summer pool blues

Submitted by 8r4d on August 8 2022

If I had to miss a season of running I suppose it could be a worse season than summer.

Hear me out!

Living in a city on the Canadian prairies, my tolerance for hot summer temperatures is not what one might call ... um... great. I prefer the cold. I love spring runs in the rain. I adore the brisk aurum dashes through the fermenting wafts of fallen foliage. Trudging through the snow on a cold January day is often an experience of epic apricity and delight.

The summers are just hot, muggy, cluttered with biting and stinging insects, and better spent in the shade of a patio. Not to mention, I've had heat stroke more than once on a hot summer run.

I watched as my crew returned from their 10k Sunday run dripping with sweat and complaining of exhaustion even at 10am. I was feeling refreshed from a dip in the cool of the pool where I swam less than ten percent of their distance, but actually completed my workout. They spent half their run walking. No disrespect intended as I would have been walking right there with them.

If all goes well I should be back on the trails sometime in September (or at worst, October) just in time for those autumn breezes to remind me of the awesomeness of nature. For now, I'll rack up some more swimming distance in August and enjoy the outdoors with a cool drink this year instead.

Field Notes

No running, even more rehab this week:
- swim 60 lengths (1.5 km) by Sunday
- knee-hab continues with basic physio exercises