There is a 'cold front' (=lower humidity, not lower temperatures) moving through right now, approximately 3 hours after I finished my long run.
Dew point has dropped almost 10 degrees since then.
Dude.
Showing posts with label Dew Point. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dew Point. Show all posts
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
A surprisingly encouraging weekend
I think that part of what I like about running is that it can still surprise you. And not necessarily in bad ways, like when running surprised me a few weeks ago and I got heat exhaustion from it. No, running can also surprise you in good ways. This weekend has had a few of those moments and trust me, no one is more surprised than I am about it.
1) I did a 5k on Saturday. Not only did I not die, I didn't run my absolute worst 5k ever, which was kind of what I thought going into it. It was getting somewhat sunny during the run (it started a bit after 8am), so I had to walk because the sun got to me. But for the most part, I did okay.
2) I finished third in my age group. From this statement, you can probably deduce how many people were in my age group (answer: 3). And had it not been my birthday a couple of weeks ago, I would not have placed third in my age group. Nevertheless, you will have to pry that third-place finish white ribbon from my cold, dead hands as usual.
3) I met an interesting guy who is 75 years old and his goal is to run 1000 races. He is already in the 700s. Talk about impressive. This is one of those happy running surprises that I was telling you about. It's really cool to think that this guy has dedicated himself to running and still finds such enjoyment of it. He did join me in complaining about the weather, though.
4) I realized that I love CrossFit, which I started doing a few weeks ago, only I didn't tell you because it was a secret (I have no idea why I haven't talked about this). Even when CrossFit is really evil and they make you do 100 squats. That for real happened on Friday. I think I will keep it up. I feel stronger and less sluggish when running, so these are positive developments.
5) Tonight, the weather WAS NOT EVIL. No one, I repeat no one, was more surprised about this than I was. It was in the mid-80s, but the humidity was only in the 50% range when I started. And the dew point was under 70...in fact, it was 69. This type of weather is miraculous considering the time of year. I managed to almost run all of my 8 miles tonight. Not quite, because I got too excited and ran too fast at one point, and also it was getting more humid by the end of the run. But it was possibly the most pleasant surprise of all.
Okay, here is hoping that this good running momentum continues. I doubt that it will, particularly because I doubt that this more reasonable weather is sticking around for long. But I will enjoy it while it lasts and be glad that running can still provide happy surprises.
1) I did a 5k on Saturday. Not only did I not die, I didn't run my absolute worst 5k ever, which was kind of what I thought going into it. It was getting somewhat sunny during the run (it started a bit after 8am), so I had to walk because the sun got to me. But for the most part, I did okay.
2) I finished third in my age group. From this statement, you can probably deduce how many people were in my age group (answer: 3). And had it not been my birthday a couple of weeks ago, I would not have placed third in my age group. Nevertheless, you will have to pry that third-place finish white ribbon from my cold, dead hands as usual.
3) I met an interesting guy who is 75 years old and his goal is to run 1000 races. He is already in the 700s. Talk about impressive. This is one of those happy running surprises that I was telling you about. It's really cool to think that this guy has dedicated himself to running and still finds such enjoyment of it. He did join me in complaining about the weather, though.
4) I realized that I love CrossFit, which I started doing a few weeks ago, only I didn't tell you because it was a secret (I have no idea why I haven't talked about this). Even when CrossFit is really evil and they make you do 100 squats. That for real happened on Friday. I think I will keep it up. I feel stronger and less sluggish when running, so these are positive developments.
5) Tonight, the weather WAS NOT EVIL. No one, I repeat no one, was more surprised about this than I was. It was in the mid-80s, but the humidity was only in the 50% range when I started. And the dew point was under 70...in fact, it was 69. This type of weather is miraculous considering the time of year. I managed to almost run all of my 8 miles tonight. Not quite, because I got too excited and ran too fast at one point, and also it was getting more humid by the end of the run. But it was possibly the most pleasant surprise of all.
Okay, here is hoping that this good running momentum continues. I doubt that it will, particularly because I doubt that this more reasonable weather is sticking around for long. But I will enjoy it while it lasts and be glad that running can still provide happy surprises.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Florida wins another battle. Boo.
This morning, I got up, looked at the weather, saw that the dew point matched the temperature, realized that this indicated it was 100% humidity, and thought, 'Meh, I'll go tonight.'
Tonight, I noticed that the conditions were oppressive, even though the temperature was not so hot today because there were storms circling. And after about a mile, I noticed that I had to walk. A 5-mile run turned into a 3-mile one when my heart rate got pretty high (I don't usually track this, but I couldn't help but notice that my heart was racing faster than normal).
The answer was clear once I got home and looked at the weather: starting right around the time that I began my run, the dew point was the same as the temperature, meaning that the humidity was 100%.
Today's lesson is that you cannot win. You just can't.
I also decided to do a quick comparison between today and a year ago today via Weather Underground (seriously, I adore this site) and could not help but observe that the dew point was more in the lower 70s for the majority of the day. Today, it was in the high 70s.
Tomorrow is 'Get Reacquainted with the Treadmill' day.
