The “Why” Behind The Humidity

Following the Peachtree Road Race, I had Friday off so I decided after finishing some errands that I would go for an afternoon run. Running at any time other than the morning is rare for me so it kind of felt like a little adventure. I didn’t feel fatigued from the race so I was looking forward to stretching my legs and getting out on the road.

The contrast of traveling via van, train and foot for almost 2 hours to get to a starting line to run 6.2 miles and walking out my front door to run 4 miles was glaring. There have been a few times where a group of us would travel to a race together and we’d joke that we could have just stayed home, run 6.2 miles from the coffee shop and been done with it.

I did my 4 mile route around Avondale and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Since it has rained so much, all the lawns, trees and gardens are vibrant and it’s a real pleasure to run through the neighborhood. As it was early afternoon, it was warm and humid but I kept a steady pace and hit all the hills.

Lots of green and blooms around the neighborhood

It felt great to be on an “easy run” where I just ran for the fun of it. Nice steady downhill to the picturesque lake, circle around and then a nice long hill leading away. Another downhill to the park and then the challenging “hill of woe” to really get the lungs working. Nice long flat segment to catch my breath and then back to the house.

Lake Avondale

I read an interesting article in the new Runner’s World that talks about the effects that humidity has on runners. Since I have been a bit frustrated lately with my endurance and pace, I found the article extremely informative and it also gave me a sense of relief.

In a nutshell, the article explained that humidity affects runners by decreasing the amount of perspiration that evaporates from our bodies. This makes it more difficult for our bodies to cool and even affects our blood flow since it is diverted to areas of the body that need the blood to help compensate for the increased temperature. This means that other areas, such as the digestive system as an example, don’t receive as much blood and can cause stomach issues. It also pointed out that the larger you are, the worse it is because your body has to compensate even more. So at 6’1″ and 235lbs, it became clear to me why I have been struggling as of late.

Interestingly, the article didn’t mention anything about breathing as I always assumed that it was the humidity that made breathing more difficult. But it looks like the breathing issue comes from your body working harder to compensate for not cooling properly. Fortunately, your body does acclimate to the humidity somewhat so there is that silver lining.

In fact, today at boot camp, I had one of those awesome mornings where everything felt great and I was really able to push hard during the workout. And while it was warm and humid, it didn’t feel like much of a factor. The workout involved using medicine balls (or as we call them…Slam Balls) at 3 of the 5 workout stations.

Jason was the lead and he used me to give examples of the various exercises since I had created the workout and we had only performed it once before. I really enjoy using the medicine balls and particularly the slam ball exercise where you rise up on your toes, hold the ball above your head and use your whole body to slam the ball down. I tell people to think “Hulk Smash!” or just something that really makes them angry so they can take out their frustrations.

I bet The Hulk could really put on a show with a medicine ball!

We did three rounds of exercise at each station and had a good 30-minute workout. Some of the other exercises performed were inclined push-ups, 6″ leg lifts, kayak twist and trunk twists with medicine balls, alternate push-ups with one ball passed back and forth from hand to hand and many others. We finished up with some sprints and them a mountain climber pyramid which can fatigue the legs in a hurry.

So I am hoping this morning was a good sign and I am finally acclimatizing to the humidity. But then again, even if I’m not there yet, I won’t beat myself up about it because at least I know “The Why Behind the Humidity!”

Running the Peachtree

On Thursday, July 4th, it was time for an Atlanta tradition: The Peachtree Road Race!

The day before, the forecast said we were supposed to have rain and lots of it. The hourly forecast reported there would be a 100% chance of rain when the race began, which doesn’t really leave much of a chance of it not raining.

I woke up at 5:15am to start getting ready. I set everything out the night before per my OCD but I still like to wakeup with plenty of time to spare. I was meeting Paige and Eric at the Decatur MARTA station around 6:15 so we could head to Buckhead and the starting line. Eric and Paige were in the “E” wave which would start at 7:50 and I was in the “G” wave with an 8:00 start time.

Eric, Paige and I about to head to the race!

