Training Saved by Compex!

I just returned from 5 days away from home at a Convention in Phoenix. The Convention was fun and informative but time consuming. We started at 7:30 in the morning and went until 11 at night with very few breaks. Plus, I either spent most of those breaks talking to people or trying to get work done.

Additionally, it was hot, Hot, HOT in Phoenix while I was there. I ran on Wednesday afternoon when I first arrived in town. I had a 60 minute workout schedule and got directions for a nice out-and-back run along the canal from the hotel staff. When I first started, it felt great. It was flat, there was a bit of a breeze, and there were ducks playing in the canal. I’d pre-hydrated and was feeling pretty good. But I wasn’t at my smartest so I didn’t bring any water. I think I thought there’d be water like there is along the bike trail that I run and ride at home. By the first intersection, I was hot, starting to feel pretty thirsty, and had to go to the bathroom because of all the pre-hydration. By the second intersection, about 18 minutes in, I realized that I was just being stupid. I was so hot and thirsty that I was thinking about joining the ducks in the canal.

I switched sides of the canal to take advantage of the little bit of shade that existed and headed back, hoping to make it before I did something really stupid. There were several times I was tempted to walk but kept running, figuring that a nice, easy pace would get me back and to water before I got sick. In the end, I only ran about 35 minutes. When I made it back, one of the hotel staff who was a runner saw me. He was so worried, he took me into the staff room to get me ice water and ice cubes and didn’t let me go until he was reassured that I was okay. We had a nice talk about his running and running in Phoenix but I made the decision that running in mid-afternoon in Phoenix was not a good idea for the rest of Convention.

So late nights, early mornings, tight schedules, work to do, and no mid-afternoon runs. Thankfully, I had the Compex Sport Elite with me so in the brief breaks I did have, I was able to run either an abbreviated endurance program (no warm-up or cool down) or an Active Recovery program. My roommate enjoyed watching my legs rise without me doing anything. Although this wasn’t my best training week, I was saved by having Compex to do some type of training when otherwise I wouldn’t have done anything. And it paid off today with a stronger ride that I would have expected.

And just to add, ‘chapeau’ to those of you who live in Phoenix and manage to train through the summer. You are far stronger than I!