Trying To Beat The Heat

As Philly sweltered in triple digit heat yesterday as we endure our 5th heatwave of the summer(the official line on a heatwave is three consecutive 90 degree days) I was grateful of a scheduled rest day but w/ next to no relief in store today and another 100 degree day on tap I knew in order to get a workout in I'd have to be up w/ the dawn patrol.
Having just dealt w/ the heat all week and carried the freight all by my lonesome as my partner Chris enjoyed a well earned weeks vacation in Florida the last thing I really wanted to have to do was get up again at 5am but I also didn't want to end up in the Temple hospital EU w/ heat stroke so I got my sorry arse out of bed by 6am and began making my way cross town.

A rather ominous sign of things to come was the Fresh Grocer billboard at the corner of 56th and Chestnut St,at 6.25am it had the temperature at 84 degrees,in recent weeks(when I wasn't in Sacramento) when I'd do my Saturday repeats at either 9am or 10am it has been 85 degrees,that I hope gives you an idea of just how hot it is here right now.
I reached Temple's track just b4 7am,half a dozen like minded souls had also opted for the "early bird special",at least the bottom turn and back straight were shaded but in the hour I was there as the sun continued to rise the shade shifted,by 9am I doubt there'd be any shade available to anyone wishing to use the track.
Mile warm up and into my flats one last time b4 Berea and Nationals,ready or not 4x1 mile repeats coming up

#1 mile 1.21-1.25-1.21-1.17-5.24.3.Not a bad start to proceedings but was miffed w/ the 1.25 second lap I think a combination of mentally and physically falling asleep on the second lap cost me a decent split,clearly my other three splits were what I was aiming for.

#2 mile 1.20-1.25-1.24-1.15-5.24.8.I did it again!Started out w/ a solid effort only to see the middle two laps drop off the pace,b4 a strong closing final lap.
Someone had asked me the other day how my current condition effects my running,laps 2 and 3 are classic examples of not having the proper amount of oxygen flowing through my body I should not be huffing and puffing like I am off such slow pace,at this stage of my season w/ all the work I've put in I should be cranking out sub 5 minute mile pace.

#3 mile 1.23-1.26-1.25-1.17-5.31.5.The proverbial writing was on the wall when I opened in 1.23 and while I opened my 5th and final 1,000s in 1.23 on Wednesday I knew I only had another 600m to run then not 1,200m and another mile afterwards!!!

#4 mile 1.26-1.33-1.38-1.33-6.10.7.-From my first tentative steps forward on #4 I knew what was in store,no zip,no pop nada in my legs and when my stop watch confirmed an opening split of 1.26 I kind of mailed it in I knew physically I just didn't have it on this final mile and while it SUCKS to finish a repeat on such a down note at least I had the mental strength to see it through.

Post workout the inquest began,would I've done better to hold off another day to run?would I've been better suited to do another set of 5x1,000s?is that a mirage I see shimmering on the far side of the track???
Bottom line is once the toothpaste is out of the tube it's a bastard trying to put it back,this was not the final workout b4 Nationals I wanted but it's the one I've got....glass half full I won't be heading to Berea w/ delusions of grandeur now off a decent set of mile repeats thinking I'm all that!!

I can take some solice in getting myself out there this morning and at least trying to make a fair fist of things,I think I always knew that the odds of running fast or decent mile repeats at 7am were wishful thinking on my part but in running as is in life it's better to try and fail than to second guess ones self.
Since this is a final week of tapering I'm done at 26 miles....it's going to be a real shock to the system post Nationals and the Track Pentathlon when I begin to re up my mileage to 40 and then 50 miles a week,but that's for another time,time to refill my glass w/ some ice cubes and some Green Hawaiian Punch and kick back for the afternoon,and while the temptation to pop "Lawrence Of Arabia" in to the dvd player is great I think something w/ Penguins and the South Pole where there's LOTS of ice might be a better choice.....stay cool my running friends