Back to Humid

 This fine Saturday morning was the start of what has become a very hot day. At 4:19 p.m. it's 105 degrees with a heat index of 114. This morning when I ran it was way better, only 80 degrees but also very humid. I decided to keep it reasonable and did my 5 mile routine. It went pretty well. Lots of people out before the day got steamy. I also went to the pool and relaxed for a while before coming home to mow the lawn. My take is that after all that I'm done sweating for the day.

Pounding the Pavement

 I was actually excited about running today since the temperature was in the low 90s. Humidity was high and it actually was a heat index of 100 when I walked out the door, but it didn't really feel like it. A storm was coming out of the north but stayed to the west of us, and at points it offered a little shade. I did my 5 miles again. This time I picked up the pace the last 200 yards or so of my next-to-last interval. Felt pretty good. For as humid as it was supposed to be it was a good run.

Blip

 Saturday was a running blip since my favorite pub opened back up after being closed basically since March and I spent the day there instead of running. I mean, I could have run. Being lazy seemed like a better course.

Today I got back out and did my 5 miles. My right knee has been barking again, but not too badly. I was wondering if running downhills again like I've been doing recently is causing the issue. So I walked until I got to level ground before starting up. As of now it feels good, but we'll see about tomorrow. I'm doing my best to avoid issues again. Shutting down for the winter is not going to keep working for me.

Difference

 Just like Tuesday, it sure makes a difference when the humidity is low. Today was 92 degrees with a heat index of 92. It felt great, way better than 99 with a heat index of 108. I ran my 5 miles, except this time I started my GPS at the place I've always started it when I ran. That means I walked about .15 miles before starting the clock, so I actually ran a little over 4 of those miles. I think. Regardless, it was a good run.

Spider Bite

 Last Wednesday I hung out late on the back patio, standing in the grass, sitting at the table, and somewhere along the way a spider bit me. Not sure when or where, but when I woke up the next morning I had a red spot and bite mark at the base of my right big toe. And it bit the hell out of me. The swelling in my foot on Thursday was way too much to put on a shoe, and it stayed that way pretty much until Sunday. I monitored it closely, wondering a couple of times if I would end up at urgent care, but the redness never got too bad. The worst part was the itching.

Today I felt just fine and went out for a lovely 5-miler. Temperatures were in the 100s every day last week, but a big storm blew through Sunday night and knocked down the heat. Today it was 95 degrees when I went out, and the heat index was...95. That hasn't happened much, if at all, recently. And it actually felt that way with low humidity for a change. I was glad to get out after missing a couple of runs. And of course now I'm watching out for spiders.

There Goes Another Fiver

 99 degrees at 5:30 p.m. when I went outside, with a heat index of 108. Fortunately there was shade, and even a few clouds at opportune times. Today's run was much better than a few days ago. Out of the 5 miles today I probably ran 80% or close to it. I also tried to run slower, especially mid-run. It worked out okay. The streams were very low due to lack of rain lately, and some of the feeder branches were completely dry. No sign of rain in the forecast, just a lot more heat. It is definitely the dog days of summer.

Whoa

 Saturday morning was my favorite: humid. As usual that did not go well. Although it also could have been the three previous nights of beer and scotch, but let's just say it was the humidity. I started out well, also as usual. I think part of the reason the first half was good was because I was running into the breeze, which helped quite a bit. After the turn I had the wind at my back and that didn't help nearly as much. I took more frequent walk breaks until the final mile, when I walked all but about a third of a mile. Overall I went 6 miles but it was rarely pretty.

Nice Evening

Work kept me at the computer until after 5:30 p.m., at which time the temp was 92 degrees and the humidity low. I barely even sweated even though I ran most of the first mile. Overall I went 5 miles and ran probably 80% of it. It was a really nice evening, especially for early August in Texas.

Walk Then Run

Yesterday morning (Saturday) I started out with a walk with The Wife. It was a lovely cloudless start to the day. We walked a bit over 2 miles, and then I went back out for a 4-miler on my own. I thought about going farther but ended up running more than my usual, at least lately, and probably ran about as much of that as I have been on my five-mile outings. Felt good overall, and by the time I was finished I'd been outside for probably ninety minutes. Cloud rolled in later in the day but it was a nice beginning to the weekend.

Crank the Heat

I waited until 5:30 this afternoon before going out the door, by which time it was only 99 degrees. With a heat index of 107. The reason for waiting was that there was more shade, and that was the key. Actually it didn't feel that bad since there was a stiff breeze out of the south that didn't feel like a blast furnace. I did my 5 miles with the usual walking. The only concession to the heat was right before the last interval when I walked about a tenth of a mile extra to run into the wind. Other than that it actually was a pretty good outing.

