Facing the Heat: A Top 10 List

As I headed out the door this morning I heard my father-in-law yell from another room, "wait, you're going running?"  It's 86 degrees out but with the humidity it feels like 106, so I even questioned my decision for a moment.  But, I had been inside for the last few days and my five year old pulled the waterworks at camp drop off so I just needed to get out there.  Most people would advise you to avoid running in the heat and humidity when it's this bad.  They might also say that if can you run inside or cross train that's probably the better choice.  But, despite all the warnings, some of us still just need to hit the road.  Clearly, there are a lot of reasons not to run in the heat, but as I cruised along today I came up with quite a few reasons to just go for it.

Top 10 Reasons to Face the Heat & Run Outside
1. You can run slower and fewer miles/minutes than usual and it's still very impressive.
2. You can run through the neighbors' sprinklers and they won't give you the hairy eyeball.
3. Most of the people who pass you in a car or on a bike give you a shout out (ie. lookin' good or nice work) and that always gives a little boost.
4. You can run on the wrong side of the street if it's shadier and drivers will completely understand.
5. You can feel free to run in a sports bra(ladies) or shirtless(gents) and no one will think twice about it.
6. You have every rite to shuffle or even walk up hills and it still counts as part of the run.
7. You can take a nap mid-day and the people you're with will not only get it but probably think it's a good idea.
8. You have undeniably earned that $5 ice latte and/or a burger and a cold beer for dinner.
9. When you're fellow runners tell you they ran inside or took the day off you can shrug and say, "oh, really? I got out there and it wasn't that bad."  And you don't have to tell them how bad it was.
10.  When you're done, you will definitely feel like a total badass for the rest of the day!

The heat is on, baby!

Listen to this:
Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj   
Note: This song, in particular, moved me today. As Nicki sang about how it was 'getting hotter and hotter' I felt as if she was speaking to me directly.  It was incredibly motivating.