I parked at work and walked to the MARTA station in a very light rain. We found each other and minutes later we were on the train with lots of other runners. We had to stand but it wasn’t to crowded, which was a relief. That didn’t last long.

After a couple of stops the train was filled to the brim and rather unpleasant. It became very warm and the stench of many unbathed runners filled the rail car. I was perspriring profusely and began to wonder if the one bottle of water I brought would be enough to keep me hydrated before the race even began.

We exited at Five Points station to transition to the north line and head to the Buckhead station. Unfortunately, it was just as crowded if not more so, and my mind went to its happy place until we could get out. Once we pulled up to the Buckhead station and were released from the car, it was wonderful to step out into the cool morning air and light drizzle.

All runners had to exit the station on the same side for security reasons so it was a crawl to get to the street. By the time we made it to street level, it had stopped raining. It was also 7:30 which meant the elite men were about to begin! Within seconds, the elite’s came flying by and ran right by us. I recognized Ryan Hall right away and turned to Paige and Eric and said “Hey! That was Ryan Hall! I just finished reading his book!”

The elites were by us quickly and we continued to our starting corrals. At one point we had to part ways as the “E” folk went one way and the “G” folk another.

Ol' Glory

I found the “G’s” and stood at the back absorbing the atmosphere. It was overcast and humid but not too hot. Everyone was energized and ready to run. We could see the large American flag that flies over the starting line in the distance and hear the announcer releasing each wave every 5 minutes. With each wave we moved up and in 15 minutes, we were at the starting line.

At 8:00am the “G” wave was off! I decided to not pay attention to my pace and just run at a clip that felt comfortable. The first couple of miles are flat or downhill so it’s a great beginning, especially for runners who take a while to warm up and get into the groove. There weren’t as many spectators as usual at the beginning of the route but as we moved down Peachtree St., more and more folks lined the street.

The Peachtree is an interesting race not only because of the entertaining side-show along the route but also because there is such a mix of participants. Some of the folks who do the Peachtree run races regularly and others do the race for the event itself. This means you have racers who are trying to run efficiently, following a pace in a straight line and then you have people who will suddenly run straight across the course to say hi to a spectator they know or folks who just stop in front of you to search for a song on their smart phone. It can be frustrating but you have to go into it knowing it’s going to happen and just try to enjoy.

After coasting for the first 2.5 miles, the course has its first hill called “Cardiac Hill”. While the name sounds intimidating, it comes from the fact that Piedmont Hospital is at the top. Not to say it’s not a challenging hill but it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds.

The hardest part of the course for me is mile 4 and 5 because it feels like it takes forever to get through this section. There is another good-sized hill and other smaller ones so it’s more challenging but it just feels like it never ends. Part of it may be that we are running on the same road for almost the entire route. When you finally make it to 10th street and take a left, you know it is almost over but then you are met with a mental challenge.

There is a large scaffold setup over the course with photographers taking pictures and the structure looks like the finish line. You run under it and realize you still have a little longer to go but it’s a slight uphill so you don’t immediately see the actual finish line. Even though you know this is coming, it can still mess with your mind a little bit.

When you finally cross the finish line and enter the park, it’s all worth while as you get your water and then your bag with the finishers shirt, the design being one of the best guarded secrets in Atlanta.

The Happy Finishers!

I met up with Paige and Eric at the “E” balloon and we celebrated our awesomeness. Paige had a PR of 55 minutes while Eric had a PR of 56 minutes! It was so cool to celebrate their PR’s with them! I had a 1:02 which I was happy with though it was several minutes off my best 10k time. Given my recent challenges when running with humidity, I was content to run comfortably and finish strong.

In the end, running the Peachtree is worth it because there is such a great energy and joy. You have 60,000 people running the race and all the spectators lining the course and cheering everyone on. You can’t beat it as a fantastic way to begin the celebration of Independence Day and the celebration of America!

when you finish up in Piedmont Park with all the other runners, there is such a great energy and joy.