Sogginess

On today's regular 5-miler I thought about trimming off a mile due to the humidity. Plus that run on Saturday kicked my butt. The first mile today was a little tough since it rained about midday and was still cloudy and a little wet. Fortunately I felt better after the warm-up and went the whole distance. It would have been nice if there was more of a breeze but today felt kind of still. At the end I felt good and even tried to add a little speed toward the end of the last interval. That part was marginal at best.

Humidity and Mosquitos

The humidity here in Wisconsin really kicked my butt this morning. Temperature was in the mid-70s but humidity had to be over 80%. Maybe. I don't know, I'm just making up a number. Actually I just looked and right now, about 45 minutes after the run, it's 75%. Which means I'm not off from the actual number that much.

Anyway, I went 5.6 miles total. I'd planned to go 6, but I forgot that the further south you go on the trail the more flies and mosquitos there are. I started getting swarmed and decided I'd rather turn around then spend all my energy flailing at flying critters. Overall I went a longer distance than on Thursday but probably walked more and ran less. The humidity really got me on the way back so I walked about two-thirds of the last mile, with some other walk breaks before that. It was very scenic but I was very soaked by the time I got back to the hotel.

Menomonie Run

Missed my run on Tuesday due to it being a travel day. Today was nice, 75 degrees, but plenty humid in the lovely state of Wisconsin. I went a total of 5 miles along a nice trail. I'd run part of it before, but only about the half-mile before I turned around. Overall I probably ran about 4.75 miles of that, which is a first for that total distance in oh, I guess a really long time. It felt fine, including a nice long incline on the way back. River, trees, the sounds of nature...no complaints here.

A Nice Six

Yesterday morning was nice out, in the low 80s with scattered clouds and a breeze. I went 6 miles, doing the walk/run routine. I saw lots of cyclists out on the streets and a few on the paths, but not as many people walking or running as I expected at that time of day. The humidity wasn't too bad and overall it was a nice outing. Of course it got a lot hotter later in the day, but hey, I love Texas in the summer.

Similar

Today's weather was similar to Tuesday, and so was the distance of 5 miles. The difference was that I walked a couple of different portions because there were people around and I didn't want to appear like a stalker when I made the turn at the halfway point. That required me to walk a different stretch and then run up the hill onto Hardin. Which was actually okay and felt fine. I do have to say there aren't many runners out around dinner time when the temp is still in the upper 90s. But that's okay, I'm still feeling good.

Betterer

Even though today was in the way upper 90s after a couple of days over 100 degrees, it was still a better run than Sunday morning. First, the humidity was not as high. Second, there was a nice breeze out of the south. And finally, Daughter #3 went with me for the first mile walk/run, and that was nice. It was good to have an exercise partner for the first 15 minutes or so. After she turned back I did the rest of my usual 5-mile route. I'll probably keep on this routine for the foreseeable future, mainly because of the heat. Once it gets to the point of cooling down, maybe by October, I can get back to my regular distances with less running. The other thing to consider is that this heat forces me to walk regularly and not overdo it, which aids my recovery from injuries whether I want it to or not.

Soggy

Lots of moisture in the air this morning. I went the 5-mile route again and had a couple of small extra walks. Temperature was only in the low to mid-80s but once again humidity was off the chart. It was still a pretty good run. And it was nice to be done early in the day so I could have a good breakfast and relax on the back patio with my coffee.

A Little Hot

Today I went my 5 miles again, same routine. Not many others out today, though. Maybe because it was 96 degrees with a heat index of 108. I did pretty well, about the same as Tuesday. There was a good stiff breeze out of the south which definitely helped. I enjoyed every bit of shade along the route, but other than that it was a normal day in July in Texas.

Mugged

The temperature was deceptively low today, about 90 degrees, which should have felt cooler. And I suppose it did, but I got mugged by the humidity. It rained yesterday and a little this morning. That means a lot of evaporation going on once the sun was out. I did my 5 miles and walked the normal spots. I was thinking when I started out how nice it was that I'm now running without pain. Let's keep it that way.

Independence Run

This morning was pretty nice, temperature in the low 80s. I got out by about 9:45 into sunlight and humidity. My goal was to go 6 miles overall, and I did. Probably a little over two-thirds of that was running. It's been awhile since I made it to the lacrosse fields in the park. Lots of people out today, enjoying the weather. I was pretty wiped out by the time I made it back but it sure did feel good to get back to what I used to run three times a week or more.