Arctic blast

Huge blast of arctic air blew through Kansas City Tuesday night and stayed around most of Wednesday. It was only 83 when I got home from work, so I figured I could run outside for a change. I strapped on 16 ounces of water and some sun screen and headed out.
Eighty-three is hot, too, it turns out. Plus it was humid. I could tell within the first 100 yards I needed to take it easy. I did, too, but I still averaged 9:31 for the first three miles. That's faster than I should have gone, but it didn't seem like it at the time. I didn't watch my pace at all, but just tried to stay out of oxygen debt.
I got pretty thirsty by the halfway mark and was sucking down the water pretty fast. All the ice had melted by then and it was getting warm. Fortunately, right there in front of me was the Sinclair convenience store, so I stopped in for a refrigerated water refill from their soda fountain. Tasty stuff.
By now the sun had slipped enough that the shadows were longer and the shade a bit more plentiful. I was all loosened up, too, so the second half of the run was more comfortable than the first. Walking time ballooned mile 5 to 10:38, but then the rest of the way was done at a 9:17 pace.
So, the final figures were 8.01 miles in 1:16:39 for a 9:35 average.
The only downside of the run was a tight right Achilles tendon. I probably need to rest that thing for a couple of days so it doesn't get worse. -- Rob