Hiking, Burpees and a Strong Morning

Sunday was a planned rest day and though Saturday’s 6-mile run was quite a challenge, I didn’t really feel any wear and tear so Angela and I decided to hike up Stone Mountain.

For those who have never experienced it, Stone Mountain is a huge (understatement) rock just east of Decatur. It’s a great place to go to be active as there is hiking/running trails with interesting terrain, a trail all the way to the top and a 5 mile loop around the mountain.

Angela and I ready to hike Stone Mountain!

We arrived around noon and took a nice steady pace up the mountain. Angela had ordered some hiking poles and we wanted to try them out. Neither one of us wanted to take 2 pole’s so we each took 1. While I could see these definitely being helpful on a long hike with rough terrain, I didn’t really use mine so I gave it to Angela so she could experience using them both.

The trail to the top of Stone Mountain

Hiking Stone Mountain is different in that you are walking on solid granite the entire time and in some spots, fields of boulders take over the landscape so you have to choose your path over and around. It’s about a mile up and the higher you go, the steeper it is. Once you get above the tree line, you can see downtown Atlanta and on this day, rain clouds were coming in so the view was particularly stunning.

Above the tree line, storm clouds in the distance.

Once we realized it was going to rain, we headed down since walking on wet granite is no fun at all. It gets extremely slick and is like walking on ice. As we neared the bottom, it began to drizzle and I was glad I had on my trail shoes as they work fairly well on slick surfaces. Angela had one fall but was OK and we eventually made it down. Hiking Stone Mountain is definitely a great workout!

On Monday, we had a make-up day at boot camp from June and performed a workout that David created called “Run and Burp”. This is a new workout and the first time we were going to try it, we had thunder and lightning and had to postpone. The “Run” part of the title was self-explanatory but the “Burp” part had nothing to do with gastro problems, instead referring to “Burpees”!

The workout was simple in design: Do 20 burpees then run a lap and repeat 5 times. We began our burpees and the first 20 weren’t to bad as we ran our first lap. You get a little winded during the run so it makes starting the burpees again a little tough. The burpees make you breath even harder so you spend your run trying to calm your breathing, which doesn’t work to well since you are running. So each round you get a little more out of breath and your legs get a little more tired so by the last round you can’t really talk and just make hand gestures to people.

Once we finished the workout, we started a finishing routine where we did 20 dips, 20 incline push-ups and 20 sit-ups, repeating until everyone was done. Then we played a round of “Plank, Plank, Goose” which is just like the children’s game. We all plank and one person walks the circle and then kicks someone’s shoe. That person jumps up and tries to catch the “kicker” before they get back to their spot. As we planked, we found many little mushrooms sprouting out on the soccer field. Wonderful proof of the consistent rain we have been having in Georgia!

Mushrooms on the soccer field

On Tuesday, we went for our final run before the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th. I led a route around Avondale Estates with Stacie, Paige, Eric and Michele and I have to say I felt much stronger on this run. Part of it may have been that it was much earlier so the heat wasn’t as bad. It was still really humid but there was an occasional light breeze that helped cool things down.

We did our usual 4.1 mile course which follows most of the 5K course for the Labor Day 5k race. We usually begin the run heading down the “hill of woe” and then enjoy lots of long gradual uphills and downhills throughout the neighborhood. The highlight was passing the lake just as the dawn was beginning to break and the water was like glass. We finish the run by heading up the “hill of woe” which definitely makes the lungs and legs burn!

I really felt strong during the run so I am hoping this is a good sign that I am finally acclimatizing. I could tell I was pushing my pace and it felt nice to push it and maintain. Hopefully this will translate into a great Peachtree Road Race tomorrow! One thing is assured…it will be wet! The forecast is 100% rain in the morning. So basically there is no chance that it won’t be raining!

Me at the expo…getting photo bombed by the guy in the tie dye shirt

I headed down to the expo today to get my number and do a quick lap through the vendors. One of the few places I could blow a lot of money if I wasn’t disciplined. It’s always cool going to the expo because there is so much energy and it’s cool being around all those folks who are into running. Can’t wait to toe the starting line tomorrow!