A scorching hot trail run! (Real Feel: 103!!!)

Hello, everyone!

It's been quite awhile since last I blogged. I'm going to post a "Summer Updates" post very soon, but today, I want to tell you about my scorching hot trail run from Sunday!

The Northeast had a dangerously high heat wave this past weekend. The real feel during my run was 103.

103!!!!

Around 10:00 on Sunday, I parked at Boiling Springs and ran South on the Appalachian Trail. My plan was to do 3 miles out and back. The first mile and a half was through corn fields. I knew this section was going to expose me to the elements, so I filled up my hydration pack to the tippy top before setting out. As I ran through the corn and felt the sun beating down on me, I reminded myself to continue to hydrate and check in with my body to make sure I had enough left in my tank at the end of my run when I would have to brave the elements again.

It was a nice change when I entered the shady woods. It was still hot, but nothing like running through the fields. I headed to Center Point Knob, which is uphill the whole way. It's also very beautiful. Lots of ferns and foot bridges.

Once I got to the knob, I continued down a bit to make it an even three miles. The trail got rocky, but I wasn't moving fast to begin with so it didn't cramp my style in the least.

The good part is that when I turned around, it was basically all downhill from there! The entire time I was in the woods, I didn't feel hot at all. And then came the cornfield again...

I was soaking wet by this point, but I felt fine. I didn't have a headache, my stomach felt fine, and while I felt hot, my body temperature didn't feel like it was rising. Does that make sense to all you runners out there? Don't you believe there is a difference between feeling the hot sun and feeling like your body temperature is rising? I guess all the sweating I was doing helped to cool me down.

Unfortunately, I missed my turn in the cornfield! I wasn't lost, but I was a little confused for awhile and it ended up adding an extra mile onto my run! Don't worry, I made it safe and sound back to my Mazda and pumped the a/c!

You may be judging me and wondering why I would even attempt to run 6 miles (which turned into 7 miles) on the trail in such extremely hot conditions. I will tell you why.

• I had water.
• I had my phone.
• Only half the run exposed me to the extreme elements.
• I've been running in the heat (though not this hot!) all summer.
• I am really in tune with my body and I'm not stupid. I am confident that if I felt sick or that I couldn't continue, I'd walk, find a house, or call someone for help.

I love this section of the trail. I ran it last week with my friend Allison. But before that, it had been many years. I hope to run this section again this week!

What's the hottest temperature you ever ran in?

Do you prefer extreme heat, extreme cold, or the treadmill???