  Soooo it basically kills 2 birds with one stone. 

5) Size Up Your Shoes

You may or may not have heard that your feet swell when you run.  I’ve found this extra true while running in the heat.  I LOVE Mizuno Wave Inspire shoes (I have 4 pairs right now!).  They are great for narrow feet with a close yet comfortable fit.  I usually run in my size 9.5 if it is colder outside, but down here I only wear my size 10 shoes since I notice more swelling when I run due to the heat.  So far I have had no blister or toe nail issues, and I think this is probably helping.  Pictured below: Dad's shoes next to mine!   I call his the "clown shoes" since they are huge and overloaded with cushion! His feet are not thaaattt much bigger than mine, so it always cracks me (and mom) up hehe!

6) NEVER Put Energy Chew Packets in Your Sports Bra...EVER
This isn't just a FL running specific thing-it's just a bad life choice wherever you are.  One day I wore shorts that didn't have any pockets-Sooo a sports bra is the next best thing, right?!  WRONG, SO WRONG.  The little "harmless" baggie RIPPED my chest apart as if a cat had clawed and scratched me until I bled. Side note: Biking with fuel in the bra works ok-I've had countless power bars stored there and it's super convenient compared to reaching behind you where cycling jersey pockets are located.  Your upper body stays pretty still while in aero position, so this works fine...BUT not gonna lie, you kind of have to get over the "I'm sure I look crazy sticking my hand down my shirt every 15 min!"  

7) Chamois Butt'R Cream
Even though this is a anti-chaf cream made specifically for cyclists, I use this pretty much all day every day.  You would be really surprised what areas will start chafing when you run for long periods of time.  I can go an hour without much rubbing,  but beyond that, NO!  My HR strap does the most damage, so I like to slather on a lot under it. Plus, it SMELLS SOOO good!  It's like a super pleasant smelling sunscreen-speaking of suncreen!!! USE IT!  Even when it is cloudy.  SPF of choice for me is 110!

8) SLOW Down and SMILE J

Yes it’s hard and yes it hurts and yes you will have to slow down.  Honestly it totally comes down to ATTITUDE.  It won't be hard to allow a run in the heat/humidity to become a major suffer-fest, but just because it's hard doesn't mean it's impossible.  Your pace will NOT be anything CLOSE to what you would hold in “perfect” conditions.  I get in my head all the time with “why are you going SO SLOW right now?!”  BUT I’ve run enough to know that my slow paces here are equal to a faster pace somewhere else.  I’m usually a good minute off my ideal perfect condition race pace.  For example, when I run in Chicago in the early spring, I can hold a 7:30 pace for 10 miles.   Two weeks later I hold about and 8:45 pace for 10 miles in FL.  You just need to take your focus off the numbers and appreciate that you are likely training in MUCH harder conditions than you will be racing (which is way better than the other way around in my opinion).  Staying positive and putting a smile on your face will keep you going.  If you are in pain, think of something that doesn’t hurt at the moment….anything…like your thumbs.  If they don’t hurt, focus on those. Just let your mind go to its "happy place" and don't allow negativity to creep in.  Thoughts of quitting WILL come, so be prepared to shut them down instantly. 

Now that you are done with your run, BECOME BFFs with you FOAM ROLLER (use it before your run as well if you feel a little extra tight-which is most the time for me haha!

It’s definitely hard to run here-especially in the summer-especially when you don’t get up at the butt-crack-of-dawn to do it (which is not worth it-85 degrees vs. 90 degrees isn’t worth getting up a good 3 hours earlier-just my opinion though).  BUT, by doing these things, I have found running in these conditions much more tolerable, and sometimes even enjoyable.  Don't fear the heat...just deal with it appropriately! What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right ;)

What NOT To Do: Lessons Learned From My 1st Triathlon

Six years ago, in 2010 I participated in my first triathlon.  It was a great experience—well, at least good enough to keep me coming back for more ;)  The goal was to finish, and with a time of 3:15 for the Olympic distance, I had succeeded.   BUT things did not go perfectly.  Unfortunately some things in this sport are just trial and error, but here are some of the things I did well and “not so well” during my first race.

