On Wednesday around 11am I went for a run around the nearby Prospect Park.
I ran about 15mins, felt okay... in the shade of the trail, but when I came out down the far side of the park and had to do more out in the open I really started to feel the heat.
I could feel that these were the hottest conditions I've run in! My heart rate monitor really gives you an idea of how hard you are exercising compared to normal... as if I didn't know. But the numbers were extraordinarily high.
Normally I could cruise (jog) along at 150bpm but when I was forced into walking every three minutes, and after each stop at the water fountains my HR was sitting at 155. When I started to run again, despite trying to go slow now, it jumped right up into the high 180's!
So I ended up jog/walking the last 30 mins of the run. Even funnier was stretching my calves outside the house (134bpm), walking up the three flights of stairs (165bpm), then coming inside and trying to untie my shoes (191bpm). A delayed reaction to the stair climb plus the heat inside the kitchen.
Unknown to me it was nearly 100 degrees outside! Although I must be acclimatising somewhat, as I've found myself thinking at times "It's okay, it's just 75º".
Then at the back of 4pm the sky darkened and all hell broke loose. Thunder, lightning and torrential rain. The weather website made for a funny picture.
So basically it dropped 17º but was still 20º!
Then because of the storm the next day was a lot cooler. Indeed, I read that the high temperature in Central Park was 76º which was the first time since June 26th it hadn't hit at least 80ºF.
Then on Friday, the most complete polar opposite in one persons body reaction to weather happened.
I finally bought a new bike! Tracked down the one I was after away up on West 81st street in Manhattan. I paid for it, was just away to leave and the sky just opened and started more rain of biblical proportions. To be fair it had been darkening with a chance of rain but c'mon!!
Once I realised it wasn't going to stop I just went for it.
I've never (at least not for along time) felt so cold on a bike. By the time I was halfway down Manhattan I was shivering.
I've also never seen Central Park, the Manhattan Bridge or Brooklyn Bridge park so quiet!
The prescription insert in my Adidas eyewear started misting up too. Of course by this time the glasses themselves were covered in water and I couldn't see out of them anyway! So I took them off and cycled a few blocks without being able to see, oh yes. At nearly 4pm on a Friday of course it was practically rush hour traffic too.
After I deemed that too dangerous I stopped and thankfully found putting the cap that I had with me on under the cycle helmet and then putting back on my regular glasses was alright to continue.
Took me 1 hour 40 mins to get home and then ring all the water out of my t-shirt, socks, etc and empty my shoes out.
Of course, you can't just chuck your stuff in the washing machine either. And because it was Friday, the washing is now held over to Monday as the weekend is apparently far too busy a time to go to the laundrette unless you get there by 8am.
Other than that excitement, my final resident paperwork is posted and I have been job searching in the hope I have something lined up by the time I am actually allowed to sign up for work somewhere.
We also went to see a gig on Tuesday, Delta Rae. Not 100% my cup of tea, but amazing voices and a couple of really good songs including a brilliant Fleetwood Mac cover version (The Chain). Read Heather's music blog for a gig report.
I only mention them in case they go on to be massive and I want it noted we seen them before they were big.
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