7.25.2012

So I Ran at 6:00 a.m.


Today was supposed to be comprised of beautiful Savoir-Faire outfit photos, but for the umpteenth time since I got the camera, the dadgum memory card won't transfer the pics to le computer. Stephen returns from NYC tonight though, so I'll be putting his magic fix-it skills to work. Here's hoping you'll click over here tomorrow and, instead of finding a rant about sweaty running shoes, will find a presh outfit pic or five.

We can hope, right?

So instead of SF, I'm talking about something about as anti-glamorous as I care to dish up on this blog - exercise and my love/hate relationship with it.

I'll give you a moment to absorb the excitement that I'm sure you're feeling about this topic.

For some reason, I feel it's my duty to eat everything from here to kingdom come during the summer. Seriously, I'm like a stinkin' bear preparing for winter hibernation. So to offset the eleventy thousand calories per day I've been consuming, I decided to start running regularly again.

In late July.

Because it's only 106 degrees outside.

Well last night's jog (or "yawg" if you're fancy and foreign) darn near killed me, so I had the bright idea to get up at 6:00 a.m. this morning and huff it down the street in my Asics.

In the scheme of good ideas, this ranks second-to-last, only less terrible than partaking in the poncho trend six years ago.

I assumed it would be comfy cool, but HEAVENS TO BRENDA. It was awful.

You see, first thing in the morning, here in the South, there's this exquisite humidity that seems to settle over everything. It wraps you up like a wet blanket and it actually makes the most minor of activities, (like stopping to re-tie one's shoe mid-run), quite brutal.

It makes you itchy and tired and immediately resentful of living in such a warm climate while others can complain about their piddly 80 degree "heat".

(I'm not bitter at all, you see.)

I enjoyed my A.M. run as much as Ari enjoys his baths.

And, oh yes! Random stray cats. Apparently they're quite the morning joggers, too. And we all know how I feel about felines. If not, read here.

(If I were in Noah's place, I'd probably have left them off the Ark. Just sayin'.)

They ran alongside me, which actually caused me to quicken my pace.

By the time I returned back to our house, I was soaked with sweat, irritable from the humidity and cursing myself for not enjoying an extra half-hour of sleep prior to going to work.

In summary: Jogging outdoors in Arkansas in July is impossible no matter how you spin it.

I'll just do some jumping jacks in front of our A/C vent until about mid-September.

Peace, love and humidity, y'all.

Be blessed, lovelies-

23 comments:

  1. I feel you on the heat right now! in Iowa this week it has been 105-ish with the heat index! Ewww! Here is to hoping it cools down for both of us soon!

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  2. I'm a dedicated runner - from late September until early April - southern heat (i'm in SC) is NO joke. Oh, and I hate cats too :)

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  3. hahahahah, This made me laugh out loud. This weather sucks, we have the same temps in Iowa and it's getting old!

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  4. Cats are so scary and they are not to be trusted. I feel ya on the humidity! I live in Alabama and there is only like a month out of the year that you can run outside without dying from the heat. But good for you for doing it!

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  5. Running in humidity is the worst, I normally go back to bed on those mornings. I won't brag that my 6am run was a lovely 67 degrees this morning (I clearly don't live in the south) but last week is was over 80 and humid too. Those days are great gym days!

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  6. haha it's the same in Florida! Hot & sticky!! Hope you have a great day to make up for it!

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  7. HAHA. you crack me up!! and the cat thing....i totally agree! you should try out the 30 day shred by jillian michaels. excellent workout. and it's only 20 minutes a day! :)

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  9. Aw I've gotta stick up for cats...they are so great! You'd love my cat!

    gentlemenpreferblondes2011.wordpress.com

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  10. haha I love this post as I had the same experience this week and thought I was the only crazy one. I'm in Hunstville, AR visiting family (we moved to Maryland) and I forgot how awful the humidity is. My genius idea (because you can usually pull this off in Maryland) to go running at 10am, for an hour, down in a valley. To put it simply...worst. idea. ever. I think I'll stick to swimming while I'm here.

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  11. Hahahahaha! I cannot imagine running alongside stray cats - that would get me to quicken up too! And you're right - it is so unbearable!!! But go girl for getting up early to burn off those cals that you haven't even eaten yet!!! Xoxo

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  12. I know EXACTLY what you're talking about with the southern humidity in the morning. I see it driving to work like a low blanket of stickiness hovering over me in the air. So gross. Is it fall yet?!

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  13. I couldn't agree more. Eric's training for a triathlon and I decided to go run with him last week.. at 6pm. Holy hottness. I was sweating, couldn't breathe thanks to the heat, and basically just overall felt like I was going to die. Even when it's 6am, it's just too hot. I quit crossfitting in June because it's the hardest thing I've EVER done and I've thrown up TWICE there from the hard workouts when it was 80 degrees outside...let alone what it must be like going NOW. They don't have A/C. That's part of the hard core crossfit thing. Nope. No way. It got to be where my workout was bending with my head between my knees dripping sweat and trying not to die. I decided to stop then.

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  14. I just looked back and saw how many caps I used. I obviously feel pretty emphatic about this working out in the heat thing.. haha..

    Also, a funny aside.. I bought a cute leopard shirt the other day for fall and was thisclose to texting you first b/c I was like "I wonder if leopard will be in for fall. Leslie would know." ;)

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  15. i always run at 6am no matter what time of year. it is the best way for me to start my day and definitely in the summer it isn't as heat as later on in the day but i still come back like a sweating pig, not cute but at least i exercised

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  16. Story of my life these days up here in NC! I seriously think the humidity is the highest between 5:00 - 7:00am. Build in getting up another 10 minutes early so you can cool down before hoping in the shower and summer running is pretty miserable!

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  17. This just totally made me laugh! I hear ya though! Houston is the same way, especially right now with all the rain we have been getting. HUMID, HUMID, HUMID!!

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  18. Sounds miserable! I can barely handle Oregon's "heat" some days, but it has nothing on your humidity and actual high temperatures! I've been known to jog in place for 45 minutes inside on hot days to get my cardio in, so the jumping jacks in front of the AC sounds totally acceptable to me!

    xoxo Abbie
    http://abbiesilva.blogspot.com

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  19. Oh, I hear you. Last week it was 70s here in London and I was doing so well, using the elliptical, taking long walks....

    ....now it's nearly 100. It's taking effort to walk to the tap to get water.

    :(

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  20. I'm not a runner! I wish I was. I give you props not only for running but for doing it at 6am. I've found that running at night is best. Suns gone down and people can't see me huffing and puffing away so clearly. But alas, we do not have humidity where I live so your jumping jack solution seems perfect!

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  21. gotta admire your dedication though!

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  22. I hear ya! I haven't been consistently running I over a year but decided to just run out a quick 3.5 mile run the other morning... In July... In Florida. When I came home there was an outline of my belongings around where I fell to the ground and almost died. Shoes. Socks. Shirt. iPod. Watch. All thrown off of me bc it's too sticking hot! Needless to say... I'm not going to start consistently running again until about October!!!

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  23. Keep up with the running. My joints give me too much pain to run these days, so do more swimming than running.

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