Day 76 July 21, 2011 Spanish to Blind River 51km

Heat, Humidity, Headwind

I think I just experienced the hottest day of my life today. I’m not exactly sure what the temperature was, but in Sudbury it was 44 C. When I started running at 6:30am it was already hot and humid. I don’t think it cooled down at all overnight.

I really wasn’t excited about running today, not in this heat, and I delayed for quite a while this morning before I finally resigned myself to getting started. It only took about 2km before I was covered in sweat. The humidity made it hard to breath and prevented sweat from evaporating.

I ran past an information station and got two cold ice teas out of the vending machine. I needed to wring out both my shorts and shirt almost immediately after. My shorts were so wet that water was running down my legs into my socks making my socks and shoes wet. It was incredible.

I tried to get around this problem by taking my shorts off and running in my underwear and changing my shirt to a shirt Sarah gave me that is designed somehow to keep you cool in the heat. Translation – it’s super skintight and absorbs all sweat staying soaking wet, yet light and keeping you cool.

I spent much of my run taking salt pills, drinking electrolyte solutions, and eating carbohydrate gels. It was so hot that it felt like I was running in a sauna. In the afternoon there was a fierce headwind and it too was hot. So not only was I running in a sauna, but it felt like someone was standing in front of me blowing a hair dryer in my face. Thanks to the heat my pace was slow and I needed frequent breaks to cool down so I didn’t finish running until 3:30pm

After a quick swim in what may or may not have been part of Lake Huron we drove to Wayne’s World McIver’s Campground where we are now in the process of going to sleep.

I’m really hoping tomorrow isn’t as hot as today.