Holy hell, Batman. 104 degrees in Charlotte this weekend. That's not a typo. One. Zero. Four.
But guess what? I still had to run. And I did. I just started at earlier. I can't say that it wasn't a struggle. My alarm went off and I looked up with one eye and with blurred vision I saw that the time started with a 4. A FOUR!!! Pure insanity for this Tall Girl.
But I got up and got moving and headed to meet my running buddy, Kim. We run about the same pace and use the same intervals so it's a nice fit. And there's always good conversation which is a treat. I crossed the finish line of my first marathon with Kim and can still see it in my mind. One of the best hand slaps/high fives of my life.
We decided to start at 5:30. The majority of the group started at 6:00. As you can see from the screen shot, it wasn't exactly cool at 5:30. Less than a mile into our run, I could feel the heat building and the sweat running. I actually don't mind running in the heat. All the sweating makes me feel like I'm doing something. But when it's dark and you're sweating, you know it's gonna get bad quickly.
Our running group has been running the same routes for years and years. I've been running them for 6 years and others for longer. We've had water stops at the same places and the folks in the neighborhoods know they're going to see us every Saturday morning. We assign responsibility for waterstops on a quarterly rotation. For example, every Saturday, I put out a bucket filled with ice and water and various flavors of a sports beverage along with cups and a trash bag for the used cups. We have them strategically placed so that every 2-3 miles, a runner can hydrate.
Recently, there's been a nasty little trend. People are stealing our waterstops! Can you imagine? You're on mile 8 of your long run and get to the waterstop to find...nothing. That can seriously mess with a runner's head and more importantly, it's unsafe. Dehydration can hit a runner like a Mack truck and if not handled quickly and properly, no bueno. The hard and fast rules of endurance sports include (but are not limited to): if you feel thirsty or hungry, you're too late. You have to stay ahead of hydration and fuel. That's hard to do when your supplies are stolen!
With a little creativity, I thought perhaps I'd pull at the heart strings of the community thieves and made signs for each waterstop. The general message is: 1. we appreciate the support, waves and smiles from the community; 2. the runners using these waterstops are raising funds for epilepsy and cancer awareness; 3. for the safety of the runners, please do not steal our beverages; and 4. the community's support is vital for the success of the group. We managed to go a day with no waterstops being taken and despite the crazy temperatures, we all stayed hydrated. Let's hope this continues!
I got a nice 7-mile run in on Saturday. It was a decent long run considering I'd gone three weeks without a real run. As for cross training, I went to a hot power yoga class this morning. It was actually called "Shake Your Asana" because it was power yoga to upbeat music. But let's be clear, I wasn't shaking anything. I have to concentrate way too hard (on not falling over or out while getting into tortuous poses) to shake anything. Well, unless you count shaky muscles. And for those of you who think that yoga is just breathing and putting your foot behind your head, that couldn't be more untrue. I was literally dripping sweat. Hair drenched, clothes drenched in sweat. Gross? Yes, no doubt. But there was no mistaking that I was working my Asana off in that class and it felt GREAT!
Once again, let me brag on our Team!!! Shaken, Not Stirred made it to print. In the Lake Norman section of the Charlotte Observer, we were on the front page...and page nine. I am so proud to be associated with these people and even more proud of Gatewood for sharing a huge, very personal part of her life to improve the lives of others. I've included a link to the article and to my fundraising page below.
Hope you guys had a great weekend. I did. Any weekend that starts with a good run and ends with causes and people I care about making the news and spreading awareness, is a really good weekend.
More to come.
Running TALL,
Julia
