Some like it HOT

“Now, you are making me feel guilty,” she said as she looked at me dressed in my running apparel. I was washing my hands after one final void before heading out. I never know how to respond to that comment, even though I get it often. I made eye contact with her, sized her up in an effort to determine the tone of her comment. She looked fit, and her face appeared non-judgmental. I laughed a bit as I grabbed my CamelBak, “Don’t be,” I said, “Consider yourself to be smarter than me; it’s really hot out today.” I thought, but didn’t say, “This is the only chance I have to do it.”

Happy for a little slow down in my workload, I went outside to face the heat. If I hadn’t been laid off, Mark and I would have been facing this heat together. He and I emailed a bit about running in the heat yesterday. He made me chuckle when he wrote, “The heat is supposed to peak tomorrow so I’ll wait and run tomorrow. ‘Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun.’ I leave to you into which category I fit.” Although Mark has a smirk like Simon Cowell (he will probably hate me for writing this), I don’t think he falls into the “Englishman” category. He is also a lot nicer than Simon.

As I prepped Ms. Garminia on the game plan, two men in suits glanced my way, said something and then laughed. I didn’t even want to know. I’ve never cared what anyone thought about my running in the heat of day before. There is no sense in starting now.

From years of marathon training, I have it all worked out:
• I have my CamelBak for hydration,
• my hat and some sunscreen for skin protection,
• Ms. Garminia to keep me from overdoing the distance or pace,
• and myPhone to provide a little entertainment as well as be available if I need to call for help.

Perhaps I was a little over-prepared for such a short run, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. I can’t afford to be stupid. Nobody can. With a click of a few buttons, I was out of there.

I’d picked out a nice flat route in the area around my work to run. Ms. Garminia measured it for me and reported that I had gone just over 4 miles. It could not have gone more perfectly. When I returned to the office, I showered and went to the break room to rinse out my CamelBak. My next task would be to solve the problem of my forgetting to bring a lunch. I was not particularly worried. There is always cereal, yogurt and cup-o-noodle soup to eat. Lucky for me, however, I turned around to find a yummy salad (left over from a meeting) waiting on the table in front of me. It had not been there when I entered.

What a HOT, but lucky day.