Assorted Running Banter

Although I have laid off running in half-marathons for a while, I was intrigued the other day while surfing the Net when I discovered that in south Florida, several half-marathons are being held throughout this year.  As a matter of fact, in the middle of sweltering August, one will happen in Hialeah and another in North Miami the next day.  To be sure, these aren't your typical road-running races that I have run in the past.  Rather they are trail races and involve running on dirt paths and encountering assorted obstacles along the way.  Still, in south Florida, I don't envision hills presenting any kind of problem...

Someday, when this current medical condition I am going through gets satisfactorily resolved, I'd like to return to running half-marathon races.  With a vengeance.  And these newly sprung trail races may be just the sort of lower-cost, closer events that I could use to fill the half-marathon calendar up.  A calendar which, at least here in Florida, dries up in March and doesn't pick back up again until September.

Looking back on my participation in July 4's Melon Run here in my hometown of Gainesville, I was much more pleased with the experience than I was when I ran it in 2010.  And moreover, the professional photographer covering the race accomplished something that no previous photographer had managed: actually capturing a picture of me while running the race!  So naturally, I bought a print, although in all honesty it doesn't exactly flatter me...

This month, as expected, has seen the temperatures mount to an almost unbearable level for running.  This has driven me indoors to the treadmill on a number of occasions.  This morning, though, I decided to run a little earlier than usual, at 9 AM when the temperature was only around 80 degrees and the humidity was still high at around 77%.  It was a very uncomfortable, but manageable 3.25 mile run.  But I'm thinking of pushing back the running even earlier, to sunrise, as a matter of fact.  And changing my name to "The Dawn Runner". So who am I kidding, anyway? Run a half-marathon in the middle of summer in Greater Miami? C'mon!