Signs of the first hot run of the season:

1. Completely flushed and sweaty face.


2. Swollen fingers that look like little sausages.


3. A giant post-run glass of chocolate milk that I guzzled half of before taking a picture.


The first hot run of the season is always the most brutal miserable running experience of the year. My body isn't adapted to the heat and humidity and so my perceived level of exertion is way higher than it would be later in the summer in the same conditions.

It was 86 and sunny when I left for my run yesterday after work and as soon as I started moving I knew it wasn't going to go well. My legs were heavy, my mouth immediately went dry and I felt like I was roasting.

Despite all that I finished four miles. It was at a snails pace because I took a ton of walk breaks, but I got it done.

The run was a reminder of why I run in the mornings in the summer. It might still be hot and humid, but at least the sun is beating down on me at 4:30 a.m.