20 Mile Failure

Okay, so the title of this post might be a bit misleading. I attempted a 20-miler today (after delaying yesterday's 20 miler on account of being in Chicago and opting to ride the bike along the lake instead). However, I only ran 16 miles. Apparently, leaving Chicago after a Bears game (at 1:30am EST) to drive to Louisville doesn't quite suffice as preparation for a 20-miler.

Although it may be the end of September, the temperature in Louisville is in the mid-80's. The customary humidity has been absent though. Unsurprisingly, the lack of humidity seems to affect the amount of water a runner requires. Today's run started off well. I was fast through 12 miles. I had planned what I thought was a sufficient number of water fountain stops along the route. However, at about the 15 mile mark, I started to feel a bit dizzy. This was new. I kept running in hopes that it would go away. However, it became clear that additional symptoms had appeared: sweating had stopped and the mouth was dry. At about 16 miles, I stopped and was forced to relieve myself of my footing. Luckily, I had stopped to sit down in the grass for a spell before I seemed to have perhaps experienced a minor black out. It was a bit scary. After a few minutes, I stood and walked myself to the nearest water fountain.

After a mile of walking, I attempted to run again. Not happening. The legs were like lead and the mouth was too dry. Water didn't seem to be helping. In any case, the remaining 3 mile walk was among the more unpleasant experiences in recent memory.

The whole experience is consistent with dehydration and heat exhaustion. Quite a set back for my final long run before the taper. Hopefully, it was just a result of lack of sleep and lack of water.

In better news, The Bears/Eagles game last night was great. The new spaceship that landed on Soldier Field doesn't completely ruin the experience. Both defenses were solid, especially The Bears in the final minutes of the game. Orton looked confused much of the time, but did manage to play fairly well, throwing a great touchdown pass to Devin Hester and one to TE Olsen on the Bear's first possession. The entire stadium was shocked to see The Bears come out and score quickly.

Chicago is great this time of year: cool and breezy.