I love the heat. My co-workers thought I was nuts for enjoying a 90-degree, 4-mile run on the bikeway over my lunch hour. At the downtown YMCA, I regularly used the sauna and steam rooms, even jogging in place to work up a bit more sweat. I can lay out at the pool or beach under a blaring sun for hours without jumping in the water to cool off. But as these four stories will detail, there were a few times when the heat got the best of me.
Perhaps the worst of these stories was somewhere back in the 1990s. I signed up for an eight-mile run that started in Troy, Ohio, and went due north, ending in Piqua. That in itself is strange as most races start and finish at, or very close to, the same location. Several factors go into how hot it’s going to feel. First and foremost is the temperature, and this day, it was in the 80s. Second is the amount of sunshine and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Third is wind direction and it was directly at our backs, doing little to help our perspiration evaporate and give us relief. The fourth is the level of humidity which was gratefully very low that day. As the race started, I found myself going out with the lead pack, something I’d never tried to do before. So that extra effort was causing me to generate even more heat. But the unfortunate surprise was we were running on fresh black asphalt which absorbed the abundant sunshine and took the temperature to the next level. My body did everything it could to cope, but after about one and a half miles, I started seeing sparkles in my eyes, a sure sign of heat prostration. I smartly moved to the side of the road and began walking. At the next water stop, I drank as much as I could and shortly after that, the asphalt returned to a more normal and manageable gray. Feeling better I began to run again, keeping my pace slow at first and gradually building back to my average race pace. I finished the race tired and dehydrated, but solidly on two feet. I usually grab a bottle of water or two, but this race offered Pepsi and other sodas. I thought a Pepsi would be great, its water, sugar, and caffeine would be the perfect pick-me-up. Probably so, but I overdosed on five of them and felt terrible. This day was a great, albeit painful, learning experience.
Summer in Las Vegas is a heat-lovers paradise and back when I was in great shape I decided to go for a four-mile run from the Caesars Palace resort heading north a couple of miles before turning around and heading back. It wasn’t a hard run as the sidewalks were fairly crowded and stoplights provided little rest stops along the way. I didn’t feel overheated, wasn’t sweating much if at all, and felt pretty normal until I almost returned to Caesars Palace. I was getting a little lightheaded at that point and was happy to be finished. When I opened the door to a side entrance at Caesars, I felt a blast of frigid air. I walked in without a bit of perspiration on my shirt, shorts, or socks. It took several minutes to get back to my room and by the time I opened my hotel room door, I was drenched in sweat and my clothes were dripping wet. That’s the lesson when running in ultra-low humidity. You are sweating, but the air absorbs it all. You might not recognize you’re dehydrated until it’s too late.
When my kids were pre-teen, we had a summer family vacation at Disney World in Florida. You can count on central Florida to be hot and humid with a half-hour downpour around 4:00 pm which cools things down temporarily but boosts the humidity. Most years it’s manageable but this one particular year it was the mid-90s, full sun, high humidity, and no breeze. Wanting to avoid any of us getting dehydrated, I was buying each of us 2-3 bottles of water every hour, not a cheap thing to do. Waiting outside for a ride was the worst and even the misting fans were little comfort. Every kid (and many adults) wants to stay all day at a Disney park, but by mid-afternoon, my kids just wanted to go back to the pool at Dixie Landings (now part of Port Orleans) and chill out. I was very happy to oblige them. They also loved that I bought them each a big plastic cup that could be refilled free all week long in the restaurant. Best $9 (each) that I’ve ever spent. Saved me a small fortune.
The hottest recorded temperature in Dayton, Ohio during my lifetime was Saturday, June 25, 1988. I figured it would be a good time to play a round of golf at Kitty Hawk Golf Course in North Dayton that afternoon as I, correctly, bet few people would venture out in that type of heat. My 12-year-old son wanted to join me and I said he could, not knowing how well he would take it, and I made sure we had refillable cups to replenish at the numerous water fountains on the course. We were both sweating profusely and for the first few holes, he was running around enjoying the adventure. But after that, he spent most of the time in the golf cart only enjoying the somewhat cooling breeze as we drove to the next shot. It was tough to keep us hydrated and we were both completely soaked with sweat and happy when the round was over to get in the car and turn on the air conditioning full blast. It was a learning moment of what not to repeat in the future. And I haven’t.
