Summer Sun, Travel Fun, & Thrills

July came and went with some hella vigor. Heat indices across the nation hit record highs and we saw a 120 heat index the week the family was down south on Hilton Head Island.  Lucky for us, Jessie and I took our two dogs with us home to upstate New York where were treated to brisk morning runs with her mom around Cayuga Lake and a refreshing dip in the lake. Ithaca has hills!!! And gorges, but hills!!! Damn- running in the low country gets boring.  For the second time I ran the Depew-Lancaster Boys and Girls club 10k with my mom and had the chance to run with my Uncle and for the first time.

We had the chance to make a favorite little run of mine around the Fredrick Law Olmstead designed Delaware Park and Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. The loop is fav because of the beautiful architecture connected via green space with a picturesque landscape throughout the cemetery. In addition we ran within 20 feet of a grazing deer who has made the cemetery his personal gated community. (You can check out the route at MapMyRun- "Olmstead Loop" jkotar20)

The trip was a blast and we had the chance to run and train with the folks that are heading down to the SAV for the Rock N Roll 26.2. So far we have three parents and two friends heading here for November and Jessie and I are jealous about having to train in 100 degree weather.

So we have traded Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday runs for 4:45 in the morning to beat the heat. It sounds funny writing it because it is still 75F with a dew point of 70F and the temperature continues to creep higher by the minute.  We continue to laugh at the “Lightning Dry” labels on our running gear as we soak through our car seats on the way home.

So you ask, where is the thrill in all of this? Well it is an important part of every Savannahnian’s childhood. The “thrill”- signs on telephone poles, little kids on the street begging for a thrill- the vain of every ice cream man. “Thrills- 50¢” boasts the sign on the telephone pole, something that everyone training for a marathon should heed. You may know it as a Dixie cup, a freezicle, a kool-aid pop, or whatever nomenclature your neighborhood designs. Thrills are the fruit juice frozen popsicle that every runner should know the location of, gas stations, rest stops, water fountains have nothing on the Thrill. Think about it- for 50¢ you get a body chilling, sugar boasting, portable treat that not only cools you down but makes you feel like the kid you were when you started running in the first place. Besides, what better way to emphasize how crazy you are to be running in 100F weather than stand with a bunch of children enjoying a Thrill?

So as we continue to increase our mileage and try to cope with the unbearable heat of the south, we still enjoy the thrill.  26.2? Bring it baby.