What is the point of humidity? Do we really need it for some reason? Or is it just a plot by the hair care product manufacturers? (This one gets my vote!)

I think we should do away with humidity all together. It would make running/training in the Summer a much more pleasant experience. It would also benefit those runners who suffer from asthma. During a recent long training run in Central Park I was behind a woman who just as we crested Harlem Hill had to stop and take out her inhaler. I felt a bit sorry for her that she had to put up with that annoyance, but proud that she wasn't letting it stop her from competing. She has the true warrior spirit!

No humidity would probably also help increase some folks pace time. I know it would help me. I definitely run faster in the cooler weather with less humidity. I am very affected by high humidity. (I would like to say, who isn't but some folks seem to be able to put it out of their minds and run for miles.) I can't seem to do that. I'd like to blame it on my sensitive fair skin which burns very easily, or the fact that I suffer from migraines if I'm not hydrating properly. Perhaps, it can be blamed on the fact that I sweat (notice I said sweat and not glisten) a lot. I'm talking buckets and buckets full of the stuff. Since high humidity can prevent the evaporation of sweat from the skin perhaps there is a physical reason why I don't run well in the heat. (Please note the use of science (biology) to explain why my pace sucks in the humidity. Go me! Can I make up excuses or what?)

However, it could also just be all in my head and it is something I need to push through and just deal with. For some reason when I run in the winter (I've run in 1 degree weather with wind thrown in for fun) and it doesn't seem to bother me and I can just keep going and going. All my life, (an exciting 42 years so far) I've always done better in the cold than in the heat. To me it is easier to warm yourself up when cold (sweater, blanket, hot coco (with marshmallows of course), liquor, snuggling in front of a fireplace with my other half, etc.) than it is to cool yourself down (pool, fan, AC, iced beverage). I feel that warming yourself up is usually more of an immediate reaction while cooling off is more of a process that takes quite a while to work. Unless you employ the Polar Bear Club method. I think that would have an instant reaction and the possible gamble of a trip to the ER.

Whenever I run in the humidity, it takes me a few miles to find my rhythm. Until then I keep asking myself why am I running in these conditions. Couldn't I run later in the day? Or perhaps there is a shadier route I could take. Depending on how bad the humidity is I may walk a bit during the run. I know some folks just gasped at that fact. Perhaps I am not a true runner because I can't or won't push through it. Maybe I lack the mental toughness. This is all possible. For me the mental aspect of running has always given me more trouble than the physical.

I try to chip my way through the mental wall and become a stronger, tougher runner and sometimes I feel like I succeed. However, when I see folks dripping in sweat with their shirts soaked after only one mile, I feel like perhaps it is okay to make an exception. I do also think there is something to be said about having to start running again after walking for a while. Your muscles feel a bit tight, and the urge to stop and walk again is very strong. Perhaps, battling through those two factors and making yourself continue to run can also be seen as a way of increasing mental toughness?

Another thought that has gone through my mind is that since the race is being held on November 1st there is no chance It will be humid that day. Unless global warming rears it's head. Since most likely the day will be on the colder side, I wonder how important it is to really learn to run in high humidity. I do feel it is important to learn to run outside, definitely on the course if possible, and you should learn to run in all types of weather. It is also good to learn how to control ones pace, and I will attempt  to perfect the tempo run in this heat. However,  how important is it master your true race pace if the weather conditions will change drastically on race day?