It has been extremely hot and humid in this part of the world for the last six weeks or so, with heat index temperatures of 100 -115. Running outdoor exercise has become altogether difficult, if not dangerous. Just last week, a young proprietor of a sandwich cart up the street from my office died of exposure. I had a close call of sorts myself, just the other day while going for a short four mile run. I decided to go easy due to the heat, but it made little difference. About three miles into the run, I started getting chills and it felt almost as if I had stopped sweating—though I cannot be too sure since I was soaked. I figured that since I was only a mile away from home, I would press on. Soon, I began seeing stars. Gradually, the stars became more numerous and began melting into each other until I went completely blind. Save my peripheral vision, I could see nothing but a huge white cloud in front of me. Given that I had come to a busy street, I had no choice but to stop. At this point, I was about two blocks from home, and if it had not been for the street, I may have been delusional enough to think I could make it the rest of the way. The street probably saved me from suffering a heat stroke.
Since then, I have been more careful about when I run, and how. For example, I began running during cooler hours of the day. I even ran one time without a shirt, which is something I have never done because I am usually rather repelled by those ape-like men I have seen trotting about town nearly naked. Though I tried staying off the more heavily trafficked streets. Of course, as Murphy’s Law would have it, that would be the one time that I run past a colleague from work with his girlfriend. “OOOOH,” I shrieked and covered myself as a woman would who’s just been surprised while emerging from a shower, “This is a bit uncomfortable!”
Later that week, my wife and I had made plans to visit a friend who lives in the mountains. Lately, during our visits, we have taken to rising early and running a mountain trail in the area. It is a beautiful and historic path that takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. In many parts it’s shaded, which is a bonus, but for the other half of the trail it cuts through open and treeless cow pastures. This equates to heat. I tried to weigh my desire for the run with the danger it posed, and decided I need to buy some new technology; a Platypus or something like it. Coincidentally, one of the other stops on our agenda that weekend was a recently new camping and hiking store in town.
I was delighted to see the perfect model of Platypus hanging on the rack. I read the tag since I had never really seen one used for running before. It mentioned cycling, hiking and walking, but no running. I examined it closely. It was designed so perfectly snug and with enough adjustment options that I decided—despite the painful near fifty dollar price tag—to give it a shot. Upon witnessing our sticker-shock, the proprietor of the shop imparted to us that the cold water would feel good on our backs. Anxious to hit the trail, my friend and I, opened our wallets.
When we arrived at the starting point, our…um…Platypusses…were cleaned and filled. We slung them over our backs, tightened the straps and got into our pace. At first, it was hard not to laugh and the ridiculous sloshing sound the two of us made in this otherwise silent mountainside. We both felt pretty stupid, and probably looked a little overly concerned for our safety. After all, how many runners that came before us actually needed this type of device? Never the less, I felt safe. It provided the piece of mind that perhaps an insurance policy or even Kevlar might.
Several miles later, I was accustomed to the sound and was happy to note that there was absolutely no chaffing or discomfort at all. But we’d still not actually used it. Then came the next mile or so and the heat was getting bad and we both started sipping from them a little as we ran, careful not to swallow too much. It was about 5 miles into it when I realized that I could not have made this run without it. I further realized that this was the best piece of running gear that I had ever purchased in my life. I swear by it.
We used them conservatively while we ran. When we were done however, that pack was better than any cigarette (Yes, I used to smoke when I was younger. As a matter of fact, I used to love a cigarette after running.), any beer, or any cup of coffee. Since then, I’ve used it several more times on longer runs at home through the city. With this heat, not only does it make those longer runs possible, but it also provides a sense of security that allows me to keep my mind on the pleasures of the run. I rarely see other runners using them, however. And those that I do see using them are typically women. The men, with all their masculinity and primal strength, still seem to prefer running half-naked and ape-like through the urban jungle. If you are one of these people, please do us a favor and evolve.