Tag: heat

BibRave, Product Review, Run!

Cooling Off

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

It’s summer in California and that means one thing- me being stupid and running in the heat of the day.

Disclaimer: I received a CoolNet UV+ Headband from Buff as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Could you have guessed that by my track record?

Why I do this so consistently, I don’t know. Maybe I really am a glutton for punishment. However, knowing my proclivity for stupidity, I look for anything to keep me cool while showing off aforementioned stupidity.

Shade is never guaranteed where I run, neither is available water. Don’t get me started on my town’s lack of facilities. So I always run with my pack and water. I layer on sunscreen and wear a trucker hat as well. New to my arsenal is the CoolNet UV Headband from Buff. Dude, where have you been all my life???

I’ve had it for about a month and it’s rarely not on my head if I am running, even when it’s hidden under my hat. I don’t understand how adding an extra layer of material keeps my head cooler but it does. And well, science was never my best subject.😛 An added bonus is that is keeps the sweat from dripping down into my eyes. Yes! I’ve become such a sweater in the last year or so.

Ok, so how does it work?

From the website

I’m still not 100% sure what some of those words mean, I won’t lie. All I know is that it works. My head feels cooler and it stops the sweat. Bonus is that it fits my small head without sliding off! I can also verify that it resists odors as I maybe don’t wash mine as often as I should. Oops. But on the bright side, it handled the washing machine like a champ!

You can barely see it under my hat. And this post officially has too many selfies.😂

Plus, it’s super affordable compared to other headbands out there and they have various patterns and styles. But if that wasn’t enough, how about a discount? Go to this link and sign up for their newsletter to save 15%.

How do you stay cool?

Run!, Slacker, Training

Week 23- Derail

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Oh this week was fun.

Sense the sarcasm. It started ok but when a little wonky towards the end. Ok, a lot wonky. Normal June temps came back with a vengeance, power outages, broken toilets- oh it was fun.

Oh and I decided to start the week off with a 3 day refresh where I wasn’t eating a whole lot of solid food and drinking mostly smoothies. In some ways it was good and others it was a mess.

Monday 1.5 miles/ 1.5 miles
I thought about take a rest day post race but I was feeling ok so I headed out for my planned run. I was slow moving and sluggish but it didn’t feel to bad.

Tuesday 2.5 miles with 4 strides/ 2.5 miles with 4 strides
I flipped Tuesday and Thursday’s workouts as I figured I needed a little more recovery time. I am glad I did as this run was a slow going. While I did the strides they may have been the slowest strides I’ve done since starting this training plan.

Wednesday 1.5 miles/ 1.5 miles
The temps have finally swung to the hot side. This was a rough run. I still felt like I had lingering asthma issues from the race. I told myself it was the sudden temp change that made this run so hard.

Thursday 1.5 up/ down, 1.5 mile repeats x2/ Nada
I was exhausted. I don’t know when I have ever felt that tired. It showed at work too as everyone told me to stay away from them thinking I was sick. I wasn’t, just dog tired. I went home and just rested instead.

Friday 1.5 miles/ Nada
I had the late shift and I totally took advantage of that extra 45 minutes and slept. I meant to run after work, I was feeling a little better and I even had grand delusions of moving my long run to Friday evening. I mean it was graduation night but surely I could find clear roads, right? Then there was a power outage back home and it took out the tv’s. Apparently I’m the only one in the house who could fix them. So home I went- except after over an hour of trying I learn the issue was on Directv’s side and there was nothing I could do.

Saturday 7 miles/ 5.4 mile crap fest
I worked a Saturday shift but I set a very early alarm. Except when the alarm went off it was dark and cold and I was tired. I went back to sleep for a bit. Which meant I headed out 10 hours later with temps at 92. And it kicked my ass. I was melting. I overheated so bad, mine hands started swelling. I started with multiple walk breaks which turned to all out walking with multiple stops to hide in the shade. It was miserable.

Sunday Rest/ Rest–
I thought about making up some of my missed miles. But instead I took a 2 hour nap. So when it comes to rest- nailed it!

10.9 miles for the week. Ouch. Fingers crossed this week swings back the other way.

How was your week?

BibRave, Run!, Training

Week 37:Upcoming Races-Rock n Roll San Jose Training Week 9

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Upcoming Races-

  • Rock n Roll San Jose 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)-10/8
  • City to the Sea 13.1-10/14
  • Rock n Roll Los Angeles 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)- 10/29
  • Monterey Bay Half Marathon (Thank you BibRave!)- 11/12

This week was ruled by sunburns, migraines and then peeling.  Oh yay!

That said, it surprisingly wasn’t a complete wash on the workout front.   I was feeling a little adrift after the Liift4 challenge was done so I joined another challenge group but this one is less focused and you pick your own workout so I was a little slacker-like in that respect.

The plan called for a 4 mile run, 30 minute pace run and a 10K race.  It was kind of a step back week.  There weren’t any 10k’s locally so my original hope was to sub in a 10 miler.

