Cooler Running

I woke up too early yesterday and went back to sleep.  That was good.  I went for my morning run in heat that was nearing 90 degrees.  That wasn't good.  I wasn't sure how hard I wanted to run when I started, which is often the case, so I ran the first mile comfortably before pushing up the steepest part of the first climb.  That was also ok, or so it seemed.  What I really didn't catch on to was the added stress of the heat, which, by the time I pushed up the climb at the end of Mile 4 and the beginning of Mile 5, began to take its toll.  It actually reminded me of Ironman Chattanooga in 2016, when I thought I felt fine at the beginning of the run and forgot to take in fluids (not sure if it would have mattered, since I was probably already dehydrated from the bike ride with temperatures up to 104).  

I thought I was fine until I realized that I wasn't.  Ironically, while I backed off the rest of the fifth mile and just got back to running comfortably, I knew by the end of the mile, where it gets steeper again, that instead of pushing up the hill, which I often do, that it was actually time to walk.  The stress every day is a different stress.  Sometimes it's running hard.  Sometimes it's emotional stress.  Sometimes it's mental stress.  Yesterday, it was just hot, pure and simple.  A couple of more walking breaks, including a decision to walk the last 200m uphill to my house, before sitting down and not moving for about 5-10 minutes, drenched in sweat, before I could get myself up to go inside and drink two large glasses of fluids.  

I'm up earlier today and ready to run.  A little washed out from yesterday, but I should be fine.  It's going to be another warm day, but if I get out soon I'll avoid the worst of the heat.  It will be interesting to see how my body responds to the stress of yesterday's run.  I'm looking forward to cooler running.