105 to 73…

105 and 73 were the temperatures for my two runs this past weekend. For the first stop of a three-part vacation, we pulled into Twentynine Palms, CA Saturday afternoon and the original plan was to head into Joshua Tree National Park. With the thermometer reading 105.8 outside, the family opted for the pool and I eagerly laced up my running shoes, picked up a bottle of Powerade from the hotel fridge, and hit the road.

Typically in a new location, I’ll enjoy running and taking in what’s around me. At that level of heat and running next to a highway, my focus was solely on staying smart. This meant staying out of the way of vehicles, not stumbling or going too fast, or forgetting to routinely drink.

My Powerade was hot before the two-mile mark. I’ve noticed on some runs that there are occasionally times where if my instinct is to go faster, my body willingly responds without my having to dig too deep to make that happen. During this run, there were a couple of points when I considered increasing my speed but it was easy to apply the brakes and keep the pace moderate. On my last climb up a hill before the finish, I was tempted to push it but backed off. The wisdom of this decision was reinforced about three-quarters of the way up when I made a surge, figuring I could push it over the last segment, and then quickly backed off. I had never felt the kind of heat that rushed into my lungs as I increased the pace and started taking deeper breaths. Dangerous? Maybe not, but moderation prevailed. The whole time I maintained my focus on the run, though I couldn’t help but notice the numerous lizards scampering on and darting across the path.

When I was done, though we were only a few hours into the trip, I was already thrilled with the vacation. I enjoy running in heat, even if it requires extra attention to the details of staying hydrated and footing, and this was a new record for me.

The next morning it was 73 degrees and I felt I’d traveled to different continent. On this one, I was able to push the pace and not worry about it, and relish the surrounding Mojave.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Hammer Gel Orange (Real Fruit!) Presumably there is real fruit in this and presumably it’s orange. Oddly, this didn’t taste exactly like orange. There was a hint of it but while it was sweet and pleasant, I wouldn’t define it as orange. From an energy standpoint, it was good. I’d run the night before and used this over a six-mile run, during which I felt pretty good. No GI issues. While I wouldn’t grab it again for flavor, I’d be fine picking it up on a race course.