Yeah, yeah, it’s hot, blah blah blah. sweat, sun, frying eggs on the seawall & so forth. Still, the overwhelming distinguishing feature of my runs lately has been that it’s FREAKING HOT! It’s so hot I can’t properly use language, all my metaphors have melted like crayons on the backseat, it’s so hot the rest of my surroundings have faded into the background. I’ve heard angels sing, I’ve thought it was raining & it turned out to be sweat dripping into my face from the brim of my visor, I’ve found momentary enlightenment in Beatles songs (as it turns out I’m not actually the Walrus), & it’s just the beginning of July! I tell myself I’ve got just the 2 months to get through but I know it’s a lie, it won’t start to cool down until the end of September.

Today's run started that way, thick muggy breezeless hot. Right about 3 miles in, just after my turnaround, I notice the sky in front of me has gotten dark & just as I notice this I’m hit w/ an icy cold headwind. Seriously, it was like stepping from a steamy sidewalk into a dark air conditioned building it was so fast. Lightning starts flashing around the road ahead & the cars coming toward me have their lights on. I find that my pace has increased.

It’s surprising how invigorating an icy cold headwind & the threat of electrocution can be. I finished strong, at what felt like my best pace since we had temps in the 70’s. I didn’t get rained on & I felt great. This time of year my runs are not so much enjoyed as they are endured, today was a nice little taste of enjoyment.