Rich on Running: Heat wave in Lynn Woods

Last week, runners at the Lynn Woods summer cross country races faced a double challenge: The hilly trails … and the heat.Of the two, it seemed like the hot weather presented a greater challenge. It?s one thing running up and down the inclines of the Woods on a regular day. Going uphill on a sweltering day like last Wednesday felt much more arduous.The initial ascent, starting from the Great Woods Road entrance, felt like just another typically tough Woods race. Even at the halfway point of that evening?s “short course,” an out-and-back 2.3-mile run, things seemed normal.Returning from the reservoir, though, the conditions got tougher. They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step … well, on the way back last Wednesday, each step felt like a thousand miles.That was just on the relatively flat parts. Each incline looked steeper than Mount Washington. One ascent disheartened me so much that I stopped my already-slow trot and simply walked it. I repeated this “strategy” for several smaller hilly sections.Encouraged by a fellow runner who completed the course with me, I found my second wind for the final leg. The sloping single-track trail that leads to the “field finish,” normally so dreaded, brought an unexpected sense of relief due to its closeness to the finish line. Once I crossed through the traffic cones to the finish, it was time for a bottled water … and for some reflections on running in a heat wave.I?ve run the Woods in hot weather before, especially last June, but the heat never felt so challenging as last Wednesday. It made my legs feel like they couldn?t run anymore at times. While I felt dismayed walking, I didn?t want to press too much given the heat and the terrain.Completing the course with a fellow runner definitely helped. He ran with a bottle of water, which is something I just might do on future summer runs.