Too Blasted Hot

I hit my snooze button twice this morning. Then I turned off the alarm altogether and decided that I really needed more sleep. So I reached over and re-set my iPhone alarm to give me another 30 minutes of peace. But it didn't work. I kept tossing and turning and waking up every couple of minutes. Because I'd woken up already, I couldn't trick my brain into believing that I really didn't have to go to the bathroom. And I was so thirsty. So I finally gave up and used the facilities, hoping that if I made a mad dash back to bed, I could crawl back in and relish those last 20 minutes of sleep before I really woke up for good.

But the whole angel vs. devil thing started happening again. Those two dang rivals visit me all too often.

I was trying to rationalize that I didn't really need to run today, did I? After I all, I ran yesterday morning in the blazing heat of the 7:00am hour and nearly died. And I paid for it all day with a heat/dehydration/lack of sleep headache.

But surely, given that it was still not even 6:00 am, today would be cooler, right?

Um...sure. Much cooler. Maybe it's only 97 degrees by now.

And if I didn't go, I'd feel guilty all day about not going. And the Rim to Rim is only 2 months away. And the next race will be here before I know it. And I had Sonic yesterday with my kids between errands and shopping.

And...and...and...

Yes, the angel won out and I made myself go. Of course when the run was done, I was glad I went. No doubt about it. That's always how I feel.

But today, while I was running in 100-ish degree-early-morning-completely-stagnant air Mesa, AZ - seriously, not one leaf was moving - I started to remember that I used to hate running. Really, hate it. Sadly, some of those feelings were rushing back as I wondered, "What the heck are you doing this for? This is NOT FUN."

Today wasn't fun. Not even a little. And yesterday was less fun since I'd eaten ribs the night before and felt like they were cement blocks in my legs. I hope I'm not ruining my, um...what should I call it?...like/love/commitment/propensity for running. I hope that July and August won't do me in. I loved running at the beach. Really, really loved it. I know I should just stay inside and do P90X or something, but for some crazy reason I'm still outside running. I know better. I'm an Arizona native. Yet I still run in this obscene heat. And I'm not alone. There are all kinds of insane people out running and biking and walking their dogs in the heat. Are we all crazy?

Not that I'm wishing summer away, but I am really looking forward to fall. It's my favorite time to run. It's still warm enough to head out in shorts and short sleeves, but definitely cool enough to make it enjoyable. The gurus on running say that 60 degrees is the optimum running temperature. Hmmm....we're about 40 degrees above optimum.

Well, in reality, it seems unlikely that I'm going to give it up, so I'd better figure out a way to get some of the love back or just keep my trap shut about it. Probably both. I need new shoes again. I've run my last pair into the ground. Maybe a fresh pair of Asics will help bring back some of the love. I foresee a trip to Runner's Den in my near future. Love that place.

I know, I know. I still have a bunch of vacation pics to post, but at the rate I'm going, it will take me a week to finish blogging about the fun.