Whew! The heat index has really been "up there" this week - around 95 -100. Fortunately my "long run" this past Saturday was only 9 miles; I can't believe I'm saying "only nine miles"- that is still a long way. When its gets that hot, sweating is a real problem; It's a constant flow down your face and and in your eyes and once your shirt gets soaked it feels like your a carrying extra weight.
OK, here's funny and embarrassing "newbie runner" story. There are several products on the market to assist runners: sore muscle balm, anti-blister cream, anti-chaffing ointment, etc. Before my last long run I wanted to apply some anti-chaffing ointment to prevent skin irritation during the long distance we were going to run. I mistakenly asked my running coach if she had any Bio Freeze (similar to Icy Hot or Tiger Balm). What I should have asked her for was Body Glide ( a vasoline-like anti-chaffing ointment). Believing that I had the BodyGlide ointment I proceeded to apply it all over my chest and on my inner thighs. After about 2 minutes I felt a real strange "hot" sensation. It finally dawned on me that I used the wrong ointment for the wrong reason and on the wrong places. Fortunately, the "heat" wore off after about 20 minutes and I was able to finish the run.
I completed my annual physical this week and it looks like I'll live another year :>) When the nurse took my pulse she said it was really low - a reading of 52. Then she asked "are you a runner?" - pride fully I said "yes I am!" Apparently runners normally have a very low pulse due to the fact that there hearts are able to operate more efficiently and do not require as many beats per minute to supply blood to their body. When she did the EKG she told me it would give a warning that my heart beat is too low but that for runners that's a good thing. She said some runners have a pulse close to 35 which would be a red flag in normal folks who do not exercise. So I was happy that all of this pain and suffering has at least led to a healthy heart. My blood pressure was very low too.
This week is 30 miles of training with the next big test - a 15 mile "group" run on Sunday August 12th. The heat is making even the short runs a tough task but when I fell like quitting I begin to think about how tough the kids who are hospitalized with these potentially deadly cancers must have it; the pain and suffering I'm experiencing is nothing compared to that.
Until next time
Cheers
Ray Baumann
http://www.active.com/donate/tntgmo/SeeRayRun
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