Wednesday, July 27, 2011

My Week of Heat

I think most “outdoor enthusiast” develop a love/hate relationship with the weather.  There are those perfect days when being out in the elements is pure bliss and then there are other days that simply (how should I put this?), Suck!  Well, the past week has been full of the latter which has given me a lot of time to ponder all the various types of heat I’ve experienced while spending time in the elements this past week.  During the dog days of summer, heat is more than just a sensation it’s a palatable presence almost continuously weighing on the minds of those whom it tortures.  It’s said that Eskimos have many words for snow.   I’m sure there are other culture’s who have just as many words for heat, probably living somewhere near the equator! So I decided to do a quick search of words which describe “heat” in some way and have a little fun with their definitions as they may relate to some of my own experiences this past week.  Here we go...

Sunday: approximate temperature 97 deg.
Experience: Taking the garbage out, forgot to put anything on my feet, stepping on black top.
Type of heat: Holy $#!@ my feet are melting hot.
Descriptive word: Searing- is a technique used in grilling, baking, braising, roasting, sauteing, etc., in which the surface of the food (usually meat, poultry, fish or in this case my foot) is cooked at a high temperature so a caramelized crust forms.  

Monday: approximate temperature 98 deg.
Experience: Getting into the car at 2:00 PM, had forgotten to crack the windows, wearing long pants and long sleeves, probably at least 130 degrees in the car.
Type of heat: Slow roasting heat which permanently sticks clothing to skin (recommendation: find a shower and change!)
Descriptive word: Measty- A hot, sweaty mess; a gross feeling.  Thanks to urban dictionary for this one.

Wednesday: approximate temperature 97 deg.
Experience: In a rush to get out of the house for a 1 hour bike ride…of course I walked right past my daughters sunscreen.
Type of heat: Who’s holding the magnifying glass on my neck type of heat?
Descriptive word:  Incendiary-capable of catching fire, causing fires, or burning readily. As in “I think my neck is literally on fire”.  Went out and bought my own sunscreen the next day.

Friday: approximate temperature 111 deg.
Experience: Running on a treadmill for 2- 1 hour stints, set up on the side of route 31.
Type of heat: So this is what a slow death feels like type of heat.
Descriptive word: Languid: drooping or flagging from or as if from exhaustion, lacking force or quickness of movement.

Hope you got a little kick out of my week of heat.  Until next week...Here's all the heat you need!


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Sometimes "Others' Fight" Puts Things Into Perspective

So, I am happy to say that I have had 3 good runs so far this week:
  • Saturday: 5.5 miles
  • Sunday: 5 miles
  • Monday: 3.5 miles
I felt good on each of them and really didn't experience any symptoms to speak of.  So I'll be continuing to work on building up my mileage over the next several weeks and will just have to see how it feels.  I will probably be forgoing the "run with the devil" this weekend.  Pretty bummed about it, but at this point my body probably isn't ready to run a 2-mile loop consisting of 1000' ascent on mile 1, followed by 1000' descent on mile 2 and then repeated for 3 hours.  I find life seems to work in funny ways and although I may not be ready to tackle a 1000' ascent/descent yet, another running opportunity presented itself that holds more meaning.

Two amazing women, Wandy Bush and Michelle Cyphers, are working to raise money to participate in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk.  Pro-Activity and the Fuel Good Cafe have signed on to help.  The Fuel Good Cafe will be donating 50% of sales to Wandy and Michelle's fund raising effort and for every $80 raised staff from Pro-Activity will run 30 minutes on a treadmill parked along side Rt. 31!  If our goal of $2000 is reached Nick, Eric, Mike and myself will each be plodding along for 3 hours wearing our most supportive attire (I PINK I Can).  It should be a sight to see!

So as I have been battling this injury, albeit on the grand scheme of things a relatively minor one, it has consumed me.  Yes, sometimes we all need help to regain a little perspective.  Others' have way more serious battles to contend with each and every day then I have ever had to deal with and sometimes it's good to be reminded of that.  Life is an amazing privilege, let's not take it for granted.  I was reminded of this as I flipped through the pages of Running Times Magazine and read an article about Grete Waitz.  If you have never heard of Grete Waitz...she was only the first woman to run a sub 2:30 Marathon.  Unfortunately she lost her own battle to cancer on April 19th of this year, but left a lasting legacy in running and life!

So as I am out there running on Friday, I'll be running for Ann Hand (my wife's grandmother), Wandy Bush and all the other women who battle and have battled cancer.  I'll be running with pride!




Thursday, July 14, 2011

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you
(Woo, woo, woo)
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson Joltin'
Joe has left and gone away
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

No, I'm no Joe DiMaggio (those who have seen me play baseball know first hand as I am more accurate kicking a ball then most folks are at throwing one-just one of those skills I never worked hard at developing I guess) but some have asked where my blog has gone.  It hasn't gone away, just on hiatus.  Since coming up lame 1.5 months ago I have been diligently working to get back and if I am being honest...it's taking longer then it's ever taken before.  This is not my idea of fun as running is something I LOVE to do and since I've been wrestling with this injury it's been tough to sit and write about.  All-in-all the symptoms are much better, but while running things are not 100% right, just enough so to keep my holding back a bit.  The big hurdle coming up is "time".  I am getting very close to the point where if I'm unable to get mileage back up I'll need to begin re-assessing my race plans for the fall.  I just won't be able to get the proper training  and mileage under my belt to compete safely.  So the next 1-2 weeks are going to tell a lot.  During that time, I will be out there working to log some long slow miles to see if after all this rest the ship can right itself.  

We shall see.