A warm and humid 12 miles

I ran 12 miles with the Reston Runners this morning. I didn't plan on it - the original plan was to get up at 5am (on account of the weather forecast) and run 10 miles solo - but when I woke up in the middle of the night to use the facilities I was SOOO tired I turned off the alarm and forgot about 5am.

I woke up at 7:30 and realized I probably could make it to the Reston Runners run if I hurried, so I hurried (clothes, sunscreen, gulp some water, munch a couple crackers) and made it to the rally point in time. The course was 12 miles, well laid out, kind of an odd-shaped figure eight. Some very kind person had gone through yesterday and marked the turn points in chalk so people wouldn't get lost ('course, you gotta LOOK for the arrows, which is how I got minorly lost once).

The RR gungadins put out a water station at the mile 4/mile 8 point (where the figure 8 crosses), including water, gatorade, and grapes. I was very happy to see that. Random people on the W&OD trail stopped to help themselves, which I suppose is good of RR to be so generous with our materials, but it really bugs me to be standing there, melting in the sun and needing some gatorade, watching some guy on a bike drain the last of it into his water bottle. Now it's true that he could have been an RR member who just happened to be biking along today, but you know, I kinda doubt it.

Starting temp was about 67F, finish was about 75F, humidity was in the 80% range. The humidity really sucks the energy out of me - I was drenched with perspiration after just a few miles. On the Suunto Training Effect scale, I hit a "5" shortly after mile 4. I'm sorry to see the humidity start so soon, it marks the end of spring.

I finished the 12 mile course in 2:20 on my watch, which is an 11:40 pace. Not my best, but good enough today for this humidity. Maybe I should move somewhere with lower summer humidity.