Phew, today's run was rough! Three reasons for this: My last run was Sunday evening, I was running on 4.5 hours of sleep, & the humidity/heat was intense this morning. The temperature started out at 75°F at the beginning of my run & then went up to 80°F at about 1/2 way through! Thankfully, it was overcast for most of the run & the trees shaded a good bit of the route; however, there were times when the sun poked out & let me tell you, it was brutal during those moments. ;)

For some reason, during my run, I had a flashback to the summer of 1989, when I went to study in France during university. I was running in the Alps, but the heat was surprisingly intense. Somehow I survived that experience, so it actually gave me a feeling of confidence that I'd get through this run today as well, even though it was very challenging. The perceived effort was probably a lot more than the actual effort, due to all of the above, aforementioned factors. :)

Also, at about the 4 mi marker, I smelled these really lovely floral bushes that smelled divine. That's always a great pick-me-up. The good thing is that the heat seems to bring out their fragrance even more. So at least that's one good thing about the heat. :)

So I just kept plugging away, & after about the 4 mi marker, stopped looking at my Nike+iPod so frequently. :) It felt good to just run & only check the iPod at approximate mile intervals. I know this route so well that I know when I've reached each mile marker, plus I've got a pretty good feel for how much a mile is since I've been running for over 34 years!

Anyhow, I did my usual trick of programming my Nike+iPod to run less mileage than I actually ended up doing. It was originally set for a 4.05 mi run, but I ran 6.02 mi. Yay! That always seems to help me a great deal, psychologically speaking. Once I reached the half-way marker, I knew that I just had to turn around & that was it, so that was also a big boost. And at the 4 mi marker, there were only 2 mi left. Setting up the Nike+iPod this way just makes me feel like I'm doing a bit more than originally intended, even though in the back of my mind, I know this is ridiculous because I planned to run 6 mi all along. :) It just helps me focus on the step-by-step approach, & keeps me from getting overwhelmed by the big picture. Plus, it gives the added bonus of providing structure without pounding it home too much. :)

I know my own psychological makeup, & one thing is clear: If I feel like there are 100 tons of pressure bearing down on me, I'm either gonna fight like *heck* or run in the other direction to get some relief from the situation. :) Either way, I'm the type of person that doesn't take kindly to external pressure; I'll do something when I'm *darned* well ready to do so. (That's the PG-rated version of that sentiment. ;) ) No one can make me budge, because I'm stubborn as heck that way. :) It can be both a blessing & a curse. It's also the same quality that brings out my determination. As my squeeze likes to say, when I set my mind to something, there "ain't nothing" that's gonna stop me from doing it. That's how I ran & training for my half. I set my mind to it & dug my heels in when the time came. That's how I ran 16+ miles during training for my first half. Yes, wanted to be very thoroughly prepared. :)

Anyhow, enough going on about this. I did the run & am very pleased to now be resting in a cool, air-conditioned house. :)