Operation Sparkle Update 6: The days get longer and the heat more intense

I'm sorry to those of you who keep hoping for craft updates. At the moment, I'm working on a quilt for a friend's wedding and until that is finished, I won't be stitching.

 The days are getting longer here in the south. And with them, the heat is getting more intense. And I'm getting slower. I've read enough to know it's all connected. I know that for every 10 degree increase above 70, you should lost about a minute of time. But I'm training. I'm completing my workouts every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday to make myself stronger and faster so that come February, I can stop and have a picture or two taken on the course without worrying that I'll suddenly be over the 16 minute/mile pace and in danger of getting pulled from the race I've trained so hard for, looked forward to so expectantly, and paid so much money to get to. I want the shiny objects at the finish line. And to be losing time with each run I'm going on...to not be able to run my full distance...having to stop and walk parts...it's discouraging. It's frustrating. It's annoying.

A runner friend of mine gave me a piece of advice this morning: Keep training through the heat because come fall, I'll be faster for it. And in the back of my mind I know that's true. But the rest of my mind wants to see progress, not backwards sliding. Especially since I'm registered for my Proof of Time 10K at the end of next month, when, barring some weather anomaly, it will be at least this hot if not hotter. So my Proof of Time will be slower than it should be (which, given that I'm getting it more than 6 months in advance, I should hope that is the case).

I guess, all in all, I'm just still not convinced I can do this. Idk. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Maybe I just don't want to count my chickens and all that. Maybe I just don't want to let myself get too excited.

But I know one thing - Saturday I'll be back out on the trail. With a water bottle for hydration. For 6.5 miles, whether I have to jog, walk or crawl.

Until next time.