Killing the Messenger
I posted on Facebook how running in Atlanta "sucks". To be fair, I don't particularly care for running in Los Angeles. Also to be fair, when I got to Atlanta I hadn't been running, so I was out of practice, I was and still am a little heavier than I like to be when I run and then of course is not getting out early enough or running in the evening when it has cooled and the sun is down or nearly down. Still there are plenty of places where I have been guilty of all of the above and more and still had enjoyable running experiences.
What's Gone Wrong So Far
1st Run: The climate was pretty perfect and the bike path rolled along pleasantly through lovely shaded neighborhoods. I took off in my Vibram Five Fingers and ran along the path to help cushion the impact. I should have really taken it easy and kept it to a 20 minute run. Because of not being used to the "bare-foot" shoes my calves ended up being sore for a good three days. OK this one's my fault.
2cnd Run: It was freezing. In the 40's. The day before I was dying from the heat and humidity. I actually had a really nice run. It did however remind me of how relatively out of shape I am.
So Far So Good
3rd Run: The run started out nicely enough, however 10 minutes in to it I was gasping for air and sweating like you wouldn't believe. It was Mother's Day, so I cut the run short and vowed to devote more time to running so it would be less torturous.
4th Run: Today's run. I was out by 7:30 which I thought was fine because it was still in the low 70's. Wrong. By minute 13, I was suffocating. I decided to head towards downtown because, well I hadn't headed out that direction. I was running along the PATH, a really nice bike bath network they have that runs all throughout Atlanta. The lovely trees that had protected me from the sun when I had taken the PATH the opposite direction became fewer and fewer as things got more urban. The concrete and asphalt reflected the sun and heat back up at me. The surroundings more bleak and gray. My shirt was soaking wet by this point and I was wearing a running singlet that was super light-weight and made of "Dri-FIT fabric to wick sweat away and help keep you dry and comfortable" . I shudder to think what I would have felt like in a cotton T.
The next few miles were not fun, not pleasant and had me thinking of all the things I could do besides run to keep in shape. However by the time I made it back to our neighborhood, in Inman Park with its trees and shade and beautiful houses, I realized that I would have to work around Atlanta's humidity, by getting out earlier. And that I would need to find some trails not on asphalt or concrete, maybe a little outside of Atlanta, to do my long runs.
Conclusion
Running in Atlanta will never be like running in Montreal, San Francisco or Chicago and it obviously can't compare to the trails in Mammoth or Corvallis, Oregon. Like LA, I'm going to have to make adjustments. The heat and humidity are only going to get more intense. So unfortunately for me it looks like my days of sleeping in, as few as they've been are over.
It's still a great way to explore a new city.
I posted on Facebook how running in Atlanta "sucks". To be fair, I don't particularly care for running in Los Angeles. Also to be fair, when I got to Atlanta I hadn't been running, so I was out of practice, I was and still am a little heavier than I like to be when I run and then of course is not getting out early enough or running in the evening when it has cooled and the sun is down or nearly down. Still there are plenty of places where I have been guilty of all of the above and more and still had enjoyable running experiences.
What's Gone Wrong So Far
1st Run: The climate was pretty perfect and the bike path rolled along pleasantly through lovely shaded neighborhoods. I took off in my Vibram Five Fingers and ran along the path to help cushion the impact. I should have really taken it easy and kept it to a 20 minute run. Because of not being used to the "bare-foot" shoes my calves ended up being sore for a good three days. OK this one's my fault.
2cnd Run: It was freezing. In the 40's. The day before I was dying from the heat and humidity. I actually had a really nice run. It did however remind me of how relatively out of shape I am.
So Far So Good
3rd Run: The run started out nicely enough, however 10 minutes in to it I was gasping for air and sweating like you wouldn't believe. It was Mother's Day, so I cut the run short and vowed to devote more time to running so it would be less torturous.
4th Run: Today's run. I was out by 7:30 which I thought was fine because it was still in the low 70's. Wrong. By minute 13, I was suffocating. I decided to head towards downtown because, well I hadn't headed out that direction. I was running along the PATH, a really nice bike bath network they have that runs all throughout Atlanta. The lovely trees that had protected me from the sun when I had taken the PATH the opposite direction became fewer and fewer as things got more urban. The concrete and asphalt reflected the sun and heat back up at me. The surroundings more bleak and gray. My shirt was soaking wet by this point and I was wearing a running singlet that was super light-weight and made of "Dri-FIT fabric to wick sweat away and help keep you dry and comfortable" . I shudder to think what I would have felt like in a cotton T.
The next few miles were not fun, not pleasant and had me thinking of all the things I could do besides run to keep in shape. However by the time I made it back to our neighborhood, in Inman Park with its trees and shade and beautiful houses, I realized that I would have to work around Atlanta's humidity, by getting out earlier. And that I would need to find some trails not on asphalt or concrete, maybe a little outside of Atlanta, to do my long runs.
Conclusion
Running in Atlanta will never be like running in Montreal, San Francisco or Chicago and it obviously can't compare to the trails in Mammoth or Corvallis, Oregon. Like LA, I'm going to have to make adjustments. The heat and humidity are only going to get more intense. So unfortunately for me it looks like my days of sleeping in, as few as they've been are over.
It's still a great way to explore a new city.
1 comments:
That sounds nasty. But I bet you'll get used to it, particularly with some adjustments.
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