i don't take heat exhaustion seriously enough

seriously though, i really don't. i got off work last night at midnight and stayed up really late. when i woke up this morning it was 11:15, so i did usual morning stuff - take meds, read Bible, pray, make bed. when all that was said and done, it was noon, and i wanted to go running.

i have a strange relationship with running. some days i love it and all i want to do is run. other days i hate running and i will cry if you suggest it.

today was definitely an "i love running!!!" day! and i really wanted to run. so i put on running shoes and begin my stretch, to find that i am even less flexible than i used to be - a feat i never thought possible*.

after my stretch time, i proceed out my front door and go running through my neigborhood. see, because i am not taking summer classes at a&m, i am unable to use the rec center, and therefore air-conditioned running tracks are almost as unaccessable to me as the first class section on an airplaine.

what i forgot was that i live in texas. and it is summer. and it was also noon. which means it's hot. really hot. and humid. and i want to run anyway. i was out for a good 30 minutes, and as i ran, i eventually got dizzy, and my eyes got hazy, and i got to feeling really nauseous (although, i did take a water bottle with me). but i didn't stop...nope, not me. i tend to think that stopping is giving up and being weak, and i know i am better than that! this resulted in me taking a cold shower (it was marvelous), turning on the ac and the fan in my room, and not moving much. and i was really nauseous.

this was a problem for me in highschool, also. i would volunteer to mow the front and back yards by myself in the middle of the summer, and i would do it in the middle of the day. i love being outside, working in the hot sun, working hard and breaking a sweat. and i loved the tan! heck yes you got a great tan mowing the yard!!! and a workout! when i eventually came in, i was purple, dying of thirst, drenched in sweat, and so hot that i was freezing cold and shivering.

things haven't changed much.

i think it's an issue of pride.

which means it needs to change much.

so tomorrow, i plan on getting up earlier and therefore running earlier. maybe tomorrow i won't put myself at risk of getting ill.

and maybe me learning not to be so prideful in this area will help me to lay down my pride in other areas...

*my joints have too much elastin in them, and therefore are very floppy, so all my muscles are SUPER tense and tight to compensate. hooray!