Okay I think every runner has felt this, but it's nice to have some science to back it up. Running in humidity is HARD. Here is a great article from "Runner's World" that explains it nicely. For me personally, it was great to have that "aha" moment, or at least confirm that what I felt was not just me being a new runner.

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/tips-for-running-in-humidity?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Training-_-Humidity

"I'm scared upstairs!" This is how my husband and I were woken at about 4 am today. My youngest had woken up and wanted to get in bed with us. Since it's way too hot for that, I took him back upstairs. And it took a good 20 minutes or so to get him back to sleep. By then I was wide awake. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. Just tossed and turned for a good 20 minutes. 

It has been HOT here lately (I'll take it after the cool start to the summer).  And it's been a few days since I ran last. I have been trying to come up with a way to run that I wouldn't kill myself. Yesterday the temps at 5 pm leaving the swimming hole were around 100! When it's 85 and super humid at 8 am you know you're in for a HOT day. So running in that is not smart. What to do? I set my alarm for 6 am or so today. However, there I was, at a little after 4 am tossing and turning in my bed until a little voice in my head said "just go now." And the other part of my head replied "no. too early, too dark, I'd be nervous running alone in the dark." And the little voice said "just go now." So I got up and went. 

You know what? It was the BEST run I've had in a long time. I felt good, slow, but good, and I had plenty of energy. I finished 2.3 miles fairly comfortably (nerdy me -I got right in the car and checked - battery on the phone was low, so no RunKeeper today).  It was so beautiful out. Who knew that at 4:45 or so the sky would be so light? Just before dawn, dark enough that street lights were still on, light enough that I could see perfectly. The sky was clear with one or two stars left. By the time I was returning home sunrise was well underway. When I began the eastern sky was streaked blue, orange and pinky purple. No clouds to be seen. When I finished the western sky was layered pink to purple to deep blue. So many wonderful smells and sounds to enjoy - I had no need for music. Chirping birds, crickets, musty river & marsh, even the zippy crackle of the powerlines did not bother me. 

I am so grateful for the wonderful run this morning, I can't even say. I have been very nervous that I would not be able to complete the 5K I have coming up August 11th. Not all running anyway. I was afraid I'd have to walk part. But I can see me being able to really finish if I keep working at this. I have a couple weeks to keep going. And if it means getting up so early to go, I guess I will. I loved the push of energy, the breeze, the thinking time, breathing hard, even sweating felt great. And yes, I was sweating like crazy - it was that humid that early (& I am blessed with a ginormous sweat gene - thanks Dad). 

But - in the interest of total disclosure - once I got home I drank some water, at half a peanut butter sandwich, and crashed. Slept on the couch until my son woke me up at 8 when he got up. I am now starving and craving some coffee, so off I go. But man, I loved that run today!

Talked myself out of bed and into my running clothes this am. Got out the door before anyone woke up. (Yes!) Leaped over the railroad tracks just ahead of the train (I could see the lights way in the distance). Not a bad start.  Slooooooooow jog to begin with. Really slow. So I watched my pacing and footfalls. The first portion of my run is slightly downhill, very slightly. So it's a good start after the warm-up walk. 

Turns out I did have to walk today. Twice. But, I walked earlier on than yesterday and it seems to have made a difference. I was not so exhausted at the end. However. I got a pretty good stitch in my side twice. Both times I had to really focus on breathing so I could get rid of it. The second time was just before my cool-down walk. So the walking helped. 

This run and the last one I have felt that strange sense of being out of energy, but not like the running is too hard. Perhaps it's related to my breathing. A stitch in my side may be my body telling me something. I have discovered that running is like a never-ending puzzle. There is always something new to figure out. And I like a mental challenge. Yes, it's a physical challenge too. But a lot of it is in your head. Some might argue that most of it is in your head. I'm not sure yet, but I know I am always learning something new. 

In fact, I am learning that although I am deeply regretting not running for so long, I am thinking that it has actually helped my foot. So, bittersweet? Perhaps. As I write I am icing my foot. I am trying to do what my doctor recommended. (Although to be truthful I am not sure I can go for the hideous "supportive" footwear.) Some days I forget. Ironically, I find my foot getting better as my breathing presents me with a new challenge. If it's not one thing, it's another. But never dull.

Check out my face. This is what you look like when you haven't run for 2+ weeks and you decide to go smack-dab in the middle of a hot & humid day. 

So, can your muscles and your body be ready to run, but just be out of energy? That is what I felt like today. Like I had the strength to keep going, but not enough gas in the tank. I have not run in over 2 weeks. Not since the last time I posted. What has happened in between is basically a bit of an illness morphing into laziness. I got used to being tired. 

