5/30/09 Minute Maid Sucktathlon

[Mythmere]

My wife and I just got back from running a 5K - I'm not sure of the name of it, but it was run at Minute Maid stadium here in good old Houston. It turned out to be as to a normal 5k as a miniature golf course is to a regular golf course. 83 degrees and high humidity (75%, maybe?), and the course went over a couple of overpasses. Not only that, there was no water at the two mile mark (it's normal to have a water station at both the one and the two mile mark).

Ouch.

Nevertheless, it seems like we managed it in pretty good time - Madison (that's my wife) says that her watch measured us at less than a 13 minute mile rate all the way through. Which isn't bad, given that when I started seeing spots in front of my eyes from the heat somewhere after the two mile mark, I just walked the rest of the way with only a couple of short jogs.

Normally, 3.1 miles isn't a big deal - we're running training runs at 6 miles, now. But this one was a bear.

[The Venomous Pao]

I know nothing of this "running" of which you speak*. I just wanted to say that I thought the thread title referred to the season the Disastros (or Lastros,take yer pick) are having


* I lied. I know it's not a good thing to see spots when you're doing it. Which is why I don't. Be careful, man!

[bat]

It is so beastly hot here that running isn't an option unless it is very short distances.

Good on you for toughing it out!

[Lord Kilgore]

I'm a moderately serious runner and am running a marathon in South Bend (finish in Notre Dame stadium) next Saturday. It will be my second full marathon. I'm not "all that and a bag of chips" when it comes to speed, but I usually place in the top 10% or so.

5Ks are actually a lot tougher than their distance makes them sound. The effort per mile (or per minute or per step or whatever) is brutal. I usually refer to them as the "5000 Meter Dash" and tell everyone that to place well you need to "start fast, accelerate throughout the second mile, and then really turn it on for the third before sprinting to the finish." A lot of serious runners who run half-marathons and marathons absolutely HATE 5Ks because you can't really "settle into a groove" and cruise. My advice to those wanting to race is "If at any time in a 5K you ever say to yourself, "Hey, this isn't so bad after all!" it's because you've already screwed up by not running that last mile hard enough."

Even those not trying to be competitive will suffer from the deceptive ease of such a "short" race. Just tell yourself "no matter how bad I feel right now, it will be over in XX minutes" and keep putting one foot in front of the other. (Spots, however, could be trouble. As VP said, be careful. Since you're doing training runs of 6, though, it shouldn't be anything to worry about.)

Heat and humidity really sock it to me (and most runners), so GREAT JOB about gutting it out. No water at mile 2 on a hot and humid day should be a criminal offense.

[Mythmere]

Our first 5K was nice - we were at the point where it was the right distance for marathon training for where we were at that time. For us, it was a pretty long run. Then, whammo, we run the next one - with us running 6 miles for the long runs and completely ready to go to 10 ... exactly what you talked about kicked in. The race is too short for any sort of marathon training, it's just a race - and the sorts of things you do in a real distance run don't apply. It isn't about endurance.

Except in this case, endurance of the heat...

I'm looking forward to the next long run, though. It's much cooler to settle into a groove and focus on the endurance.

[Lord Kilgore]

Our first 5K was nice - we were at the point where it was the right distance for marathon training for where we were at that time.

Are you training for a full marathon?

Yeah, the 5K "Fun Run" thing is fine if you're really just about being out there with a bunch of other runners and getting a T-shirt. If you want to race (either with others or to set a personal record) there's nothing "fun" about 5Ks.

And heat+humidity sucks, no matter the distance. As you're in Texas I'm sure you know it well, but STAY HYDRATED. Not just while running, either. Before, after, and in between. (Some other advice I like to give is "If you're not peeing way too much, you're not drinking nearly enough.")

[Mythmere]

Our first 5K was nice - we were at the point where it was the right distance for marathon training for where we were at that time.

Are you training for a full marathon?

San Antonio, November 15.

[Lord Kilgore]

Our first 5K was nice - we were at the point where it was the right distance for marathon training for where we were at that time.

Are you training for a full marathon?

San Antonio, November 15.

Awesome! I considered that for last year. It's one I'd like to run someday.

[Bandigerbolls]

We had our own Minute Maid Suckathon here, today.

We sat on soft grass under a shady oak, and sucked down some Minute Maid pomegranate lemonaid with Pepperidge Farm chocolate chip cookies.

It was brutal!

[Mythmere]

We had our own Minute Maid Suckathon here, today.

We sat on soft grass under a shady oak, and sucked down some Minute Maid pomegranate lemonaid with Pepperidge Farm chocolate chip cookies.

It was brutal!

All these runners say that there's a big endorphin rush from it. As I told my wife after my very first run: "Yup, that endorphin rush is hitting me like an anvil."

Mmmm... pomegranate lemonade ...