Yesterday’s Run: Humidity Slows Me Down While The Bucking Mules Pick Me Up!
Yesterday’s run was both good and bad. The good was the great picking from The Bucking Mules while the bad was the high humidity! When the start of the run I knew the humidity was bad. It had rained the night rained Tuesday night and weather.com listed the humidity at 90 plus percent. Anyway I decided that I wouldn’t worry about running a shaded route because it was cloudy. I picked the old Creek out and back 4-mile course.
Over the first quarter-mile of the run I knew it was going to be a tough run. The air was heavy and didn’t seem like it didn’t want to go into my lungs!
But I did make the first mile in fairly good shape. But the further I went the hotter I got and the more I was sweating.
I finished the second mile with an overall pace of 10:42 minutes per mile. However I was really sweating and by this time sweat was getting in my eyes. Finally, I’d had it and did something I really have only done a few times over the years I stopped and walked! I walked for about 4 tenths of a mile and then started to run again.
The brief walk allowed my heart rate to drop down a little and while I ran slowly over the last 1.6 miles I did make it! The walk/run third mile was covered 12:29 and then the last mile was 11:29. Overall my final pace was 11:16 for the whole run.
When I finished the run and was walking around the block to cool down I thought about the effect if humidity on the run. So I Googled the following
“Is it harder to breathe in high humidity?” This was the first result……from CBS Minnesota.
“Humid air is more like molasses, it sticks more.” Healthy people may notice fatigue while exercising. You may have to cut a workout short, but for some with lung conditions like asthma or COPD, these conditions are downright dicey. “It’s harder to breathe,” Dr. Stiehm said.Jul 28, 2015
Yes, molasses that’s what it was at the start of the run!!
Here are some tips from Runner’s World about running when the humidity is high…
Tips for Running in Humidity:It’s not (just) the heat that matters! How to cope with the muggy weather.
“Of all the climate measurements we take to assess heat risk for our runners, humidity is the biggest factor,” says George Chiampas, D.O., the medical director of the Chicago Marathon. Humidity makes warm summer runs even more taxing because the higher the moisture content of the air, the hotter it feels. An 88-degree day with a relative humidity just under 40 percent, for example, will feel like 88 degrees. Hot, yes, but when humidity reaches 70 percent, that same 88 temperature feels like 100 degrees.
The National Weather Service issues a Heat Advisory when the Index is expected to exceed 105 for at least two consecutive days…
In those conditions, if you are intent on getting in a quality workout, your best bet is a treadmill in an air-conditioned room. Otherwise, opt for a shaded path (versus heat-absorbing roads), run close to water (bodies of water offer breezier conditions), and take walk breaks. It’s essential to hydrate properly and let go of any time-based goals—run by feel instead of pace. When temperatures go from 75 to 90 degrees, heart rate can increase by 10 to 20 beats per minute, which will make your perceived effort much greater. Add humidity to the mix, and the effect will be even more significant, Bergeron says. Link to Full Article
I added the emphasis on the above. Shaded paths and take walk breaks?? I guess I did the right thing!!
Links for Further Reading
High Humidity Can Cause Breathing Problems, Day And Night, By Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CB
Tips for Running in Humidity:It’s not (just) the heat that matters! How to cope with the muggy weather., Liz Plosser, Runner’s
The soundtrack for the run was the Smoke Behind the Clouds the latest release from the band The Bucking Mules. About ten seconds into the title track of the album I knew I was going to like this band!! From their website….
Straight-shooting stringband The Bucking Mules deliver American old-time music at its pure and joyous best. Their new full-length record Smoke Behind the Clouds features 17 mostly traditional songs treated with the Mules’ characteristic throw-down groove. The band cut their teeth in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia through extensive time spent with old 78s and elder master musicians from the region. The result is a group of well-studied musicians who know how to bust down on a fiddle tune, belt an old song, and move square dancers. On Smoke Behind the Clouds, the Mules traverse the traditional musical landscape of the Cumberland Plateau, the Tennessee River, the Blue Ridge, and beyond. Favoring spirit and simplicity over pretense, Smoke Behind the Clouds distills a reverence of the past into a driving, heartfelt record tailored for contemporary fans of folk, old-time, bluegrass, and more. Read More
Here’s the band playing “John Cooper’s Tune” Love those instrumentals! So Check Them Out!!
