Schooled.

Ah, life lessons. And I thought all that learning business was over and done with after graduation last week. Silly me...

On Saturday, I woke up and drove to Lady Bird Lake with the intention of running 4 miles--my longest distance to date. Well, actually, I was going to use more of a Galloway "run/walk" approach, since I didn't want to wear myself out too early. I left my apartment at about 8:20ish and got to the lake at about 8:45. I munched on half a Clif bar on the way, and drank some water when I got there. Although it was only about 9:00, it was already 80 degrees, sunny, and kinda humid. However, since it was an hour earlier than my last (failed) attempt to run at the lake in the sun, I figured I'd be alright. WRONG.

I decided to do the Pfluger pedestrian bridge/I35 loop, which is approx. 4 miles. It also takes me along Riverside Dr., which leaves the immediate proximity of the lake and follows the street. I started off just fine, even after taking a wrong turn and ending up on Congress. However, when the trail veered off onto Riverside, I about fell over.

Problem 1: no shade (or not much). For some reason, I have a real problem running in the sun. Since I started running in November, when it was much cooler, it hasn't posed much of a challenge up to now. But since the temperature has started its rapid and sadistic yearly rise, I'm having trouble finding a good time to run. The last time I ran at the lake, it was about 10AM. The first half was fine, since it was in the shade. On the second half, however, I hit a wall on Cesar Chavez (not literally, but it probably would have had the same effect). I really think I need to just invest in a good hat. Or run earlier. Or in the evening. But more on that later.

Problem 2: Hills! But that's Austin. I need to get over that (no pun intended--or maybe it was).

So, I hit Riverside. And walked. Didn't get to 35, but turned around and headed back into the shade. Once I got back by the lake, I felt better and was able to run back to my car. Overall, I covered about 3.5 miles. Not 4 miles, but I'm ok with that.

Last night, I went out about 8PM to do 3 miles, as part of my plan to increase my mileage this summer. For this 3 miles, I just planned to do 2 laps around Dell. So, I started off great, saw a few other runners also trying to dogde the sun and heat, and generally felt good. I hit my first mile at 11:00 minutes, which is fast for me. So I slowed down a bit, but I knew the damage had already been done. At the halfway mark, I pooped out. I walked for about 5 minutes, ran a little more, walked a little more, then ran home at a pretty nice pace. 2.5 miles. Boo.

So, my lessons learned?

1. Get a hat.
2. Run before 8AM, or after 7:30PM (until about October).
3. Don't start out too fast (which I've been doing lately, and I really need to work on).

Tonight I start a trial week at Gold's Gym, since I can't go to campus anymore. I need to incorporate more cross-training and strength training into my routine, especially since I've got more time now (outside of job hunting...). Check back for a report on that.