Hot running Saratoga

As much as I love running, one of the best parts of doing it is being done with it. That feeling of accomplishment when you walk in the door all out of breath after a good run and head for the cold glass of water, the towel, the floor ... whatever.

This is especially true on days like today, when it hit at least 90 degrees in the middle of the day in Albany, and cooled down to a deceptive 84-ish by the time I exited the Northway in Saratoga after work.


Deceptive, because, well, I've been sitting in air conditioned spaces all day. 84 didn't really feel like 84 when I stepped out of the house (we happen to be blessed with central air here, thanks landlady!), hit play on the MGMT Pandora station, hit start on the MapMyRun app and took off down the street at a comfortable jog, heading west toward Skidmore.

Less than 10 minutes in, it was obvious that this was going to be A Sweaty One. But no matter, after spending about six hours in the car this weekend, even after running almost 4 miles in the park Saturday, I really needed to move my legs again.

2.5 miles later, I'd drenched most of my shirt and was watching sweat beads fly off me as I completed my loop and headed down Woodlawn Avenue to go home. Gross? Glorious? Take your pick.

Guess I didn't realize just how drenched I was when I walked in the door -- runner's high in full effect -- and through the living room, where my roommates were ... snuggled on the couch under a blanket as if hibernating. They promptly burst out laughing and jumped out of their huddle in shock at my unsightly, dripping visage. Only then did I look in the mirror. Ick. For obvious reasons, this post does not include photos.

Then we proceeded to swap comments about just how damn hot it was. And isn't air conditioning a wonderful luxury to have? 

Maybe morning runs aren't such a scary idea, if this heat wave is going to keep up. Combined with my new-found, half-hearted interest in breaking the daily coffee habit but still having something to get me going in the morning, this could work. I feel a future blog post coming on ... check back to see if it appears later this week. As a bonus, there will also be one about the weekend's food adventures in Chinatown, et al. Think mangos. On a stick. On a bridge. Mangos on a stick on a bridge. ...