Goal weight: 195 lbs.
Today’s weight 198 lbs.
Memorial Day Weekend is the official start to the beginning of Summer. And heat and humidity apparently subscribe to this notion. I ran 8.51 miles while wearing a wet, warm blanket. Have I ever mentioned I hate heat and humidity? Not because I’m some big puss. No, no — I did run 8.51 miles today. It’s just because my body never has acclimated to heat well. It made high school football practice crappy. It makes running in the summer rough 27 years later.
I ran out of my neighborhood at 5:30 a.m. From there I cut to the Natchez Trace and followed it as the sun poked it’s evil red eye over the Ross Barnett Reservoir. A lone houseboat was parked in a cove, looking like a giant alligator waiting on the glass-like water. I ran South on the Trace to the Overlook, where I picked up the Ridgeland Multipurpose Trail. From there, I ran to the Jackson Yacht Club and then ran through some of the neighborhoods nearby. About five miles into the run, the sun really began to cause the temperatures to rise. I was sweating profusely by that point.
I am not really acclimated to the heat yet. I’m not sure I ever will be.
My heart rate shot up into the upper 150’s and then into the 160’s. That’s too high for an old geezer like me. The frustrating thing is that I’m in better shape than that. My body just couldn’t cool off. The humidity made it hard for the sweat to evaporate efficiently. By the time I got to mile eight, I was tired. And frustrated. I finished at 8.51 miles and walked up the hill to my house.
I’ve been going over the numbers from today’s run. I ran a little slower than normal (probably more to do with me taking a couple of pictures and stopping to refill my water bottle than my pace being that much slower). My heart rate did rise toward the end of the runs. Hills caused it to spike. The high heart rate is why I’m more tired than normal. (I love my Garmin 301 for giving me all the data to compare all of my runs).
So what did I take from today’s run? I need work on my fitness. I need to improve my heat acclimation (or run earlier in the morning.) I’m setting some new goals for next week’s run. And I have to find a way to dry out my shoes.
AAAAHH running in Mississippi in the summer. I think olympic athletes should train here. Ran all last summer and busted out 14 min. Miles. The second it cooled off it was back at 9 minute miles. Amazing what the heat and humidity does. Hydrate and light clothing and find a special place for those shoes because they will be smelling really nice.