In Heat

With only five weeks to go before BDM 102, it's time to take heat training more seriously. No back-to-back long runs for me last weekend, as I'm on taper mode right now for next weekend's Condura Skyway Marathon and the BDM Test Run 52k the weekend after that. And so, I restricted myself to a 10k run on Saturday and a 20k run on Sunday. The Saturday run was crap because the sun was hardly out. It was very cloudy, hence there was hardly any heat to train with. So much for heat training. 

Sunday, however, was a completely different story. The sun was out and there were hardly any clouds in sight - perfect heat training weather. I ran the same route that I ran the day before. I parked my vehicle near Muji and Serendra in Bonifacio High Street, and this served as the starting point. From there, the route passed through the road where the Lexus dealership is located (behind St. Luke's and S&R - don't know the name), the vicinity of I.S. and the British School, and then the "border" of BGC and Kalayaan Avenue, before heading back to the starting point. A round trip spanned almost 10 kilometers, and I did two trips and loose change to get to 20 kilometers. I picked this route because there were no tall buildings that would block the sun. My car served as an aid station that served up Gatorade, bite-sized chocolate bars, and Hammer Endurolytes electrolyte capsules.  The 7-Eleven store at the Philplans Building near Kalayaan served as the second aid station, and there I took only water. I ran under the heat of the sun for almost 2 hours and 30 minutes, from 10:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Good heat training!

The run was productive for several reasons. Obviously, it allowed me to experience running under the sun for an extended period. It also allowed me to test the apparel that I will be using on D-Day - a white, long-sleeved New Balance running top in Lightning Dry technical fabric, which has a Sun Protection Factor rating of 20. I was also able to try the Endurolytes capsules (took them for the first time) and a prospective hydration plan. Most importantly, though, the run made me realize that I am not a complete stranger to running under the sun and in hot weather, after all. I am not a very fast runner, and I always finish my marathons with the sun already out. Who would have thought that my late finishes would one day prove useful? Certainly not me.

I hope to do more heat training in the remaining weekends before BDM. Right after I finish the Condura Marathon next week, I plan to run an additional 10 kilometers just so I would experience running under the late morning sun after having already completed 40+ kilometers. The week after that will have the 52k BDM Test Run, which will start at around 7 a.m. and which I expect to finish seven hours later at around 2 p.m. - definitely plenty of heat right there. The rest of the remaining weekends will be devoted to shorter "sun runs" as I taper for the big day.

Banana Boat SPF 70 will be my best friend for the weeks ahead!