Hit With The Hammer

Ok, so most of us who live here in Madrid understand that the city and province has really only TWO seasons. We have winter and summer. Our winters are wet and cold. Our summers are hot and dry. They come on fast and furious with no warning. One minute you're comfie in your clothes and next your sweating or shivering. There's no in between here, for the most part.

Now, I have gone on and on about this, because I have just had the hammer fall on me. Yesterday I talked about the need for hydrating and cutting down mileage and simply getting acclimated to the heat. Well, I was FORCED to take my advice today, in the worst kind of way.

I woke late, which was do to circumstances beyond my control, and started out of the apartment around 10.15am. I would have rather got out around 7am because I was already feeling the heat rise yesterday. So I immediately felt the hammer fall within 2.5k, as I imitated a waterfall. I was soaked through my top before my first water break at 5.5/6k in front of the Casa de Campo entrance.

I had to make a quick decision. And it wasn't a fun one to make. I was feeling like I was sucking air through a straw and I felt thirsty earlier than ever on this run. I had a bad feeling that I wasn't going to do well today. I didn't want to start having physical problems so "far" from home. So I made the decision to cut my 22k in half and do a long hill home along side plaza españa up into Malasaña.

It was the right call. It was a tough call. I didn't want to give up on my cherished long run. Something that I've been looking forward to every week for months. Also, the fact that I finished 35.5k last Sunday and n was barely able to make it to 6k a week later without feeling trashed was too much for me. I, even known, with all my rationales, feel like such a punk for bailing out on my run.

But again I know I know I did the right thing. I just have to re-read the advice I gave yesterday. I thought back to it as I was running. I need 2-3 weeks to get acclimatized. So a few weeks of lazy sweaty running, hopefully in early mornings, and late evenings, and I will be better able to fend off these 30-40 degree days.

I just need to keep telling myself I got hit with the hammer and not punked out today.