Hooray for 87!

It only got up to 87 degrees yesterday! I know people in like, Washington State, are snickering at the idea that us Dallas-ites run out and celebrate when the temp maxes out at 87 (we consider that a cold front, and start shopping for sweaters and hats). But after facing days of 100 plus degrees, including Monday's delightful bath of 110 degrees, 87 was a gift.

It ain't gonna last; they are predicting temps to climb slowly back to the upper 90s (98) by the day of my sprint tri. But love it while you have it.

I went for a short easy 40 min run last night OUTSIDE and loved it. I had to really put on the brake pads to keep from running faster as the coach mandated EASY run (I saw her zipping around on her bike at the lake--seems like everyone was out last night pretending it was fall--and SHE wasn't going easy :-))so I threw in a couple of small climbs since I've been running fairly flat the last 2 months because of the hamstring. Good news, the hammy didn't squeak at all. It was a slow run--around 11:45 min mile--but I felt strong and easy and kept my pace at a steady rate as much as possible. I actually thought I ran faster than the Garmin said, but it was pretty humid still out there and I did try to post some uphills without changing stride too much (lean forward, quick feet but shorter steps, breathe easy). I ran without the iPod because I had forgotten to charge it, but I didn't seem to need or want it, which is unusual for me.

And the temp felt great. It is so awesome to run or bike (or walk or skate) again without having to wonder if you are breathing in molten steel. Fall is my favorite time of year--cooler weather, football season, hunting season, water and electric bills go down, mowing chores start to taper off. People smile more. The lake was crowded with everyone trying to soak in the delicious weather before it got hot again. And everyone looked so happy!

I hope the weather starts to make you smile soon. I hope the Louisville IM this weekend cools off a bit--I have a friend running there for her first IM.