DON'T FORGET TO PRACTICE TRANSITIONS

Transitions will not come natural-no other sport has these weird gear changes.  I just put all my things in a pile…in the WRONG spot.  Sooo I ended up having the longest transition time all day because I could not find my bike.  Funny now but then-not so much!  I should have tried to take my surroundings in and look around for where the “bike in” and “bike out” would be located.  You should not even have to think about these things during the race.  It should all be right at the front of your memory. 

DON'T JUST DO BIKE OR RUN ONLY WORKOUTS, DO "BRICK" SESSIONS
Getting off the bike and running for the FIRST time should NOT be in a race!  Running after biking is a super weird feeling if you have never experienced it before.  I was caught off guard when I could not feel my legs for the first few miles even though I was running. 

DON’T AVOID YOUR WEAKEST LEG

I was SO guilty of this.  My weakest leg is the bike, and I usually go into each ride a little whiny.  I barely did any biking for the race, and I just figured I could kind of get through it.   Well, I got through it, but it felt sooooo long.  And getting passed by a 71 year old is always encouraging, right?!  Triathlon has 3 legs, and you need to accept all 3 as part of the sport.  Don’t be discouraged if you struggle in one of them-work hard, stay positive, and do what it takes to improve.

DON'T BE SILENT, ENCOURAGE THOSE AROUND YOU

Triathletes form a unique community, and the sport is made up of individual athletes that compete together.  During the bike leg of my first race, I got a lot of sympathy “Good job, girl” cheers…now I don’t get quite so many now that I can hold my own with the super-focused crowd. I remember during one of my recent races I decided that I was going to cheer on all those that were coming back from the turn-around (I was still on my was to the turn-around).  As much as it is nice to hear a little encouragement when you’re “out in the boonies,” it’s also nice to spread a little positivity to fellow athletes.  We all get it-it’s tough and it hurts, but having support makes it slightly less miserable ;)

By doing these things, I have become a much stronger athlete, and my time has improved about 45 minutes since then (basically a 10k run!).  I also enjoy it a LOT more! 

Look in the Mirror-That’s Your Competition!

Do you compare yourself to others constantly?  As an athlete, I find it hard to refrain from comparing my abilities and talents to another person’s gifts…Especially when my dad is constantly telling me how I placed in a given race.  (I’d rather NOT know!).

A few days ago I was telling my mom that I'm driven, but I'm not really competitive.  She didn't really understand, so I told her that I will race my smartest race no matter what others around me are doing.   Being an endurance athlete, this is a approach that I think is necessary.  If you race above your abilities (for hours) to try and "keep up," you seriously risk bonking and a DNF.  

For many years, I have viewed others’ talents as “better than mine.”  This is not in the “humble-sense,” but in the “I’m not good enough to compete with these people-sense.”  In high school, I always swam in the back of my lane-trying to make sure the coaches would not notice me.  Unfortunately, my success in meets opened his eyes to my potential-BUSTED!! Soon the coaches would find where I was swimming below the radar and pull me out to force me to swim with the “fast girls.”  In badminton I hated being the #1 singles player.  It felt like there was a target on my back, and I had thoughts like, “Oh, she (#2) just had a bad day when I beat her-she really deserves to be #1.”  Then I walked around with guilt in my position on the team.  

As you can see, I was a slave to comparison.  I NEVER had confidence in my own abilities and gifts.  I also feared failure-so by putting myself down, I did not have to experience disappointment in my abilities.

When I started swimming in college, I continued to believe these things, and doubt my abilities.  Slowly, with the support from coaches and teammates-and after learning what true training/hard work was (a little too much hard work at one point-but that is another story for another day!), I gained more and more confidence as an athlete. I experienced plenty of failure, but I also experienced success.   I realized that I was still a talented athlete as I was suddenly getting AG awards in Mdot events and holding paces that were once unimaginable. 

A few years ago I decided that “If I can look at myself in the mirror and know I did everything in my power to perform at my best, than I will be satisfied with my race.” Notice that this does NOT rely on comparison with anyone else, it is strictly about MY own effort, ability and talent. 

At the end of the day, it is MY race.  I let people pass me all the time without caring or getting discouraged (especially on the bike-I call it “pass-Kim-athlon” haha!  It takes so MUCH DISCIPLINE to refrain from “blowing my legs” on the bike! Who   needs a “sexy bike split” anyway?! I know that to do MY personal best, I need to race the way that I have trained, and stay focused on MYSELF.  You cannot control what your competitor is going to do and how they are going to perform, but you can control your personal efforts.

Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy

Who said life was supposed to be easy? 

As a senior swimming at Asbury University I was interviewed for the school paper. When asked “How do you wake up for 5am practices for swimming?” my response was, “COFFEE.” 

Not really haha!

How did I wake up that early to train?  No, it wasn't caffeine...well, sometimes it may have been.  It was was actually something called “Delayed Gratification.”  Here is a summary of a study done about this:

“In 1970 psychologist Walter Mischel famously placed a cookie in front of a group of children and gave them a choice: they could eat the cookie immediately, or they could wait until he returned from a brief errand and then be rewarded with a second. If they didn’t wait, however, they’d be allowed to eat only the first one. Not surprisingly, once he left the room, many children ate the cookie almost immediately. A few, though, resisted eating the first cookie long enough to receive the second. Mischel termed these children high-delay children.

Interestingly, the children who were best able to delay gratification subsequently did better in school and had fewer behavioral problems than the children who could only resist eating the cookie for a few minutes—and, further, ended up on average with SAT scores that were 210 points higher. As adults, the high-delay children completed college at higher rates than the other children and then went on to earn higher incomes. In contrast, the children who had the most trouble delaying gratification had higher rates of incarceration as adults and were more likely to struggle with drug and alcohol addiction.” 
-(Source: Psychology Today, “The power of Delaying Gratification” by Alex Lickerman M.D.)

Getting up at 5 am was NOT EASY AT ALL!  I would roll out from under the covers (half-asleep) only to feel the freezing air prick my skin. At the present moment, I was miserable.

Fast forward 3 months later…

I’m on the block about to swim at conference, knowing I have put in the hard work and have what it takes to achieve.  Training is NOT easy.  Not only is the training hard, but the race itself is going to HURT just as much if not more…if it doesn’t, you are not “giving it your all.”

BUT it IS worth the hard work when you race a PR.  The feeling you get when your training pays off is the BEST feeling ever!

Next time you think, “this is hard,” and “why am I doing this?” make sure to remind yourself that it is not meant to be easy.  If it was easy, then everyone would do it.  That’s part of what makes “the athlete” a unique breed.  We possess the skills to persevere through challenges that are harder than hard.   We push our limits and continuously go out of our comfort zones-I forget what my “comfort zone” is sometimes until someone asks me "doesn't that hurt!" (to which I reply, "well, yeah...I guess...I don't think I just do")    COMFORT IS OVERRATED! I remind myself this after hours pass and I’m still riding on this hard bike saddle-Must. Get. Off. Bike. Soon….Chamois Butt'r Anti-Chafe to the rescue!!!)

As a triathlete, I endure the hardships and reap the reward when I cross the finish line. 

So You Want To Be A Triathlete…

I’ve been competing in Triathlons for the past 6 years, and even though I DO NOT claim to be an expert in this sport, I’ve come up with a few things that beginners should know as they enter the crazy world of triathlons.  (consider yourself warned haha!)

1.  Surround Yourself With Many Experienced Triathletes

When I first decided to try a triathlon, I joined a small-female tri group in the Chicago area (Max Multisport coaching).  I was the youngest and least knowledgeable athlete in the group, so I soaked up everything I learned like a sponge!  There are so many random things about triathlons that aren’t really common knowledge (like NOT wearing underwear with bike shorts, cycling form-keep heels down, sighting in open water, nutrition, etc).  I met to train with this group 2x a week-normally for a long ride-which taught me about group riding and signaling in a group! It's a relatively new-ish sport, unlike soccer and basketball which have tons of youth programs everywhere.  You really have to take the initiative to learn about the sport.  Ask questions and try to learn as much as you can from those who know more-I still do plenty of research and continue to learn!

2. One Size Does Not Fit All

Triathlon really is a STRANGE animal!! I mean, everyone has different strengths, which changes your general approach toward racing and training.  For example, I am a very strong swimmer, so I cut back on swim sessions compared to other triathletes.  More time in the water will not benefit me much, so I spend that time on the bike instead-where I can see more improvement.  I have a solid run, so my strategy is to come off the bike in a position to catch up with competitors that may have a stronger bike leg.  Since swimming is such a technical sport, other triathletes struggle with this leg a lot more, and find the beginning of their race much harder.  Figure out your strengths and weaknesses and tailor your training to meet your specific needs. You don’t need to do what the person next to you does.

