Well, that was a bit warm, no? While many of you in warmer climes are used to such things, temperatures of over 30 celsius (87 Farenheit, for any Americans) in London are not a frequent occurence. Last time I ran a race in anything like that heat, I was in Barbados, and jumped pretty much straight from the finish line into the sea.
Having jogged a whole two miles, mostly downhill, to the start of yesterday’s Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10km and still been more sweaty than if I’d done it in a sauna, I made the call that it was not a day for racing. Not that I’m on ‘racing form’ at the moment anyway, but in that heat it just felt like lunacy. Instead I decided to run it as a tempo effort. Judging by how many people I overtook on the second half (running at dead even effort) it was a sensible decision. Then again, the heat didn’t stop our own BTL regular David from nipping in under 36 minutes. Mega kudos and a bucket of ice for that man.
It’s a great course, flat and leafy - and with a fabulous race T-shirt and a chocolate bar for all finishers. The organisers had also brilliantly set up a powerful sprinkler on the two lap course to help runners cool down a little. I still finished feeling like you could fry an egg on me, mind. And today is supposed to be even hotter. Anyone putting some easy Monday miles in today - make them very easy indeed. Remember much of the ‘effort’ you expend when running is simply your body’s attempt to cool you down, so you’ll be working harder than usual even at a slower speed ..
So over to you. Anyone racing in the heat this weekend, or being sensible and taking it easy? As always, share your stories of running heroics or nasty niggles below the line
