Hot Child in The Windy City

Thank you so much to global warming. No really, just fantastic. Crap.

This Sunday, October the 7th is forecast to be 30 degrees (C) in Chicago with a nice dollop of humidity just to top things off. These are not, for those of us running 42.195K, ideal conditions.

It makes it much more difficult to stay hydrated and, in my case, a challenge to stay salty. Lemme 'splain. There are those of you that say things like, "Oh my god it is so hot today. I am sweating like a pig." You say things like this and have nothing more than a few drops of sweat perched on the end of your nose. At most, a mist of perspiration covers your brow. There are those (me) who say things like, "Oh my god it is so hot today. I am sweating like a pig." Rivulets of water are running off my brow, down my neck, my hair is wet, my t-shirt is soaked through in the back, armpit, and breast areas. We all have our curses to bear, this is mine.

Not for nothing have a earned the name "Sweaty Monkey Ass" among my running buddies. Don't get me wrong, there are advantages to sweating this much. I have fantastically clear skin and even during the entire 5 hours of the marathon, I never have to stop and pee even once.

Anyhow, back to the salt thing. It isn't just water my body is expunging, but salt as well. Much to the delight of our cats and dogs, I come home covered in salt after nearly every run. As with everything else during a run, the salt you lose you must replace. It just gets difficult at some point when you are losing it faster then you can put it back in. Drink too much water, lose too much salt and you come across a lovely condition known as hyponatremia.

Hyponatremia is a dangerous condition of imbalance. In the early stages the symptoms include apathy, confusion, nausea, and fatigue. In advanced stages, it can lead to death.

On a positive note, we now have a scientific name for the Bush administration.