Training Tuesday

Today is my last day of work before vacation! Yay! I am so ready for a break and to be able to just relax, at least mentally. Physically I hear there's going to be some running. ;) 
I've been busying packing and preparing for our trip. Our park tickets finally arrived, so I have one less thing to worry about. Now it's just picking up some last minute items (can't forget the sunscreen) and making sure it all fits in my bag. We're going with just carry-ons, at least that's the plan.

Weekly Recap
Tues: rest
Wed: 2 miles
Thurs: rest
Fri: 1.5 miles
Sat: rest
Sun: 10 miles
Mon: rest

If I thought I was a wimp when it comes to running up hills, I am an absolute sucker when it comes to the heat. And for this California coastal girl, my "hot" is probably what you would call a chilly evening. This Sunday I did my last long run before Disneyland. We started running at ~8:30am (normally 7am) on a clear sunny morning with the temps 68-70. Yup, that's heat training for me. And boy did that sun kick my butt. 

Truthfully, I have not been taking very good care of myself. I'm terrible at remembering to drink water, so I was definitely dehydrated. Not to mention that glass of wine the night before... After training in overcast 60 degree temps, I am apparently very sensitive to the sun- my first Disneyland half I got dizzy towards the end of the race and had to sit down for a while for fear of heat stroke. On Sunday, I didn't want to push myself, so I did a nice leisurely 10 miles. My plan, although very late in the game, is to run maybe a mile every day after work, just to get used to the heat. Fingers crossed that it's enough. 

These past few months, I've been so caught up in my training and trying to improve my pace, that I've kind of lost sight of why I'm running. For me, it's that feeling you get when you cross the finish line. That overwhelming sense of joy and happiness, and that ear-to-ear grin plastered across your face. I'm sure some of you are grinning right now just thinking about it. ;) So I really need to keep that in the forefront of my mind. Enjoy the race, take in the Disney magic, and just go with it. 

How was your week? How do you prepare for races that have very different weather than you're used to? Do you ever lose sight of why you're putting in all these training miles?