The Itch.

The weather this week in the Philadelphia region is wicked. It's hot, and as the week goes on, it's humid. Monday was hot. Ted, Dave, and I ran 5 miles at 8:00, and it was actually pretty pleasant--the sun had set enough and humidity was low.

But each day has been increasingly more and more humid. And our runs have gotten later and later.

The 5-mile run on Monday was very nice--it wasn't hard and we ran at a nice, comfortable pace.

And it gave me the overwhelming urge for fall, to get back to the cool mornings and long runs.

As seasons change, I trumpet about how this is my favorite season for running. In April, Spring is my favorite! Come September, Fall is my favorite! But as years go by, I realize that Fall is my best season, performance-wise. I can run much easier when the temperatures cool, and my body reacts alot more favorably to a 10 degree drop in temperatures versus a 10 degree increase. And I recall, quite fondly, long runs last fall, with just enough chill in the air to keep the body temperature at bay.

And I'm ready for that to come back! I'm ready for long runs again. But I can't do the long runs the way I want to do them until the temperatures drop a little.

So for now, we'll keep with the training schedule, doing the mileage we are supposed to do when we are supposed to do it, hoping to be rewarded in six weeks' time with cooler temperatures--and longer runs.