Running in August 2009

August has been unkind to us runners, with Mr. Heat Miser turning up the heat and Mother Nature dialing up the humidity. The combination has brought plenty of tears to my eyes and has been pushed the limits of my sweat glands, in fact I had sweat drip off the brim of my hat, and Irene was quite disturbed from that sight. Our cloths and hats might be made of moisture wicking material, but that moisture has no place to go!

Last year, my running was predominately in the veil of darkness, until my ankle said that I was an idiot for running without a light. Now that I am running during the day, I've noticed a big difference. The bugs like to fly around during the day. It's tough already to concentrate on the swing of my arms for that perfect rhythm and cadence. The addition of a swatting motions pass my ears or across my face to get rid of that annoying buzzing noise and the smacking of my neck, arms and legs wastes so much extra energy. Maybe I should make a new workout dvd with all the crazy moves that I have been making lately.

Coupled with the extra huffing and puffing caused by running up the infamous Hill of Thomson Hay Path, inhaling a bug was inevitable. With big breath in, the buzzing sound stopped. That was disgusting as I quickly grabbed my water bottle to wash down the flying insect. I wonder how much nutritional value did I just get? It turns out to be nothing for humans, unlike bats that would eat swarms of mosquitos for dinner to survive. Eating one mosquito would not help my running for that day.

Well, it's only 66 more days until the Marathon, and Irene's nerves are lit up like a Christmas Tree hooked up to a 220 Volt outlet instead of the usual 110 Volt service. Plenty of ice has been applied to our joints, and we are still out pounding the pavement at least 5 days a week.

For more inspiration, please visit www.runwithnoah.com