"Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug."Today I was the bug. Why?
"It's not the heat, it's the humidity."
Damn straight.
I did everything right for my planned 15-miler today. Laid out my running clothes, got to sleep very early, woke up before the 5AM alarm, drank some coffee and had some cereal, and I was out the door at 6AM, 20-odd minutes before sunrise.
The humidity hit me like a wave as I walked out the door. It hadn't rained, but everything was wet. Still, it was "only" 77*F before dawn, and I thought it wouldn't be too bad.
I was wrong.
After a mile of jogging I was sweating hard. After 2 miles I was sopping wet. NOTHING evaporated. Not a hint of breeze in the air. The mosquitoes never went to sleep, and they were delighted to see me out and about. The deer flies buzzed around my head. I used my bandana about once per stride to mop my face and fend off the insects.
By 4 miles I stopped to wring out my ponytail (it was dripping down my back, how disgusting) and got about an ounce of liquid out of that, and another ounce of liquid poured out of the bandana. My shirt and shorts and socks were a sodden dripping mass. I stopped to remove a stone from my shoe and found that my feet were wrinkling prunes. It might as well have been raining.
I programmed my watch for 5:1 run:walk intervals. That lasted about, oh, a mile.
By 6 miles I was a trudging, dispirited mess. I had plenty of water, plenty of salt, and everything I needed - except a teensy breeze, maybe, and a smidgen of evaporation.
So much for all my great techniques for not cutting long runs short. At the 7.2-mile intersection, I headed for home. I was beaten. I'll just have to do that 15-mile run another day.
Today I was only good for 9.6 miles. I got back home about 8:30AM, by which time it had plummeted to a mere 89% humidity. But I was already toast. Wet, soggy toast.
*SPLAT*
8 comments:
I know just how you feel. I've had a few workouts cut short this week too. It happens. Live to fight another day...
but that's 9.6 more than you would have gotten if you'd stayed in bed. this just means your next run will be a windshield day!
I sure hope so! I've got a ten mile road race next weekend! Fortunately the weather is due to break this week. :-) :-) :-)
Annapolis-10 next week! Oh, oh, oh! I am so sorry to have to miss that!
The weather WILL break...
it will...
it will...
it WILL...
I couldn't even dead-head my flowers this morning. Too too HOT. You did GREAT!
Hey, I had no idea you were training here in Houston! LOL!
If that happens again, try braiding your ponytail or doing several little elastics down the length of it so you won't have gooey, drippy strands of hair slapping your back and neck. It's nasty.
You put in a good effort, and there's always another day.
It *was* braided. It was like a sweat-hose dangling down my back. Disgusting. I should shave my head.
Way to gut it out-that is tough running. We are past humidity season now, should be a foot of snow on the ground next week.
On bugs: sometimes you are the bug and sometimes you are the cheap Performance Bike interchangeable lens blade sunglasses-does anyone make wiper blades for biking glasses?
Ugh. I too have the disgusting ponytail/braid whipping my back. The humidity is sure to break this week!
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