I Hate Summer

I hate Summer....and Summer hasn't even started. I enjoy running, but running in this oppressive heat and humidity challenges any sense of enjoyment. Every run, no matter how slow or how early in the day, seems to be a struggle with heat exhaustion. I've only suffered dehydration and heat exhaustion (I landed in the hospital after a long run on a very warm and humid December day), and consider myself very fortunate to have avoided the heat stroke reported here. Very scary!

I have been able to manage some decent, albeit slow, mileage:
52.75 miles the week of June 7th to 13th
M: 7 at 8:24 mpm, 86*F at 1PM
Tu: 7 at 7:21 mpm, 85*F at 3PM
W: 6 at 7:46 mpm, 89*F at 3:30PM
Th: 7 at 8:23 mpm, 88*F at 3PM
F: 7 at 7:39 mpm, 87*F at 5PM
Sa: 7 3/4 at 8:40 mpm, 88*F at 10AM
Su: 11 at 8:31 mpm, 89*F at Noon with the dewpoint at 80
I worked nights all week, so most of the runs were at 3PM before going to work.

49.25 miles the week of May 31st to June 6th
M: 7 3/4 at 8:34 mpm, 86*F at 10AM
Tu: 4 3/4 at 6:57 mpm, 79*F at 4AM
W: 4 3/4 at 7:37 mpm, 81*F at 4AM
Th: 5 3/4 at 7:46 mpm, 71*F at 4AM with light rain after some heavier storms
F: 7 3/4 at 8:31 mpm, 84*F at 10AM
Sa: 7 1/2 with The Heights 5K race at 5:59 mpm, 77*F at 7:30AM up in Houston
Su: 11 at 8:24 mpm, 86*F at 9AM with the dewpoint in the fog-your-glasses upper 70s

48.5 miles the week of May 24th to May 30th
M: 4 3/4 at 8:53 mpm, 80*F at 4AM
Tu: 5 3/4 at 7:16 mpm, 79*F at 4AM
W: 5 1/2 at 6:46 mpm with the middle 3M a little quicker (6:39, 6:37, and 6:27), 85*F at 7PM
Th: 5 3/4 at 8:31 mpm, 74*F at 4AM
F: 9 at 7:18 mpm, 88*F at 10AM but the dewpoint was near 70
Sa: 7 3/4 at 8:30 mpm, 89*F at 11AM
Su: 10 at 8:27 mpm, 86*F at 11AM but the dewpoint was way up in the upper 70s

I'm now up to 14 days of running since I've run in temperatures less than 80*F.

Heights 5K

I ran The Heights 5K Saturday. It's a simple down and back on Heights Boulevard, 18th Street to 5th Street and back to 18th Street. The 13 blocks going down the street go fast, but the same 13 blocks coming back up the other side seem to take forever. I ended up with a 5:53 first mile, a 6:01 second mile, 6:09 third mile and the last bit in 33 seconds to average just under 6:00 per mile. Dale Lee passed me just after the turnaround (he's been a great competitor this past year) and Angrunner pulled me in to finish. It was warm and humid (Hobby Airport recorded 77°F with a 74°F dewpoint) so I was happy with my time.




Here's my nephew hitting a home run in a NCAA Regional Playoff game:


He's been hitting the ball hard lately.