hotter than hades virtual half marathon

its summer. its hot. the past few days we had this so called "heat wave" in maine. apparently a "heat wave" is technically when the daily maximum temp exceeds the average maximum temp by 5 degrees celsius for a period of 5 consecutive days. im pretty sure 5 days of 65 degrees in maine could be termed a "heat wave"... ha. but in all seriousness, it was freaking hot. mid to high 90's with high humidity. one day was 102 (see 5.1 mile run below, smart stupid decision). im from st louis so i know what "hot" is... but for maine, it was wicked hot. yup, just said wicked. so of course, why not run a virtual half marathon during these days! i mean, it is called the "hotter than hades" virtual half marathon for a reason!!

fitness collaborative put out the call to anyone wanting to get involved...
http://www.fitnesscollaborative.com/hotter-than-hades-virtual-halfmarathon/
so many people signed up, which is great! get out there and be active (just be safe... hydrate, and wear sunscreen!!)

run #1: 5 miles- a nice easy pace on a cooler/yet humid morning. i dont like to leave my neighborhood before the sun starts coming up, and since i leave for work at 6:15, i need my runs to end by 5:30. runs starting at 4am leave only one option... laps around the block. 5 miles on the map look like a continuous figure 8. booooooring.

run #2: 5.1 miles. on the hottest.night.EVER. at 7pm it was still 93 degrees. holy sweatfest. i thought it was a good idea to do a track/heart rate workout. the goal was to run a mile at HRs 130, 140, 150, 160, 170. yeah, that didnt happen. i think my resting hr was in the 90s, so even walking got me to 130ish. the 140 mile took over 12 minutes, and that was a fast walk at best (and the hr wanted to stay closer to 150). the 150 mile was about the same in minutes as the 140 mile. the 160 was a little better and a little faster, but not by much. and the 170 mile, which felt great (and should ultimately be about my marathon pace)... was a pace of 10:25.

f.a.i.l. i KNOW the heat isnt good to run in and i KNOW my heart works faster/harder to do the same work. im not worried about that. but i find it interesting just how much it does affect it (i did this same workout 6 weeks ago and my pace at a hr of 170 was 8:54). dear maine marathon gods: PLEASE pretty please im begging you, 60 degree temps and overcast. xoxo

run #3: just a light jog with ty. humidity was high but the air was cool.

thank you to fitness collaborative for putting this event on! and thanks to their sponsors:

    ~RoadID (love love LOVE this product and everything they stand for. wear it!!)

    ~BondiBand 

    ~Ryders Eyewear

    ~Wildskins

    ~Sportline

    ~EASports

    ~Attune Foods

    ~Hydrapak

    ~GU

    ~Reflect Sports