Weather

K and I took two days off this week...Tuesday because we woke up to an absolutely torrential rainstorm, and Wednesday because it's our scheduled day off and we didn't want to mess up the rest of the week. We have a race Saturday (5k), and then we're running that same evening (5 miles) to get a full long-run's worth of distance in.

Anyway, we ran a new route this morning, and while I enjoyed it immensely, I encountered an interesting phenomenon I'd never dealt with before. Usually, changes in humidity from road to road feel subtle. K or I may comment that it feels more or less humid after we've made a turn, but usually it's only just noticeable.

Not so today. Today, our run took us down two roads. It was an out-and-back, so you can imagine the roads intersect a bit like an L turned on its side. It was warm and humid this morning from the start, but manageable. As we left the first road (the straight shot up from the cars) and made a right turn onto our second road, I felt a change that was so obvious and thick, it really was like running into that proverbial wall.

Within moments we were both drenched in sweat. It felt like we were running through the heat of a summer night, instead of an autumn morning. Of course this kind of weather is challenging, and after two days of rest I had to really mentally beat myself up to keep my legs moving.

But here's the weirdest part. The first road had felt humid and warm on the way out, but when we came back to it on the return trip, turning the corner literally felt like breaking through some kind of barrier. It was as if we'd exited a stifling room to venture into the cool outdoors. The first road was downright refreshing!

I've never experienced such a pronounced change in humidity just from taking a right turn. The second road is tree-lined and only two lanes, so I think that has something to do with it. But let me tell you: the last mile of the run felt amazing. I'm so grateful for this weird phenomenon, because it really gave me the second wind I needed.

ABK