Heat Training

JEEZ. So I figured I needed to get used to running in the heat in preparation for the Cigna 5K in August. It was 94 degrees Saturday (95 if you count the heat index), so after sunning myself in a tube top and shorts out on my balcony (there's a small visual for my male readers), I decided to try out my new performance rapid-dri shirt on the trail.

I'm glad I had the shirt, but I really took an ass kicking on the trail. It wasn't very humid (40%), so I couldn't understand why I was struggling so much. I'm happy to say that sweat poured off my head, but not anywhere inside the shirt (a sweaty back has to be one of the most uncomfortable feelings). I'm not sure if I like the fit, but I did get the thumbs up from two Latin males lounging on a picnic table. That may or may not be a good thing.

Today I ran in lower temps (75ish) but higher humidity (48%). It was a little easier. I need more hot weather gear. Like some Nike cool max tights or something. I'm intimidated by the heat. It makes me nervous about August. But this was only day 2 of heat training, so I'm sure I'll feel better about it within a few weeks [fingers crossed].

I'm a Newbie Runner

I'm a new runner. To begin running was a goal of mine last spring, before the knee injuries. I was having a hard time raising my heart rate sufficiently by speed walking or bicycling, so I knew running would have to come next. The knee injuries taught me a lot about fitness and myself. It was extremely frustrating and mentally exhausting.

I've had a hard time with any cardio since then. Walking on the treadmill too fast caused knee pain, yet my heart rate wasn't up and wasn't breaking a sweat. I would have to stop, go home, ice and ibuprofen, and curse at my knees and myself for the rest of the day whenever I felt the familiar pain.

So what does one do? Stop eating? I tried that for a while and lost a good amount of muscle. Not so cute. So I ate normally (for me) for the most part and continued upper body exercises. Luckily, this time off from squats and cardio enabled me to build upper body mass that was somewhat lacking, and now I am a little more proportionate.

The knees were feeling pretty good for a little while... so I tried a light jog on the treadmill. Not bad at all. No pain. No pain later in the day, except the usual shin splints from going from zero to 60 in one day. Cool. Ran a little the next day. WOW. Still no pain. I have had some form of knee pain every day since my ER visit last May. But now I run at least every other day and have had NO recurrent knee pain. WTF? I don't know, but I'm not complaining!

As most runners I've talked to know, running is a love/hate kind of thing. Maybe I will love it all the time someday, as I do lifting. I've only been running for a little while, so the love has time to grow. I don't know if I'll ever grow to love a constant wind gust in my face, though. I might stick to the trails until the wind dies down a bit.

CIGNA HealthCare 5K Road Race

I have decided to run the Cigna 5K this year! It's being held August 11, which gives me ample time to train to finish in a decent time.


I worked at Cigna for a few years and never volunteered to help let alone race the 5K each year. A few years following a major downsizing, I will return - and conquer [insert evil laugh]!

Here's the course map. It looks a lot longer than 3.1 miles, if you know the area. But since this is the 13th annual race, I'm sure they have the distance marked pretty well.


My current running goals are:

#1 Remain Injury-free
#2 Increase Endurance
#3 Increase Speed Gradually

I haven't set a goal for my time to finish for this race yet. I think it's far too soon to tell at this point. I should have a better idea towards the end of July.


Have you done any races? Share your story :)