Thursday, July 21, 2011

More than we bargained for, indeed

For the fifth year in a row, I'm running the 100-mile Red Eye Relay on Saturday and Sunday. This is the last running commitment on my calendar right now and I'm feeling less and less like adding any more in the foreseeable future. Maybe it's partly this heat, but my running motivation is once again at low ebb. I'm content to let it grow when it grows. I'd say it's perennial and will be back.

My team this year is one of the BARA (Bloomington Area Runners' Association) teams. We're fielding several teams, all with BARA in the name. Ours is More Than We BARA-gained For. This is an appropriate name! For one thing, I was originally slated to run about 10 miles total, which, even with the hills, is pretty manageable. But then I was switched to a position totaling 19.5 miles. Oops. And then there's the heat. Of course it's always hot in July. You expect 90-degree days and oppressive humidity and even become more or less acclimated. But this "excessive heat warning" is something else. With heat indices reaching past 110 degrees through Saturday evening...it's going to be interesting. Our start time is 4 p.m., so we'll be right in the teeth of it. SO: I'm running 19.5 miles, which is more than I've been running per week, in the space of about 14 hours. Even after dark, the temps will still be in the 80s and the humidity ridiculous. Oh, and there's the hills, which are...substantial.


Hopefully I'll still like running when this is over. :)

1 comment:

Joe said...

Well, you are out there in the heat right now, Mir. Hope it goes OK!! You always pull thru on this race, though!!