3. You’re Not Just an Athlete, You’re a Mechanic Too

As soon as you get your first flat tire, you become a mechanic.  Fortunately I’ve only had one flat tire in a race and it was 3 miles from finish, so I just rode a lot slower for those three miles-I was too close to spend the time changing it. BUT I practically wiped out on a turn since flat tires don’t have traction.  I’ve learned how to change a flat, keep my bike chain clean/oiled, and take off wheels and chains.  I still don’t feel terribly comfortable with bike maintenance, but I keep trying to learn.  It’s one of those “not common sense” things about triathlon-you actually have to be taught or do the research.  I’m much more aware of when things don’t sound right-last year I had bike tech look at my bike before a race because I was hearing a faint squeak-turns out my peddles were loose.  Take the time to learn about your bike and how to care for it properly.  Most likely you will not have problems very often, but you need to know how to deal with issues in case they do arise-especially during a race!

4.  Your Wallet Will Take a Major Hit

Triathlon Gear is NOT cheap AT ALL!  It is a huge investment financially-even if you don’t really consider yourself a “serious” athlete.  You are essentially spending money being 3 types of athletes:

 1. Swimmer

-Suits-both practice and wetsuit

-Cap, goggles

-Kick board, pull buoy, paddles

-Pool membership (or team membership)

2.  Cyclist

-Bike-can be basically buying a car depending on what bike/wheels you get

-Helmet

-Bike apparel-Shorts with padding-PTL, Jerseys/tops

-Cycling Shoes-at least one pair (I have a pair for training and one for racing with Velcro straps)

-Additional accessories-water bottles, upgraded saddle, sunglasses, chafing butter (a MUST-have!)

-Optional: bike trainer, power meter

3. Runner

-MANY pairs shoes-replacing every few months

-Running apparel-sports bras, shorts, tanks

-Hat

-Sunglasses

-Fuel belt/race belt

-Garmin

If you haven’t spent ENOUGH money already, there is also the race fees-seriously you have to PAY to be tortured! AND the travel fees to the race.  Even with the bare minimum, you will have to spend moola!

5. Be Flexible in Training AND Racing

Coming from being a swimmer where racing conditions are fairly consistent. Well, ok, there are exceptions and water temps/chemicals may vary, but it’s usually not very noticeable.  BUT the distance is perfect every. time. On the other had, triathlons will force you into plan B…or C…or Z… many times!  Things will happen that you are not even prepared for, but you will need to deal with it!  Every race course is different (hilly, flat, too long, too short, number of aide stations, transitions,  etc.).  Then add in the weather possibilities: rain, wind, heat.  There is just SO MUCH else that can happen-you can get a flat tire, you might need to adjust hydration and nutrition due to the conditions, etc.  I don’t get worked up when something happens.  Once I got to a triathlon and it became a duathlon (run-bike-run) becuase the water was unsafe.  Go figure!-as if the swim isn't short enough! Training also needs to be approached with a flexible mindset.  Not the mindset of “oh, I don’t think I have time today” x 100, but the mindset of “Life happens, I’ll do everything in my effort to make time or at least get in some training today.”  There will be days that you will not have time or energy to do a complete training session, and it is not the end of the world if you do not execute your plan perfectly.  BUT don’t get into the habit of making excuses-you will be glad that you put in the time and effort come race day- The key is consistency in your training. You also may need to adjust your training if you feel that your body is not responding well.  Basically, do not expect training and racing to go perfectly as planned because it won’t.  Learn to expect the unexpected and just go with it. 

6. Always Have a Why

In my first post, I wrote about the reason that I tri.  Being able to clearly articulate the reason you do something keeps you on track to achieve your goals.  This is crucial on those days that you just don’t want to wake up early and train, the days you are tired and want to quit, and the days when you question your abilities.  Depending on how long your race is, I can almost guarantee that you will enter an “everything in my body want to stop” moment.  This is also when you need to have a why, and it even helps to have a specific mantra or verse (I like Isaiah 41:10) to keep going when the going gets tough.  To take pressure off myself on race day, I remind myself that I do this out of enjoyment and using my God-given abilities. All that matters is that I am a child of God and he will not love me any more or any less because of any racing performance/result.  So just HAVE FUN! Think about it-Spend time determining what your specific goals and personal motivation is and WRITE it down to remind yourself.