hug the shadows

hug the shadows, originally uploaded by shersteve.

I got out early for my run today before it got too hot. The sun was still rising so I hugged the side of Summer St to stay in the shadows.

Mount St was easier today than I expected. I guess my running recently has begun to pay some dividends. I had a strong finish coming down Upper Union to meet up with Dolores and then stopped for coffee at Dunkin Dounts for the final stretch home. It should have been a cool down, it was more like a drip down.

This was a good run day. I hope you had a good run today!

run in the shade

Sunday's long run was a good one in familiar territory out in central PA.

As warm as it was in Franklin we had the same weather, so I did my long run early before the temp rose to the high for the day. For most of the run, I was able to stay on the shade side of the road and out of the sun.

A cap and a white t-shirt also helped to deflect the sun.

Take care when you run in the sun and heat.

Don't like the humidity

Yes, humidity is very high on my running "Don't like" listing. Actually, the only thing higher on the listing is not running at all.

So I do.
Under duress.

With

1. appropriate clothing
2. appropriate hydration
3. a shortened or shaded route
4. earlier in the day (or even later in the dark)
   

and it is not that bad after all. A good workout is going to generate some sweat anyway. Running in humidity just means you get wetter sooner. But as some said, you only get wet once.

Just two easy miles for the log today. I didn't run last Thu or Sun. I really have missed my last two long Sunday runs due to the heat/humidity and quite hopeful that this weekend, I'll be able to get a good run in.

What do you do to run in the heat?

the summer breeze feels so good

the summer breeze feels so good, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Altered my route today due to the high humidity. I shortened the length and changed to one where there was lots of tree cover. I was hoping the shade would help and it did. The course change did add a big element of more hills but that was the price to pay today.

I took a couple of stretch and water breaks, lengthening one to Twitter about the hope for rain. It turned out to be a passing cloud, nothing more than that.

I added a stop at the Dunkin Donuts on the last stretch to enjoy a nice coolatta but alas their machine was down and nothing of that sort was available. I passed on the coffee as it was already too hot.

Walking the final stretch home by Spruce Pond, I enjoyed the breeze. You can see evidence of it in the ripples on the water surface.

Weighing myself I found I lost about 7 pounds of water weight. I have been hydrating myself all afternoon and am not quite back to normal yet. Good excuse for a second beer today!

What is the lesson from running in the heat?

Adjust to the conditions. I ran slower, took a shadier course, and carried water. All things that Amby Burfoot covers in his recent Runner's World article on running in the heat. It is good advice to follow.

May the roads and trails be kind to you!