A Tale of 2 Runs

It's heating up in the Old Pueblo and one of the ways I beat the heat, especially if I decide I'd rather snuggle in bed than drag myself out for a pre-7am run, is by going to the gym. Lately I've been sticking to XT and elliptical at the gym, but with a 10K coming up on Sunday I know I need to get in the actual miles.

Monday, I missed my am run slot (coffee and breakfast did me in), and it was in the high 80s with full sun by 9:30am. Rather than run in the afternoon before I went to the climbing gym, I headed into the  air conditioned gym at the U and hopped on a treadmill. I did my normal 4.5 mile run and it felt like one of the hardest, most boring runs I've ever done. I struggled to keep an 11 minute mile pace for the first 2 miles and then dropped down to a 12 min pace for a mile and a half. By the last mile I was running 4 min and walking for 1 just to get through the damn work out. On top of that, I had lower abdominal cramping for the entire 53minute duration. agony.

Tuesday, I said "screw the treadmill, I'll just go and be hot outside." When I left, it was 89F, breeze and the sun was just going down. I did the same distance (4.5 mi) keeping a comfortable average pace of 10:27 sec - my normal warm-weather pace.

So what gives? How am I slower on a treadmill in an air conditioned gym than outside at nearly 90F?

My guess is that when I run outside when the sun is down, I both generate my own wind and take advantage of the breezes that kiss Tucson at sunset. Because the humidity here is so low, the breeze is very effective at wicking sweat away from your body and keeping you cool, even if the ambient temperature is pretty high. I also think that while most people benefit from the treadmill propelling them forward, with the way I run the artificial pace of the TM actually makes it harder and less comfortable for me to run. I can't adjust my stride the way I do when I'm outside. Today's an off day - I've been walking throughout the day and have climbing tonight - but tomorrow I'm going to be back outside, even if the high of the day is predicted to be 97.

Beat the heat tip # 4 - Toss some ice cubes in your water bottles. If using a waist belt, the cooling effect will help keep your over all temp cool, and in a hand-held it'll keep your water cooler longer.