Made in the Shade

Jeeezus, it's hot! It's head-pounding, rash-inducing, baby-powder-in-the-shorts-necessitating HOT. ..and that's by 9 am.

Though I love summers in the south (yes, I'm all in for magnolias, iced tea, cicadas and all the other southern pride bs), I am not above complaining about the heat and humidity. And, I must be a glutton for punishment, because I picked this particular season to begin tackling long runs outdoors. As part of my November marathon training regimen, long runs (currently approaching the 10 mile mark) fall primarily on the weekend, when it's fairly safe to traverse the 45 mph road in front of my house. Not having to drive somewhere to run is a huge plus, and if I get out by 7:30ish, it's so nice and cool and quiet, the road practically pulls me to it.

The first 30 minutes or so are blissful, but not long after that I find myself acutely aware of sun and shade. If my fancy schmancy GPS watch had a function that mapped shade, I am certain it would show that I actually run faster in the sun in order to get to the shade, where I slow down and enjoy the respite of a minimal temperature drop. Shade becomes the reward. I often change my route after looking down an unfamiliar street and deciding it is more shady than my original plan, and I am also prone to break traffic rules to run on the wrong but shaded side of the street (for shame!). I know it's mostly in my head, but it makes a huge difference when my legs feel like concrete and my head is pounding. And, thankfully, my town is pretty sleepy and the streets are all on a grid, so none of my disobedience is all that dangerous.

Now, I do not mean to suggest that my new balmy weather running habits are unusual or even admirable - there are plenty of other runners out and about this time of year in our area. However, when you scan the crowded race calendar, the near complete absence of local, organized races listed for July and August points to the fact that we all may be a little nuts.

Last year, I did my marathon in May and then basically sat out the next 3 months; so, serious summer running is a new concept for me. I also only did maybe one run a week outdoors during the entire 6 month training leading up to that race. The past few weeks, I have switched to doing maybe half of my runs outdoors, that half including my longer ones on the weekends. I find that it not only breaks up the monotony of treadmill-training, but since I have to run a pretty large part of my town to get my mileage, it gives me a far better sense of my community.

Nonetheless, I'm definitely a wimp, so I don't see myself becoming one of those people that sees their treadmill as only a last resort for extremely foreboding outdoor conditions. You know, the folks who would almost rather crack their skull on an icy trail - or buy ridiculous winter weather gear - just to get that fabulous fresh air. Nope. Not me. I still crave being able to run in front of a tv, or at the very least in a temperature and humidity controlled environment, a few times a week. Indeed, my love affair with the treadmill continues, and this current tumultuous summer fling with the outdoors is absolutely no threat to that long-term relationship.

..at least until Fall. Fall is a different story.