Summer running will take some patience (and better conditioning)

Today's run (street) 3.82 miles at 9:43

Shady activities

It's been a fun weekend with our guests. The weather has been hot and sunny and the kids have owned the pool. I even accomplished a chore; assembling one of those new offset swing umbrellas that can tilt and move laterally. That created a perfect place for the grownups to sit poolside while we watched the kids in perpetual motion in the water. Yesterday was a hot and humid five miles and this morning it was even more humid. I got out before 7:00 AM but it was already uncomfortable. I was glad to be wearing my Adidas AdiStar running shirt that does an excellent job of managing moisture. Eventually the shirt reached 100% saturation but I was fairly comfortable throughout the run. I wore my Brooks because I wanted maximum comfort on what I knew would be a difficult run.

I did a mile loop near my house and then headed to neighborhood #3 for a change of scenery. By the time I reached my second mile I was hot and tired and focused only on finishing my planned route. Although my leg turnover felt fast my Garmin told me otherwise and I knew I would need to work to keep my overall pace within the 9:00 range. I returned to my neighborhood for the final mile and a half and, like yesterday, finished hot, panting and soaked. I've run every day since last Monday and I'll rest tomorrow after covering about 20 for the week. We were discussing the runner's high this weekend and one of our guests mentioned that he's never finished a run and then felt a rush of euphoria. I usually feel good when I finish and, depending on the run, I can carry that feeling throughout the day. The last two days have only brought relief that the runs were over. I keep telling myself that it's good practice for hot conditions and high elevations in Colorado Springs. That said, I'm still looking forward to Tuesday morning when I get out there again.