Outside of My Comfort Zone

This week's schedule called for a 13 mile long run. This weekend's weather report called for hot humid conditions called for heat index well above 100. So I switched my long run from Saturday to Friday which raised a host of other issues. First, I took my daughter and friend of hers to the midnight showing of the final Harry Potter movie. Awesome movie but didn't get to bed until about 3 in the morning and had a weird leg cramp throughout the long wait until the screening actually began. Up before 8 to walk the dog and get out before the temperature climbed in the 80s (only a relatively cooler day).

Picking the route is tricky. There is a north lakefront route that is good for under 10 and over 15 but has too many ugly streets and too much traffic for anything in between. Plus I did that last week and need to save for the longer runs yet to come. South route along the lake is beautiful but have been using that a bit too often and don't want to get bored with my favorite when the 20 miler comes around.

So that left streets going either northwest or southwest. I picked southwest to circle a large park called Humboldt Park a few miles straight west of downtown. It happens to be the neighborhood where my dad was raised and is the setting for Saul Bellow's Adventures of Augie March. Lot of history. In order to get the mileage right I had to go a little further south and west of the park and then turn around and head home.

Two sides of the park are gentrifying and the park has a beautiful lagoon with a cool boat house. (See below.) I had never been on foot on the other sides of the park and now realize why. Very quickly, people's dogs go from cute to scary. Plus its been a while since I have seen people smoking crack in public before 10 in the morning. I assumed I could out run them if necessary but was not put to the test.

Way home was way hot. I drank close to 40 ounces of water and downed about 300 calories of various gels and stuff and still didn't pee. Definitely suffered from the mid-range heat and humidity, had a lousy time, and was wasted for most of the rest of the day. Only now getting down to working on annual book update and upcoming presentation for UNCTAD following two hour nap.