The heat is on

Through strategic travel to mountainous regions, I've somehow managed to avoid the worst of the late-spring heat wave that's plagued most of the U.S. Until now.

This morning I had planned a fairly easy 6-mile run. I wanted to do something harder than a recovery run, but not a fast run by any stretch. I also wanted to continue carrying my handheld water bottles in an attempt to do something for my upper body.

I also wanted to sleep in a bit. Instead of getting up at 6 or 6:30, I decided to wait until 8:00 to start my run. That may have been where things went wrong.

Or maybe it was just that the sum total of all my goals were incompatible. You can't carry four pounds worth of hydration gear and water, run in 80-degree heat, and maintain a pace that seemed easy in cooler weather.

After a mile or so I was already feeling the weight of the water bottles.

In Mile 3 my breath began to feel labored. I had to double-check my Garmin to see that I was still not even running 9-minute miles. By Mile 4, the weight of the water bottles was once again too much to bear, so I emptied them. Mile 5 was slower yet -- the uphill slog up South Street that often destroys me on 17-mile runs was now taking its toll after only 4.

I managed to recover a bit for the final mile home, but I couldn't have been more drenched if I had just jumped into a pool of sweat. I had to change out of my running gear so I could do my core exercises without soaking the carpet. I soaked through the new clothes, too! My average pace over 6.31 miles: 9:23.

Details of today's run are below.