What I like about running.

I'm not going to lie to you:  I had a tough run today in 90/90 conditions - 90 degrees and near 90 percent humidity.  Although I got my start running in Florida, the two times I've moved back here have been a real challenge.  It doesn't help that we tend to move in the  middle of summer, from cool dry places (first from Colorado and now from Vermont).  So I've been slowly acclimatizing to the heat and humidity, trying to run in the morning when possible.  Today I didn't quite make it out in the morning, but the motivation was there at about 11:30, so off I went.  I will tell  you now, I was struggling to maintain a pace that in other circumstances would be a recovery pace or a post-race shuffle.  I could feel my metabolic workload skyrocketing as I moved between patches of shade and sun, and even the inclines that pass for hills here were kicking my ass.

But, as I was pondering the various theories of fatigue (for example, that the feeling of tiredness is less related to muscle fatigue itself than to a message from your prain telling your muscles they are tired when you are about to impose too much demand on your heart), I was also pondering why running stays interesting and why I keep doing it.  Running is beautiful in its simplicity:  shorts, shoes (if that), and out the door.  From there the possibilities are endless, with variations in distance, interval training, hills, and company.  But the physical variations barely scratch the surface.  Today the run was simple, but the mental challenge was intense.  I spent the run focused intently on minor variations in feel, keeping positive, and pushing myself to maintain some semblance of a pace.  This is a run I've done many times before, but the experience is really quite different each time.  It is never completely predictable when a run will be hard and when it will be smooth and easy and I feel like I'm flying. That's what I really like about running.