Tonight, I noticed that the conditions were oppressive, even though the temperature was not so hot today because there were storms circling. And after about a mile, I noticed that I had to walk. A 5-mile run turned into a 3-mile one when my heart rate got pretty high (I don't usually track this, but I couldn't help but notice that my heart was racing faster than normal).
The answer was clear once I got home and looked at the weather: starting right around the time that I began my run, the dew point was the same as the temperature, meaning that the humidity was 100%.
Today's lesson is that you cannot win. You just can't.
I also decided to do a quick comparison between today and a year ago today via Weather Underground (seriously, I adore this site) and could not help but observe that the dew point was more in the lower 70s for the majority of the day. Today, it was in the high 70s.
Tomorrow is 'Get Reacquainted with the Treadmill' day.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Florida wins the battle but I will WIN this FREAKING WAR!
After resting for the earlier part of this week, I finally got to yoga yesterday and felt so good that I did not one, but two classes back-to-back (admittedly, the first one was not too tough). This was a remarkable improvement over not wanting to leave bed on Thursday. I felt like I was on track to get running again this weekend. And I was. Except for one slight problem: Florida Struck Back.
My plan for today was rest this morning, then do my run at sundown. Maybe I would run 3 miles, maybe 5 depending on how I felt. Five was definitely in reach right up until I looked at the weather and learned that the dew point was 81F. Later, I discovered that the humidity did not drop below 74% all day and the temperature was over 80F last night. Thanks, Weather Underground. I think.
If you've seen Kill Bill and you remember that look that The Bride got immediately before she wreaked havoc, you have an idea of the look on my face when I saw this (cue soundtrack). No really. I was that mad. Unfortunately, I couldn't take my revenge on Florida by killing off the Crazy 88 or anything, so instead I ran in the pool. And you know what? Since we are under heat advisory (in Florida!) and since the temperature may not go under 80F tonight (dude!) and since the dew point may still be beyond vile tomorrow, I shall do my long run in the pool tomorrow too.
One week from tomorrow, I shall run my half-marathon. And that will show you to try and keep me from my training plan, Florida!
Incidentally, even in the pool it was hot. The air feels gauzy. That is not a good way for the air to feel.
My plan for today was rest this morning, then do my run at sundown. Maybe I would run 3 miles, maybe 5 depending on how I felt. Five was definitely in reach right up until I looked at the weather and learned that the dew point was 81F. Later, I discovered that the humidity did not drop below 74% all day and the temperature was over 80F last night. Thanks, Weather Underground. I think.
If you've seen Kill Bill and you remember that look that The Bride got immediately before she wreaked havoc, you have an idea of the look on my face when I saw this (cue soundtrack). No really. I was that mad. Unfortunately, I couldn't take my revenge on Florida by killing off the Crazy 88 or anything, so instead I ran in the pool. And you know what? Since we are under heat advisory (in Florida!) and since the temperature may not go under 80F tonight (dude!) and since the dew point may still be beyond vile tomorrow, I shall do my long run in the pool tomorrow too.
One week from tomorrow, I shall run my half-marathon. And that will show you to try and keep me from my training plan, Florida!
Incidentally, even in the pool it was hot. The air feels gauzy. That is not a good way for the air to feel.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
First Florida run in a while
I'm definitely back in Florida. What gave it away was the 86% humidity that accompanied me during this morning's run. I went around 10am, figuring that in January, it should be okay to run that late. It really wasn't. I was not feeling any part of this run, even though it was only 3 miles.
For the first half, my legs felt like they were pushing through molasses. I would attribute this to the lengthy amount of driving that I did over the past few days (from Canada back to Florida). It was really not fun and I had to push remarkably hard just to get through the first mile. It was one of those runs where you start looking at the distance already at 0.2 miles, only to realize that there is a long way to go.
Then as the run went on, I noticed that I felt hot and sweaty. I mean, the weather wasn't horrible and I've run through worse, but apparently I have lost any and all hot-weather adaptation that I once had. I feel like these conditions would not have felt so bad two months ago, but for some reason they did not click today. After all, the dew point was only in the 60s, which is only maybe slightly uncomfortable according to Wikipedia.
When I got back, I tried to stretch out my legs and realized that I had virtually no flexibility at all. Again, I would attribute this to having spent too much time in the car over the past week. I'm hoping that a week of good running will help correct these problems. Also, if the weather wants to cool off and be less humid, I would not complain.
For the first half, my legs felt like they were pushing through molasses. I would attribute this to the lengthy amount of driving that I did over the past few days (from Canada back to Florida). It was really not fun and I had to push remarkably hard just to get through the first mile. It was one of those runs where you start looking at the distance already at 0.2 miles, only to realize that there is a long way to go.
Then as the run went on, I noticed that I felt hot and sweaty. I mean, the weather wasn't horrible and I've run through worse, but apparently I have lost any and all hot-weather adaptation that I once had. I feel like these conditions would not have felt so bad two months ago, but for some reason they did not click today. After all, the dew point was only in the 60s, which is only maybe slightly uncomfortable according to Wikipedia.
When I got back, I tried to stretch out my legs and realized that I had virtually no flexibility at all. Again, I would attribute this to having spent too much time in the car over the past week. I'm hoping that a week of good running will help correct these problems. Also, if the weather wants to cool off and be less humid, I would not complain.
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