Crazy from the heat

Last summer, we had a miserable June that featured 26 days of rain or some sort of drizzle, and after that month, we had a number of beach days that felt like they were few and far between. This summer, it looks like we’re getting 92 days of sun, humidity, and no escape from the heat!

During the past three weekends, I ran in five road races, and all five had one thing in common -- they all took place in temperatures well into the 80s.

Now if I had the choice on whether to run a race in the heat or in the frigid cold of the winter, I’d always choose the heat because I always have a tough time getting going during the winter. But this month has been brutally tough and it’s reflected in my times in these races -- in four races that I’ve done at least once or twice in the past few years (Glocester 5.5M, Little Compton 4.8M, St. Mary’s of Cranston 5.5M, and New Bedford’s Fisherman’s Tribute 5K), I’ve had slower times by at least a minute-and-a-half.

Hopefully the weather gets cooler and soon, because my next two races are very big ones -- the legendary Blessing of the Fleet 10-Miler on Friday, July 23, and the Johnny Kelley Ocean Beach 11.6-Miler 15 days later.