And the Humidity Returns...

Workout
Yesterday: 5.8 miles at 8:32/mile pace
Today: 14.2 miles at 8:29/mile pace

The weather forecast for tomorrow predicts a high of 92F.  It's the last week of October and we are back in the 90s!!!  Seriously?  What happened to those nice 50 degree mornings we had a few weeks ago?  Austin is experiencing something of an indian summer, and with it is a lot more humidity.

My runs this weekend were sticky, sweaty and unpleasant.  Yesterday it was supposed to be an "easy" 5 or 6 miles that turned into hot hot misery.  First, I didn't start the run until 10am (because I wanted to sleep late) so I was both dehydrated and hungry on the run.  Second, the temperature had crept into the 80s, with high humidity.  The sun was high in the sky and felt like it was beating down on me.  I ended up taking several walk breaks before struggling home to 3 glasses of water and a nice cold shower.  At the very least, I got plenty of vitamin D.

Longhorn Dam, Austin TX

This morning I had to get through a 14 mile long run.  I used a similar route to a previous 13 miler, with a hilly four mile loop on Stratford road and 10 miles along Town Lake between the Longhorn Dam and Mopac Bridge.  Despite being just 1.1 miles longer than before, this run was infinitely more difficult.  I felt tired after 4 miles and exhausted after 10.  My thirst seemed unquenchable, especially with limited water fountains along the route.  My clothes were sweat soaked after a half hour.  I struggled through the last three miles and ended up taking two walk breaks.

In retrospect, I am happy to have gotten through these runs.  However, I really really hope I have seen the last of the humidity for a while.  This weekend's running is a strong indication to me of how much better I perform and feel in cool, dry weather.  Here's hoping for 50s before the next long run!

As a final note, I wanted to thank Mark and Cris for their insightful comments about Boston Marathon Registration filling quickly.  If you haven't gotten a chance yet, I hope you will read the post and let me (and other bloggers!) know what you think about this issue.