Casper the (running) ghost

I have very pale skin. Very. So, I am pretty careful about always using sunblock. Chemical sunblocks make me nervous, so I usually use a zinc oxide based one (Badger is my favorite). I tried out a new one today and it turned me white. It just sat on top of my skin. And judging by the pink under it, it may not have worked well either, sigh.

I ran 6 miles today in 1:00:53. It’s 91 degrees out with 42% humidity, so I started out at a comfortable pace and tried to stay slow. I used my Garmin only to slow myself (never going faster than a 9:15 pace) and to keep track of the miles. I also walked a bit at the end of each mile while I had some water.

The Good

Mile 1 – 9:52
Mile 2 – 9:59
Mile 3 – 10:06
Mile 4 – 10:18
Mile 5 – 10:18
Mile 6 – 10:17

I felt pretty good the whole time. I actually had some energy left for a sprint at the end and could have done at least a mile or two more at the 10:18 pace.

The Bad

I wore my newish Under Armour shorts for the second time today, but for the first time with my Fuel Belt. This is not a combination that works. The material of the pants is too slick. I ended up with my shirt and my running tank all bunched up together under the belt. It wasn’t uncomfortable during a 6 mile run, but I imagine it would cause issues in a longer run.

At mile 5.5, I tripped and wiped out. On the bright side, I hit dirt, not sidewalk. On the not so bright side, I’m filthy. That’s why mile 6 wasn’t faster, even with the sprint at the end. I think it might have been a sub 10 minute mile without that.

At mile 4, I needed to pee, but I was running in a residential neighborhood and there was no place to stop, except my own house. No way would my kids let me leave again, so I had to just deal with it. Only those of you who’ve had children will really understand just how difficult that was.

All in all, not a bad run for the weather. I’ve never “trained” during the summer before, so this is all new to me. I didn’t realize just how much of an effect heat would have on my speed.