...or is it just me?

Pledge Committment: $2,620
Funds collected to date: $603.40 (23%)
Amount needed to reach pledge: $2,016.60
Miles Ran Last Week: 18.5 (longest single run = 6 miles)

It got hot. Not that I'm complaining, because it beats the alternative (that being: blizzards and sadness). But for a runner, above 60 becomes a sudden heat-wave and we -- my friends -- have surprised 60 by a long-shot.

What does this mean for me? It means that to responsibly go out for a long run I should be up early in the morning on the weekends (i.e. before 8 ideally) so that I can be up and out before the heat. Suffice it to say that I did not quite make this timeframe.

On Sunday -- temperature and humidity rising by the minute -- I decided a 10 am wake-up call seemed about right, followed by 3 hours of leisurely eating and drinking. At about 1 pm, in the absolute height of the sun and heat, I said to myself "Meredith, you know what would be a STELLAR plan with your glowing white skin and slight dehydration from last night's shenanigans? Let's go for a run!"

If you live outside of New York, you may not know that Central Park is a runner's paradise due to the network of loops you can utilize for a run. The full park is 6 miles and has cut-offs throughout which makes it perfect for training because you can pretty much design your own course. For my training schedule, I wanted/needed to do a full 6-miler, and so I sunscreened up (yes, Mom, I did actually try not to get burned!) and set off with keys in hand and a few dollar bills in my pocket (for a Gatorade or a sudden necessary strip-club visit...whichever comes first).

It. Was. Hot. You're just going to have to trust me on this. It was legit no-joke summertime hot out. And almost immediately there were triggers that told me this run was going to be difficult. Namely, that I was melting away. Sunscreen carefully applied? On no longer. [See: My red shoulders and empty aloe bottle.]

In order to pass the miles and ignore the fact that I was being roasted alive like a tandori chicken, I started enjoying a little game I like to play called "let's judge other people." This age old pastime is not as complicated as the name may suggest. I'll break it down for you: you look at other people. And judge them.

As I pondered the various questionable outfits, oddly matched couples and interesting modes of transportation (i.e. skateboard aided ski pole, bicycle built for two holding three, etc.), it suddenly occurred to me that something very odd was afoot. Many girls - and I mean many - were not sweating. What?! I am literally melting into a pool of myself, and you aren't even glistening?! How?! Is that even physically possible when you are running in this heat?

If there are any doctors in the audience, I actually would love an answer to the above. Is that, medically, even possible? Because I saw it multiple times.

There can only be three possible explanations:
1) It was just me.
2) These girls were running short 5 second bursts only during the moment they knew I would run by and then were stopping and dabbing with a moist towelette as to not disturb their make-up and cute outfit (see image below).
3) The rapture is upon us.



I'm going with 3.