Monday-Rest
The sunburn from hell kept me from doing anything too active.  I wore one of my loosest dresses but even that made me cringe anytime I moved at work.

Tuesday-4.2 ish miles
I headed for the river path to get in a few miles. I really wasn’t feeling it but I told myself to just get started and see what happened.    I felt better once I got started and even threw in some tempo bits.  I guess I should say fartleks.  I was glad I didn’t bail and followed through with my run like planned.

Wednesday- 21 day Fix- upper fix
What the hell? After 8 weeks of Liift4, I figured 21 Day Fix would be a walk in the park.  People, I was sweating in the 2 minute warm up.  10 minutes in, I was like what the hell is this?????   I finished but need to reassess my fitness level.

Thursday- 3.6 miles
The plan called for a 30 minute pace run.   The migraine that rolled in had other plans.   I still headed to the lake path for a few miles but I wasn’t optimistic.  The pace run didn’t happen but I did get a few easy miles around the lake.  Took a few walk breaks whenever I felt like I needed and just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

Friday- Nothing
I meant to do another 21 day fix but the migraine was still hanging around and by the time I got home after 7, I was done.

Saturday- 21 day Lower fix
I was supposed to do my long run.  I was supposed to go to my boss’s boss retirement party.  Instead I didn’t get out of bed until 10 AM and I took a 2.5 hour nap in the afternoon.  Damn migraine, you can leave anytime now.  I did manage to complete another workout in the evening though.

Sunday- 7.2 miles
I woke early to run but my head was still fuzzy and I admit when I saw the temp was 42*, I wimped out.  Where did the cold come from?? So like an idiot, I put it off until the afternoon.  Where I rode the struggle bus.  I had hoped for 10 miles but yeah no.  My headphones died just past mile 2.  My stomach cramped horribly around mile 4.  Cramped like I started walking a lot- there were no bathrooms on my route.   I had the driest mouth ever- even though I was chugging all the Gatorade.  I called it at 7 miles.

15 miles for the week and 2 cross training workouts.  Considering how I felt for most of it, I am calling that a quasi-win right now.

How was your week?

BibRave, Run!, Training

Week 32:Upcoming Races-Rock n Roll San Jose Training Week 5

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Upcoming Races-

  • SLO ULTRA 5K-9/2
  • Rock n Roll San Jose 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)-10/8
  • City to the Sea 13.1-10/14
  • Rock n Roll Los Angeles 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)- 10/29
  • Monterey Bay Half Marathon (Thank you Bibrave!)- 11/12

If I had one word to describe this week, it would be- pain.

I think I watched more stupid movies than ever before.  Netflix shamed me with “are you still watching” a few times.  😛I kind of buried myself in a dark hole, I was barely even paying attention to those movies, I just needed background noise (there were some good ones though).

The plan for this week was 3 runs- 4 miles, 40 min tempo, 8 mile long run- and 4 Liift4 workouts.  Reality, however-

Monday- 2.5 miles 
I was looking forward to my run after work.  I thought I had 5 miles on the plan -oops – but I was on board with that.  The bottom half of me apparently was not.  Right from my first few steps, things felt off.  My legs hurt- not just sore but hurt.  I walked the first half mile hoping they would loosen up but no luck.  I tried running and it felt like the pain was deep in my bones.  WTH?  A little over a mile in, I stopped to try and stretch it out and almost screamed.   It hurt from my hips to my knees but in the bones.  I turned around and hobbled back to the car.     I didn’t know what was going on but it wasn’t worth risking an injury.

Tuesday- Liift4
My legs were still not right so I focused on my form and modified anything that required any jumping. I kind of do that anyway as I know my limitations but I really did it now.

Wednesday- Liift4
I drove to the lake path to run.  I had changed, I had my pack in my lap but I wasn’t feeling it.  Like deep down, really NOT feeling it.   I’m not a believer in there are no bad runs.  Yes, there are.   The times in the past that I have forced myself to run when I feel that against it I have either hurt myself or broken a piece of running gear.  I drove away without running but I wasn’t completely lazy.

Thursday- Migraine
Bring on the pain.  I woke up to the oncoming pain but hoped it would ease up.  Both because I had an early morning meeting and because I wanted to run after work.   I finally admitted defeat around 11:30 and did something I rarely do- I went home sick.  Then I spent the rest of the day napping, watching movies and alternating between being too hot or too cold.

Friday-Liift4 ish
I still had a migraine but I made it through work.  I attempted Liift4 in the evening but I only pulled off the lifting portion.  When it transitioned to the HIIT work, I tried one move and was like, umm, not happening.

