Totally Wasted

There are not too many runs where I finish and I just feel totally wasted. By “wasted”, I mean I don’t feel like doing anything beyond setting down and resting.

I am writing this post just a few short hours after such a run. My reason for doing so stems from the fact that I want to capture those thoughts and feelings while they freshly minted in my brain.

Sharing a little of the back story, I have been helping out at the CRC Summer Track Series at PDS. These meets occur on Saturday morning. Also my schedule has me running my long runs on Saturday mornings as well. Put these two together, and I am starting my long runs at 5 AM so I can be finished and ready to help out by track time at 8:30.

This morning I finished, and I was having one of those totally “wasted” moments. I knew it was happening.  My miles had been fast considering this morning’s heat and humidity. My shoes were soaked. My socks were socked. My shorts were soaked. Larry even commented about how much I was sweating.

Running in the summer heat causes our bodies to adjust. Our core temperature is higher. Sweating is our body’s way of trying to lower this temperature.

The side effect of sweating profusely is the loss of water otherwise known as being dehydrated. Depending on a number of factors not excluding sex, age, weight, physical conditioning, duration of workout, temperature, and humidity, it is not uncommon for a runner to lose 3, 4, 5, 6 or more pounds during a run.

When this happens, I feel absolutely miserable.

I know it will happen, and I try to offset the effects of it by carrying fluids and eating during my runs. I use my Nathan hand held bottles and drink from them every 10 minutes during my runs.  Yes, I know I am not replacing the exact amount that I am losing, but no one can carry or even drink 3 to 6 pounds of water that quickly. I do it because I feel it will slow the process, and I start drinking after the first 10 minutes of my runs. There is no need to wait until later.

Because I know I am going to need water post run, I bring extra with me. Yesterday, when I finished, I drank 52 oz of water pretty much without stopping.  I even headed inside the PDS track building and drank more from the water cooler.

All during the track meet, I could tell my body wanted more water. My mouth had this dry feeling to it.

One the things that I am learning from these experiences is while I can drink this water, it doesn’t go immediately to meet my needs. Based on my experience, there is at least 3 to 4 hours of lag time before my body starts to return to normal.

During this time, my appetite is totally suppressed. Yeah, one would think I would be hungry, but no. Laying around and drinking water is just about all I can manage.  

Once 3 to 4 hours pass, my appetite slowly returns. A few more hours pass, and my life returns slowly to normal. By Saturday afternoon, I was fine and out working in my yard.

This is really an ugly feeling. It is an experience that I would really like to avoid but knowing about it, understanding it, and dealing with it is all part of life. This is especially true for runners that live in the south in the summer time.

 

 

 

Sharing one thought at time,

The Cool Down Runner