Fuck the Heat!

This past Saturday, I had planned on a 5-hour trail run. It was intended to be a great tune-up for my 8-hour race in August. It didn't go well. It was hot and humid. The trail was hilly. No breezes, and lots of deer flies. Pretty miserable. I hate the heat. Really. Seriously. Running in the heat sucks. I stopped after 4 hours and only 18 miles. Originally, I thought I could knock off 24 miles in 5 hours. Guess not.

Of course, this was my fault. I've been training on the treadmill and was not heat acclimated. Heck, I wasn't even endurance acclimated  Short, fast treadmill runs don't get me to the finish line of a long, hot trail run. The heat of summer won this round...but I'll be back in August.

I have 47 days left until the Howl at the Moon 8-Hour race. That gives me almost 7 weeks of training. It's my turn to make this summer heat my bitch. I hate the fucking heat, but I'll conquer it. For the next 47 days, I'll train harder and longer. I'll do runs in the heat and sun. More miles, more acclimatization. I'll be ready. Fuck the heat! If it's 95 degrees out, then I'll relish the chance to beat the heat. If it's only 80 degrees, I'll wear pants and a sweatshirt. I will win.

NOTE: This post starts my "week of rants." I need to get a few things off my chest (besides the Garmin HR strap that digs in on every run). You can look forward to a post-a-day about some running-related thing that pisses me off. Today it was heat. Tomorrow it may be you!