Humidity + Shin Splints + Dehydration + Run = Torture

It's runs like these that make me wonder why I ever thought I could run a marathon. Brutal I tell ya. I stopped FIVE times in six miles today. Here's the low down:

• .5 miles - Calves so tight I had to stop and stretch. Painfully tight!

• .75 miles - repeat what I said above.

• 2 miles - repeat what I said above.

• 3 miles - foot's going numb - first one, then the other. Found out after doing a bit of research online that it's likely due to shin splints and tight calves! Imagine that.

• 4 miles - Just plain tired. Dehydrated and hot.

Now I like to stop my Garmin when I take my walk breaks. Yeah, it's cheating, but my times look so much better! :) So my running pace averaged a 9:23, but with all the breaks I'd say I probably (hopefully) averaged a 10 minute mile.

I ran this morning around 9am (first mistake - should have run 2 hours earlier), and it's now 9:30pm and my legs have finally stopped throbbing. It was only six miles for heaven's sake! Geesh. Tomorrow I'm supposed to run eight miles. Eight miles. After writing some pretty sarcastic and crude things, then using the delete/backspace key, I should look at this as a lesson learned. I don't hydrate well, never have. I've been lucky so far, but there's no way around hydration in a marathon. If I can get into the habit of drinking just a couple swallows every mile, then that's immense progress, and should allow me to complete my run without feeling so drained.

Will tomorrow's run be more productive? Will Kim use what she's learned and hydrate properly? Will she ever run again!?! Dun, Dun Dunnnnn....Stay tuned...