Saturday-8 miles
Maybe it was the migraine that was still around but this was the hottest 8 miles of my life.  In hindsight, I maybe shouldn’t have tried for my long run after 2 days of pain.   I started my run around 9:15 and while that is early for me; it was already hot.   Miles 1 and 2 were good and I was optimistic.  I slowed during mile 3 but I was also entering the section I lovingly call the “surface of the sun” so that was to be expected.  However mile 4 went south.   It got super warm, I was too hot, I was feeling dehydrated and I almost threw up.    I was almost out of water and I was only 4 miles in.  I rerouted back to my car but I had slowed to a shuffle.  I refilled at my car and sat there a bit as it was fully in the shade.  By then I needed less than 2 miles so I dumped my pack thinking running without it would be cooler and just shoved my phone in a pocket and carried a water bottle and my pepper spray.  I then looped the river trail and the neighborhood until I hit 8.   This route needs some shade!

Sunday- Rest
I may have gotten in my long run but I was kind of broken the rest of the weekend.  Not only did the migraine not go away, it was a little pissed at me after those 8 miles.  The most strenuous thing I did on Sunday was clean my car.  Except it was so dirty, that really was a workout.

10.5 miles for the week.   I couldn’t have 2 good weeks in a row, could I.  Shake it off.

How was your week?

BibRave, Run!, Training

Week 32:Upcoming Races-Rock n Roll San Jose Training Week 4

Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Upcoming Races-

  • SLO ULTRA 5K-9/2
  • Rock n Roll San Jose 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)-10/8
  • City to the Sea 13.1-10/14
  • Rock n Roll Los Angeles 13.1 (Thank you BibRave!)- 10/29
  • Monterey Bay Half Marathon (Thank you Bibrave!)- 11/12

I was fussy, cranky and tired this week.   I had a few too many balls in the air at work at one point.   Home town was in the middle of an almost 20 day streak of over 100* weather and I was sleeping poorly.

I like to sleep with the window open during the summer which is odd because I am also one of those people who tends to over react at every sound.   Unfortunately this week, some creature decided to come visit the yard every night a little after midnight.  And it was not a small creature.    I tried to tell myself it was a family of deer.  Which is likely was but I worry about the bigger felines.   I digress…it was every single night.  So eventually I would end closing the window but then it would feel super stuffy and sleep would still be crappy.  Grrr.

Ok, training.  This week called for a 5 mile run, 4 mile run, 7 mile long run and 4 Liift4 work outs.

So how did I do?

Monday- Liift4
I planned on running after work but work ran long and I was feeling cranky so I decided to push my run to Tuesday.  Then while I was driving home I was feeling guilty for doing that only to arrive in run town and then home town to realize they were both completely socked in with smoke from fires.  Combine that with the 3 digit temps and somehow my lazy choice was the smart choice.

Tuesday- 3.78 miles
Another hot day, it was around 95 when I started running and there was still a ton of smoke in the air.  I decided to stick to the run/walk intervals I had programmed since I had also forgotten any way to carry water on my run.   Short and easy miles, that was the plan.   My legs had other plans and those running intervals were some of the fastest paces I’ve seen in years.  Oops.  I did keep it relatively short though.

Wednesday-Liift4
I am sure I did something else but I can’t remember what it was.

Thursday-3.5 miles
I had woken with a gnarly Charlie horse around 1:30 that morning and it never really went away. That said, I still wanted to attempt a run. Oh, my gawd, I was melting.  I don’t know why.   It was 93, so this was coolest run I had had in weeks.  Or it should have been. It was so muggy at the lake path though.  I had 3 decent, consistent miles and even though I was able to stop at my car for water, I could tell I was overheating. My leg also hadn’t loosened up at all so I finished 3 laps of the lake and called it.    If the lake wasn’t so nasty I may have jumped in.

Friday- Rest
My tiredness and crankiness caught up to me.   Could the animal outside at night just stop?!  I told myself I was going to work out when I got home from work but I didn’t.  I just zoned out watching Netflix’s Insatiable.  That show is on crack, people.

Saturday- Liift4
I meant to do my long run.  I laid out my clothes and charged my Aftershokz.  I set my alarm- 5 of them.  I slept through all of them.  Grrrr.    I thought about running my 8 miles (I also had the number of miles wrong) in the afternoon/ evening but although we finally break the streak of over 100* days it was still hot. Also, ended up taking the cat to the vet so that took up some of the afternoon.

Sunday-7.4 miles
My mother was planning on cleaning her tennis courts in the morning so I figured that would be good incentive to actually get my butt out of bed and run to the high school to meet her.    75* should have felt amazing after the last few weeks but it was more humid than I would have liked and I felt a little wilted.

Pace wise, I was doing fine for a long run but by mile 5 I was feeling hot.    My mother was also feeling it on her end as she called me around that point saying she was done at the courts- it was too warm.  I convinced her to wait for me in the shade instead of coming to get me and I tried to pick up the pace to the school.    I am hoped for 8 to make for the run I shorted on Tuesday but 7 is just fine with me.

14.69 miles for the week.  Much better than last week and almost all the miles the plan called for.  So close!!

Now if the damn creature in the yard could just go away.

How was your week?