Too hot to run in Belgium!

Some runs don't work out as planned.

My training run for today was supposed to be a speed 'intervals' session at the Cinquantenaire Parc, at the mid-day break close to where I work. I knew it was going to be tough, having underslept for a couple of nights, and with the weather getting sunnier and hotter. So I was already doubtful about completing this session successfully.

The first two 1000 metre efforts went reasonably well, and I registered good times in them. But the loop where I do my intervals in the park is practically the only area without any shade, and it was hot! I normally do five efforts, each consisting of 2 laps of 500m, with one lap jog recovery in between. By the end of the fourth effort, which was also completed in a good time, I was so tired that I decided to give up. I was worried of hurting myself or getting heatstroke, so I found a spot in the shade and lay down to recover.

That was it! My training run had been aborted. It rarely happens, but sometimes it does. After a few minutes I resumed the next recovery jog, and embarked on the final 1000 metre effort, but my heart wasn't in it, my legs had turned to jelly, and the effort fizzled into a jog, merging with the routine 'cool down' jog back to the shower at the office.

I reflected a bit on this partial disaster, and realised it's not a disaster at all. There are several positive elements:

1. I'm fully fit to continue training at full blast, not to mention that I consider myself to be in good form.
2. I have still run a distance of 10 km, so my training has not been interrupted at all.
3. It was almost a full regular intervals session - 4 x 1000 metres at a good pace and in blistering conditions are almost equivalent to what I normally do at a speed training session.
4. My target is long distance, the October Brussels marathon to be precise, and long distance training is proceeding perfectly well.
5. I will approach the upcoming Birżebbuġa 10k race with more caution and less overconfidence, which is not a bad idea at all.
6. I will bounce back, as I always do after a partial 'disaster'.

So I decided to list these points here and give myself a boost :-) But I have to admit that this was a novel experience. I never realised it could actually be too hot to run in Belgium!