Ohh the lovely Sunday long run

Quote of the day: "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." 
-T. S. Eliot

So like a lot of runners, Sunday is my long run day! (cue sarcastic "HOORAY!") Long runs are either the favorite day of the week or most dreaded day for runners. For me, it's the most dreaded day. Yes, I am a proud trackie...XC is not my thing. I suffer through summer training and cross country every year reminding myself everyday that track is on the way! So naturally I pretty much despise long runs. However, I have found ways to make them a whole lot less miserable. I wake up at 6:15 and go to this awesome forest that's about a half hour away from my house. It has miles and miles of trails and it's a runner's paradise!!! I love running there and I have a set 10 mile route. I also have learned (the hard way) that long runs are meant to be easy running days. This realization has definitely made long days more enjoyable. However, the fact that today was supposed to be my first 12 mile day of the summer happened to slip my mind until about 4 miles in........

Needless to say...this was not a happy realization. At least today the humidity died down (FINALLY) and it was pretty comfortable running weather. So I trudged through all 12 miles and after the first 5 I usually feel pretty good, until I swallowed a fly mile 8 (ugh but hey at least it's protein). Although long run days are the most dreaded day of the week, they are also the most satisfying when I finish. So HOORAY for another Sunday long run being done (these are the running endorphins speaking)! Only 4 more to do by myself until the start of preseason! The countdown is on.

HUMIDITY (well dew point) the dementor for runners!

Quote of the day: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

So there has been a SEVERE heat wave in MA this past week!! But thankfully today was the last of the heat and humidity for a while (praise the lord)!! I have always had problems running in the heat and especially the humidity! Humidity - it's like a dementor (for all you harry potter fans) for runners...it sucks the life (maybe that's a little bit dramatic), well it sucks the energy out of you! So ya basically this has been me all week....

But as a runner, there are ways to defeat this dementor people like to call humidity! But first let me explain what the humidity actually does to a runner. First of all I have been using the wrong vocabulary (but the word humidity is more relatable). The real dementor is not actually humidity....the real dementor is DEW POINT. The dew point is the true enemy. Without getting complicated, dew point is the amount of water vapor in the air. The higher the dew point, the higher the water vapor, the slower the runner....

More water vapor in the air makes it harder for sweat to evaporate which makes it very difficult for a runner's body to cool itself off...which eventually leads to SELF DESTRUCTION (a little dramatic). Also the water vapor present in the air displaces oxygen, making it more difficult to breathe. Here is a good chart for understanding how dew point affects performance.

So here are some tips for running while that nasty dementor is chasing you...

1. Don't expect to run your best! EXPECT to feel a little crappy and EXPECT your times to be a bit slower. Things will be much better once you accept this fact. 

2. (obvious tip but still worth reinforcing) Run early or run late (I prefer early)

3. HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE make sure you hydrate throughout the day, AS WELL as during your run. Ideally, bring a sports drink (my personal fav is yellow gatorade!) along for the run and replenish your electrolytes frequently. (Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink because by then you're already dehydrated! You want to prevent instead of fix!)

4. Jump in the pool or take a cold shower right before running so you're still wet when you go out! It helps you'll catch a breeze! :)

5. Know that eventually the heat/humidity/dew point will decrease and when it does WATCH OUT because you'll feel great and be fitter than ever because after all, what doesn't kill you makes you STRONGER!

My First Post!

Hey everyone!

Before I jump right into to blogging about my life as a college athlete, I figured I would tell you a bit about myself! I am a 3 season college athlete at a division 3 school on the pre-med track (yikes)! I will be a sophomore this year and I am training the hardest I've ever trained before for cross country, running 65 mile weeks! Running this amount of miles definitely takes a toll on the body AND on the mind!!! hahah So I'll definitely have plenty of stories to entertain you with! Anyway thanks for reading!!

-Kelsey