Hot Mess

Ugh, what a difference 15 degrees makes!

Saturday, it was 55 degrees. I ran 8 miles at a 10:20 pace and felt as if I could run for-evah!

This morning, it was 70 degrees. It was also cloudy and foggy with a zillion % humidity. I ran 4 miles at a 10:29 pace and was just happy to be done.

An hour and a half later, as I was driving the kids to daycare, the temp was 62 and there was no humidity! A cool front came through the area while I was busy showering and pushed the clouds out, revealing a gorgeous blue sky and a pink/orange sunrise.

Welcome to Houston. Crazy weather!

I started my 4-miler with the intent of doing some 800 intervals. But, I didn't set my watch right and instead of stopping to fix it, I just decided to run. I really, really need to get re-acclimated to the warmer temps again, because I was being a total pansy this morning. Pretty soon, it'll be 80 degrees at 4:30 am and I will be looking forward to mornings like this with the temps dipping in the 70s. Ugh, like I said, welcome to Houston.

Not.ready.for.summer.

What's my melting point?

I decided to run at a new location - 1) it was closer to my job and on the way home and 2) a change of scenery sounded nice. As I was changing clothes in the restroom at work (always a lovely experience), I realized that I forgot the Garmin. Oh well, since I am still getting re-acclimated to the heat, I figured I would be going slow anyway. I did have my trusty old ironman, so I would at least know when to stop running...that's always a good thing.

Nothing exciting to report about this run. The 35 minutes didn't seem like much, but I felt like I was going at a snail's pace the entire time. OMG, it was hot (94 with a "feels like" temp of 104!). Next, I realized that there were no mile markers. I had no idea if I was really going as slow as I felt, but it really felt like I was moving at a snail's pace. Luckily, there was a breeze and lots of shade. I thought about running on the paved bike trails, but there was no shade there. I know it's not possible for me to melt ride into the sidewalk, but I really thought I was going to. I felt like I was going to turn into one of the clocks in the Salvador Dali painting. I made one pit stop to grab my water bottle from the car. I was sweating non-stop, I figured I better just carry my water with me the rest of the way.

I remember at one point, looking down at my watch and thinking that I had to be at least 25 or 30 minutes by now. Then, when I glanced down, I found that it had only been 17 minutes! Ugh! But, I finally finished. 35 minutes on the training schedule...35 minutes done. There's another 30 on the schedule this week and then a measly 6 miles on Sunday.

When I arrived home the hubby had dinner ready! That gave me time to play with the kiddo. She went "shopping" with her pink, mini shopping basket. She collected "groceries" throughout the house and brought them to me to "check out" on the ironing board. It was too funny - she had a baby doll, my old cell phone, a puzzle, a tiara, among other things. After she "paid" and I bagged the groceries, I thanked her for shopping at Mommy's store and told her to have a good day. She replied with a "you're welcome" and a "you too!" as she walked away with her bulging bag of groceries. :-)

The heat is on

Damn. Summer is here. The good news - it's been a cool May for Houston. The bad news - it's only going to get warmer. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the heat? ;-)

This morning, I met up with the peeps for the 1st time in what feels like forever! Pam, Kay, Courtney, Amy and I managed to get in 7 miles, but not without noticing how much warmer it felt than yesterday morning. It was 78 degrees and humid, but the sun was out in full force. No clouds today. I forgot how much a little heat could slow me down. The last time Kay and I ran together back in March, we were running between 6 & 8 miles at about a 10:30/10:45 pace doing 5/1s. Today, we ended up doing our 7-miler at an 11:41 pace. Ugh, when summer really hits, I imagine my pace will be in the 12-minute range. I hate the heat. Did I say that already?

Afterwards, I ran into a Houston Fit bud, Vicky. Vicky and I trained for NYC together back in 2003 and we still keep in touch. She's running San Diego next week, so best of luck to her! When she gets back in town, we're going to meet so she can share some of her Garmin knowledge with me.

Next, I headed home and took the kiddo to playgroup. Afterwards, she actually told me she was ready to go home. This was a sure sign that she was ready for a nap. Woohoo! For the second day in a row, this runnergirl took a nap! I honestly can't remember the last time I did that. Talk about awesome. This afternoon we grilled burgers for the sister-in-law and nephews and just hung out. Tomorrow, we're heading to the beach! Ahhh, I love 3 day weekends!