Too Hot to Trot, Part II

It's pretty hot and humid today, with a high of 97 degrees (36 C. for you friends outside the U.S.) How hot is that? I took an Uber ride home and started to sweat just walking the 20 feet (six meters) from the car to the entrance of my building. I was tempted to run outdoors today to better prepare for race conditions next week. But after thinking about it for three seconds, I wondered, why would I do that to myself? Unless I was a professional athlete or depended on running for my livelihood, I'd probably tough it out. But my running philosophy is certainly changing - the less I need to endure extreme conditions the better.

I ran four miles indoors instead in under 28 minutes, passing the 5K mark in 21:36 - a pace that will be challenging to match next week in the heat. And that's ok. One of the challenges I face as I get back into training is learning to relax and, on some occasions, truly enjoy running. I'll probably need more time to reach my sub-20:00 goal with this approach, but since this is a year long endeavor, I suppose there's really no need to rush.