Apparently I brought back a souvenir from Costa Rica that I am not entirely happy with. Turns out I had a bacterial issue. I felt the weirdest I have ever felt. Hot and cold, stomach felt tight, swollen, gross, but not nauseous. In fact it hit me like a ton of bricks the same night as my last post. I ended up in urgent care, got antibiotics, and then after I saw my own doctor, he recommended probiotics and said it would probably take a good couple of weeks before this really went away. And reallly it IS taking that long. The terrible feeling only lasted for that day and part of the next, but I there are lingering side effects. Basically I cannot eat very much at once, but I can eat normal foods that I always do, and I am hungry more often (due to not eating much at once, obviously.) Good news is that I am down 8 lbs. Yay. Bad news is that if I overdo it with food I FEEL it. Not yay. Soooo...this is a long way of explaining that until now I have been able to do most things I am used to. But I have not quite felt up to running until now. 

Today I felt like this is it. Time to get going again. I had a lazy morning (up late the night before - kids were at grandma's!), and by noon I had the urge to just get out there and GO. It is was a bit cooler than it has been, with a touch of a breeze. So I laced up and went. Starting out I was fine, it was not so hard as last time - I didn't feel like I was dragging a huge weight behind me. But about 2/3 through my run I just ran out of energy. My body, my muscles, all felt fine - totally capable of continuing. But I had NO energy. No gas in the tank. (As I explained above I can't eat a lot at once. I had a yogurt for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch. I left to run about 30 minutes after eating the sandwich.)  I ended up running, then walking for a minute or so, then running again. I tried to run as much as I could.

The long and short of it is that excuses are over. Time to get back on track. Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I will be out there, pounding the pavement, or asphalt, or gravel, or whatever. Moving. Getting back to where I was. Yes, I will have to build back up my endurance. But I did it before and I can do it again. I was able to do 2.6 miles comfortably. That is only .5 away from the 3.1/5k. I can get there. I WILL get there.

Oddly enough, even though I had zero energy left, I still felt that elation you feel when you finish. And I am thankful for that. That is what will get me out the door come Wednesday morning.

Costa Rica was amazeballs. Mexico may have to move over and make room at the top of my list. I knew I loved it when I was there before. I love it more now. I loved every minute of the trip: the people, the food, the rainforest, the cities, the culture, the language. I could go on and on. But that said, how the trip was organized, and where, left me NO room for running. Literally. In the rainforest lodge (swoon...must go back) it was, well, in the middle of the rainforest. No space for running. No workout room. No treadmill. And in town, well, if you saw the streets and how people drive, you would know running there is out of the question too. Yikes. 

And so it was that I spend a little more than 8 days not running. Do I regret it? Not one iota. Today I talked myself up and out of bed. One of those things you do even though it's hard because you know you will be thankful later. And man was today's run TOUGH. Really hard. It was like dragging myself through mud carrying an extra 20 lbs. But I did it. I was determined to do it, not to walk at all. I miss the feeling of being able to run just a little further, take that other path, and so on. Today it was all I could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other in a slow and lumbering jog. But I did it. And I will go again on Sunday, and so on. Until I am back where I was in terms of fitness. 

I felt the week dragging behind me. Maybe that is what I was carrying that felt so heavy - days and days of inactivity. (Touristy strolling does not really count as activity. Even though I so loved it.) My face and body were pouring sweat, great big drips of it. But I earned that. It felt good to sweat out some of the lethargy and heaviness. It felt good to know that I can still run, still move, still enjoy the effort of it. Difficult? Oh yes. Worth it? Totally. If this is the price I pay for taking a heavenly vacation, I'll pay it. I can take it!!

I don't really know what it is about running. It is hard, sweaty, and sometimes I really have to talk my way through it. But I keep coming back for more. I keep wanting to come back for more. I just really like it. A lot. Is this really me, saying I like exercise? Lazy, loafy, doughy me? I guess so. I guess I am changing, bit by bit. Or rather, step by step. 

I have not gone running in several days. And BOY am I feeling it! My legs are restless and achy. Holy moses, who knew! So I brought my clothes and shoes to work. I will go running somehow somewhere before I go home! Yesterday by the time I had finished all the home, dinner, kids stuff, the storm was rolling in. Too late. And it was supposed to storm this morning, so I did not set my alarm early. Naturally when I did get up, far to late to run, it was blue sky beautiful. Great. So today I suffer achy legs and wait in hopes that it will be nice enough for me to run. I never knew I could hurt from NOT running...