Back Amongst the Living

After enjoying a long run a couple nights ago after work, against my better judgement, I was back to running in the morning hours... in the daylight... amongst the living. And just as I expected, it was a huge mistake. Today was one of the worst mornings someone could have picked to have gone for a run. If a newbie runner marked today, July 16th, on their calendar as the day as the day they were going to start their new running initiative and program, one of two things most likely happened. 1) They stepped outside, felt the hot, muggy air and said, "The hell with this... I'll start tomorrow," or 2) They went through with their run, endured the heat and humidity, and said, "The hell with this... running sucks... I'm never running again." I couldn't blame them for making either statement... it was truly that miserable out. Stepping outside initially, it didn't seem all that bad, but like in a lot of things in life, sometimes first impressions leave a lot to be desired. The air, indeed, was very heavy and muggy, and each step seemed like a labor intensified workout. During short runs like today, I very rarely ever stop during the middle of the run, but today, about three miles in, I just had to pull over to take a drink from my water bottle, douse my head with its remnants, take off my shirt, and take a deep breath. It was that miserable out. I've had 20 mile training runs that I've enjoyed more than today's piddilly, little five mile run. Again, it was that miserable out. After my little pit stop, I continued on to do my remaining two miles, and I even finished up fairly strong by running the last mile at around 7:30 pace, although I don't know how that was possible. In any case, I did finish and actually felt just as exhausted as if I had run a marathon. It's amazing how out of shape the summer heat can make you feel.

Today's workout: 5.1 miles > 39:52 > 7:49 pace

Miles this week: 16.2