Sweat. Lots of it.

I went running at the Runner's World run of the month today (AKA Memorial Park). Pulling up to the stop light before turning to the loop around the park, I saw that there were only two people within sight that were running. This is not good news. The only thing that this means for this very popular park, is that it is hot out.

BoySmile had taken the kids for a few hours so I figured I would try and get in a stroller-free "long" run for the week...long being anything more than 3.

I decided to turn on the Garmin virtual partner to run with me and see what I could do. I set him on a pace that I thought I would likely be able to beat and set out on the trail.

The first two miles were good. It was warm out, but the back side of the loop had some shade which made it bearable. Then I got out of the shade. Before I knew it, I was hot. Very hot. The sun was beating down on me and when I stopped at the drinking fountain to fill up my water bottle it felt like my flesh was going to melt off my bones. My shoes quickly filled up with water...well, sweat that is and I was drenching. My running shorts were sticking to me and my shirt was soaked with water.

I, however, was able to keep my virtual partner a good 0.15 miles behind me for most of the first loop, but then when I got past three miles it was all over. I slowly watched my partner in his air conditioned virtual world run right past me chuckling all the way. It was brutal. I could tell that I haven't been outside as much this summer from being pregnant because I'm not as used to the heat. Either that or it's just a hotter summer. I don't know which. I was pretty sure I was just being a pansy. Not making me feel any better was the 75-year-old man who was already running when I got there and ran the entire time I was there with his IM sideways shuffle that you think he is going to fall over and then doesn't, but doggone it, he is going faster than me. Shoot.

I stopped and filled up my water bottle at the start of the next loop and set off trying to find a pace that felt good out there. Finally, by about mile 5 I found a pace that I could sustain and although it wasn't fast, I managed to not get passed by a single person. We were all suffering. So this probably doesn't say much about my running abilities. I ran until I got goosebumps. The it's-so-hot-my-body-thinks-it's-cold out goosebumps. It felt good. I decided while running that they should measure the heat index here by just adding a zero to the end of the actual temperature, i.e. it's 95 degrees the heat index would be 950 degrees. It seemed to make sense while I was running.

I finished up with a half mile of intervals on the track and called it a day at just over 6.5 miles.

After I finished toweling off the pools of sweat I had accumulated on my body, I called BoySmile to see how they were all doing without me. He asked how my run was and I told him I'm a pansy who has a lot of work ahead of me. I lamented the heat and how I'm sure it wasn't really that hot out, but that I'm just not used to it and I'm completely out of shape. He informed me that the car said it was 116 degrees out. Well, this is the reason! Shoot. No wonder I feel like such a pansy.

I don't know how those people do it running through Death Valley for 1oo and some miles. No wonder their shoes melt if they don't run on the white line. I can't even begin to imagine. I might even veture to say that that doesn't even really sound fun.

I can't wait for winter. It's the perfect summer weather in the wintertime here. January will feel good we when can run with people like this. I can't wait.