I got my July training plan from Coach and…well, apparently I’m training for a marathon. I gotta be honest with you, I’m not as happy about that as I should be, but whatever, I will get that shit done. Why? Because I desperately want to run the streets of New York in the footsteps of some of my favorite elite runners. (Dear Running Goddess, Please for all that is holy in runnerdom,let Paula Radcliffe be there. Deena and Meb would be awesome, too. Amen.)

So, as of next week my average run is going to be 6 miles. There are tempos every Thursdays, fartleks on Tuesdays. Long runs on Saturdays. The runs during the week are fine, but I honestly HATE running long in the summer. Just the thought of it makes me want to cry. I have 11 miles on tap for tomorrow morning and am pretty much beside myself. You know what sucks? Running at 4:30 in the morning.

I was on the phone whining about this to my mom hoping for some sympathy. Did I get any? Ha. She straight up told me, “Suck it up, Buttercup!” Whaaa…did my mom just tell me to suck it up? I asked her to explain and she flat out told me that if I want to run fast then I need to suck it up and get my ass out there. Whiners don’t qualify for Boston. Period.

Yeah. My mom is pretty much the shit. She tells it like it is and will not sugarcoat things.

So, with that I will be running my ass off in the heat. No really. THE HEAT. I want to start doing a couple of runs at noon. Nothing major. A mile here and there. I think it will help me acclimate better to the heat. (I’m honestly pretty acclimated but once the sun comes out I’m screwed. )

The theory is that if my body can start to handle the sun I don’t have to be out running at 4:30-5:00. I can maybe run at 6-7 on these long runs. I don’t know about you but that sounds much better in my opinion. It doesn’t make me cringe and hate life.

I’m also considering doing my long run in the evening. While it’s a bit warmer, the humidity is usually considerably lower. I HATE running in the evening though. There’s traffic, tourists, and far more homeless people because they’re awake.

Whatever the solution I’ll figure it out.

Do you like running long in the summer? What do you do to get used to the summer heat? Is this only a problem here in South Florida (or other places with extreme temps – our low is 80 most mornings)?