Heat and Humidity Disgusts Me

I don't know what changed in the last year, but I am convinced my body's core temperature has changed. I am now permanently overheated. This creates problems (as you can imagine) when running in the extreme heat and humidity we've been dealing with as of late. During the winter I would tag my posts with "I can't wait to run in a wifebeater and shorts again." Hell no. I would run 16 miles right now (I'm trying to summon the energy to shower, to give you an idea of my current lack of motivation state) if it meant I could do so in weather requiring gloves, a hat and enough Under Armour to outfit a third world country.

This has made my runs...interesting. I've been trying to run slower to let my body deal with the heat, but sometimes that's not even enough. I end up having to take walk breaks and occasionally spitting out phlegm (gross, I know) just to be a be able to breathe enough. And then there are days like Tuesday, when I end up just completely wanting to curl up in a ball and die rather than finish my run. After 3 miles of dry heaving and spitting I nearly had a stomach disaster in the last mile, coming thisclose to puking outside of a Dairy Queen. The only thing that stopped me was seeing the family of four hanging out in their four door sedan, enjoying what they thought was going to be a lovely after dinner treat. The poor kids' eyes got as big as saucers when I dodged into the side street and bent over. So I didn't. But the result didn't make my stomach much happier.

The biggest frustration is that I know what I need to do...hydrate more, further in advance. I need to spread my extreme water consumption over the course of the day, not chug a gallon when I get home from work and hope for the best. So after three days of the corporate challenge, that's where I stand...trying to remember how to prepare for running in the heat. Is it fall yet?