Earlier this week I was in Chicago and was confronted with the challenge of staying healthy on the road. For the most part this proved impossible -- 12 hour days working at a trade show make it near impossible (for me at least) to plan healthy meals and get in some exercise. It's really just about survival. Again, healthy living becomes a nice to have, not a need to have.
Before leaving I had read about a cool new service called City Running Tours which essentially hooks you up with a running buddy in a foreign city. Well, I thought it was cool until I realized they charged ten bucks a mile! I know that runners tend to skew to higher SES types, but I can't imagine ever paying someone to run with me.
I did manage to get up extra early one morning and take a quick trot through the city (see map below) from my hotel, up Michigan Avenue to the river and back. Not extensive, just a simple out and back 5k, but I would say probably the highlight of the trip. (Plus it was free!) Trade shows are noisy, talky places so it was nice to be alone for a bit and take in the sights. I should have brought a camera, the city is beautiful. I had never been, but I will definitely be back.
Today's the first hot day of the year, so I can now declare that the sweating season (aka summer) has officially begun. It's 30°C (85°F) and muggy out.
I used to sweat much more, back in the days when I was 230 pounds. Those were my obese days, and I'm happy to report that I am now merely overweight. But sweating is still an issue.
The relationship between fat and sweat is fairly intuitive. If you have excess insulating flesh hanging off your frame, it makes sense you're going to be less efficient about dispensing heat.
Running is a big component of my quest to become an efficient heat dispenser. Earlier today I had discounted a daytime run due to the heat, but after bopping about town for a bit I did notice quite a few people pounding the pavement and frankly, that's just inspiring. I know some people look at runners and get annoyed, but I think they're great. These people--regular people, big or small, but all motivated, are heroes. And they make me want to be a hero too. So I'm hydrating and dusting off my sneaks and getting excited about my first run in over a week!
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