Tuesday, July 18, 2006

How far are we from the sun?

Another hot day with the "feels like" temp in the triple digits! Yes, this is TX and this is July, but I don't think you ever quite get used to this. I knew I should have gotten up early and gone to the park this morning, but it was so nice to lay in bed another 45 minutes! (Btw, I just checked the temp...at 11pm, it "feels like" 85!)

The hubby had to get to work early for some training...so, I had to cram in a run after work, but still early enough to fit it in before the kiddo's bath & bedtime. I had planned to get outside by 6:30pm, but after searching for the kiddo's sandals and getting the jog stroller out it was closer to 7pm. We headed down to the little softball field in the neighborhood. I wouldn't go there after dark, nit this time of the day, there are usually a lot of kids there practicing for softball, baseball and t-ball. Plus, there's a small asphalt path around a picnic area that is usually occupied by walkers and joggers in the afternoon and early evening.

I had planned to do a few loops around the perimeter of the field, but when I arrived at the asphalt path I realized that it was almost fully covered in shade from the surrounding trees. Not only that, but there was a nice breeze blowing. It actually felt...bearable. I decided to run the path. There was a man completing a loop with that tool that looks like a stick with a wheel on the end (anyone know what that's called?). I asked him about the path and he said it was 1,431 feet, which is just a little over a quarter mile. Not a very long path, but at least I know how far I'm running. I almost asked him if he had ever measured the perimeter of the field...I usually run that instead of the small path.

Naturally, after my first couple of loops the breeze stopped and it just felt hot. I was thankful for the shade though...it had to be better that running in direct sunlight. Before I even finished one loop I was hating the jog stroller. For some reason, it pulls to the left. I feel like I got an upper body workout just from trying to get that thing to stay on course. I think I may be able to correct the pull a little by making sure the tires are inflated correctly...I hope so, because I know I could not run much longer than I did today with that thing!

My total run time was 45 minutes...well, that did include a couple of stops to pick up the kiddo's water bottle, book and whatever else she decided to toss out of the stroller...oh, and I forgot one stop to pet a puppy that a family brought to the park. I didn't count how many laps I did around the path, so I am not sure of the distance. When I arrived home and looked in the mirror, I was drenched and my face was the brightest shade of red that I had ever seen! But, I had another day of running done and one workout closer to Chicago!

Run Stats
Conditions - 91/80% humidity
Location - Neighborhood softball field (grass/asphalt)
Total Run Time - ~45 minutes
Total distance - ???

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice run. One day, you should go out to Cullen Park (if you haven't already). The path out there is completely shaded. It's like running through a tunnel carved out of the forest. At least the first 1.5 miles and back. I haven't gone farther than that...YET!!!

elf said...

Most of the planet is 93 million miles from the sun. However, by some bizarre mechanism, Houston ends up only 43 million miles away from May through October. Really--you can look it up. Or ask Sarah--she would know.

Hope to see you at the park soon.

-Erin

Tiggs said...

the heat is killing me...its crazy!!!