To Hell and Back

Day three of the heat wave from hell. 

Up at 5 - ready to head out the door at 5:30am. The Weather Network said that it was already 27 degrees out and that it felt like 35 with the humidity. 

I opened the door and walked into a shimmering, vibrating wall of heat.  Bloody hell.

There was no sign of the sun yet although the sky was already bright.  Today was not the day to enjoy a peaceful run.  It was a day to plug in the music and finish the hill training as quickly as possible.  I was not racing to beat my time - I was racing to beat the sun.

I trotted over to Rodman hill and down to the bottom to start the telephone pole routine.  Run up the hill for a distance of three telephone poles.  Run back down.  Run up for four telephone poles.  Run back down.  Up for five. Six. Repeat until dead. 

I stopped after every second climb for some water.  It was sweltering.  There were no birds.  No signing coming from the trees.  No squirrels.  I felt like I was running in the twilight zone. 

At the eighth telephone pole, I turned around and saw the sun.  A huge, red orb climbing up through the trees. 

"Omigod! Run for your life" are the exact words that erupted in my head at the sight of it. 

My response was so visceral that I might as well have turned around and come face to face with a T.Rex. 

Well, maybe not quite as bad as ol' Rexy but I felt a deep down fear that kept my legs moving despite the struggle for air. 

Two more climbs up and two more trots back down.  Done!  All I had to do was put on my now empty water belt and do one last climb up and out of the valley and back home again. 

Scully, I took the other hill.  The crazy steep one that almost killed us last time.  I did it in your honour and made it to the top alive and still running.  I missed you out there today.

Blood sugar report - I woke up at 7.8.  No basal change. I had a gel but did not bolus for it.  I finished the hills and was 9.1. 

I think I'm getting the hang of these early morning runs. 

Stay cool folks.