Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Running in Florida in the Summer

Three and half weeks since my last run and consequent post. I did a couple laps around Lake Eola around 5pm today. No pain... except in my lungs. It is really too hot to run in Florida during the summer. It doesn't seem to stop the YMCA runners from their Monday runs. I see them go by my apartment. I figure if they are stupid enough to tough it out, then I can, too.

I knew it was hot and humid, but I didn't really notice it until I stopped running. When we run (excluding the treadmill), we create our own wind. It's nice. When the sweat rolls down your forehead to your eyebrow and then down the side of your cheeks, you feel its natural cooling effects. As soon as you stop running, your self created wind is gone. On a day like today, there wasn't a breeze. The wall of air just hit me.

What the heck was I doing? It's a good thing my office is located across the street from Lake Eola. I made a dart for the door and the air conditioning. I hate running early in the morning, but I know why people do it.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I think it just takes getting used to. I work in Longwood and run at lunch every day about 3-6 miles. The big heat wave a few weeks ago that spiked at 108 heat index was killer, but now I can handle 100 heat index with not much trouble. It slows me down for sure but I'm much better at it now that I've gotten in plenty of runs in the heat. I really like to run at lunch because it means I don't lose any time out of my day, I just use my lunch break differently.

Some things that help me: Drinking plenty of water over an hour before helps. I always eat breakfast, I need the energy for the run. I also prefer to run shirtless as that breeze goes directly to my skin. I wear a visor hat - baseball caps just lock in the heat on top of my head and burn me up. I wear sunglasses too. When I'm done with the run I throw my food in the micro and grab my ice cube bag (http://is.gd/1Bkav) and drape it around my shoulders while I rinse out my shorts, visor, and shirt in the bathroom. Once I cool down I towel off with paper towels and wash my face with soap. I have an extra stick of deodorant just in case but my co-workers swear I don't smell. Then I grab my food and eat at my desk while I continue working.