The Heat Locker, Part II

Like I was playing out my own little cinematic rendition of The Water Boy, I packed a small cooler of water and Heed to use for my long run today. Not realizing it had rained most of the night, I stepped out of my house this morning at 4:30 am only to be greeted with the worst humidity I have ever felt here in Gilbert, AZ. Despite the overwhelming thickness in the air, I made my way through the streets of town hoping that the route I had planned - which crossed several farming areas - would provide some cooler temperatures. Unfortunately, the only thing I gained was a slightly better smelling odor instead of the usual dairy cow - slash - feces - slash - sewage treatment smell.

I cut my route short to try and make it back to my stashed cooler because clearly, the 16 oz of water I had on me was not going to last. Like going on a long trip with the gas gauge on E, I coasted into my neighborhood literally sucking the last drops of water out of my water bottle.

I took 5 minutes to compose myself and reload on the fluids. I stripped out of my tri-tank and ditched my hand-held bottle and lamps to make room for my fuel belt. Thanks goodness I had frozen several of the water bottles...these were used mainly for pouring over the head rather than consumption.

90oz of fluid wasn't enough

Unfortunately, this additional 32 oz of hydration didn't take me the additional 8 miles I need to meet my goal. It was the first run in a long time where it took all my mental energy to stay focused on my cadence, form and overall goal. All the while, fighting to keep the sweat out of my eyes...