Surviving July

Every day in July was above 100° F. In fact there were only 5 days in the month where the high was below 106° F and we had 12 days where it got to 110° F or higher! I was nervous about this month long before I moved here. Running and desert heat is just a bad combination. Yet I survived.  I managed to run 141 miles this month. I won't say that I thrived because that would be a stretch. I slogged through some miserable hot runs, I plodded along on the treadmill, and drank gallons of water. Here are the four things that helped me survive the month:

1. Get out of town.
I spent the first few days of the month in Canada (and got one run in after my fishing trip), and I spent 6 days in San Diego for work. I made sure to run each day in San Diego and enjoy the cool weather. These brief respites from the heat were mentally necessary. Not only did the cooler temperatures feel great, they let me run outside without feeling like I was being cooked alive.

Running Mission Trails in San Diego

2. Embrace the treadmill
Maybe embrace is too strong a word. Mentally I have come to accept the necessity of the treadmill. But I still loathe the machine. Given the choice I'd rather be a hamster then not run at all.  I logged most of my miles in July on the treadmill. On a positive note I found that there is a certain brand of treadmill called Woodway that actually feels pretty good. They have two of them at the gym on base. Their unique slat belt tread actually feels like running on the road. If you ever see one I highly encourage you to run on it you should give it a try if you can't run outside.

I have a great treadmill running partner!

3. Ditch the long-run
I normally do a 10 mile run once a week. I love this routine because it gets me a lot in terms of fitness and endurance and it also gives me a great sense of accomplishment every week. I only did one 10 mile run this month and it was while I was in San Diego. While I miss the long-run and can't wait to to incorporate it back in my routine, I've accepted that I just have to let it go in these conditions. There is a time for everything and right now it's not time to run 10 miles. 

No big runs but at least I caught a big fish.