The speed of sweat

Posted: October 18th, 2007 | Author: amake | Filed under: My life | 7 Comments »

<strike>Jesus</strike> Journey is my personal trainer.

~~Jesus~~ Journey is my personal trainer.

I discovered something important yesterday. While during the sweltering Ehime summers I struggled to improve my running speed, after having barely run at all for several weeks I was able to easily beat 7 minutes per mile for 4 miles, with hills, twice this week.

I think the key must be heat dissipation. Not only is it hot here in the summer, but it’s also horribly humid. The high water content in the air prevents your sweat from doing its job, i.e. evaporative cooling, so you just get hot and wet. It’s hard to run when you’re overheated. But now that it’s nice and cool and dry in the evenings, it’s much easier to run without feeling like you’re wading through lava.

In case anyone cares, the “Running” playlist on my iPod goes Journey → Journey → Journey → Journey → サンボマスター → The Postal Service, and then I forget.

7 Comments on “The speed of sweat”

1 Deas said at 11:03 on October 18th, 2007:
2 things.

1 – I roomed with some track and field fellows during my freshman year in college, and whenever it rained, they’d all go running. I asked why, and they said it was their best chance to break previous records, because the cold rain cooled them more efficiently than their sweat did, so they could run much longer / farther. Their coaches were adamantly opposed, however, due to the whole cold-catching thing.

2 – This is tangential at best, but – I recently read that armpit sweat from breastfeeding mothers puts other women in the mood for love. Right. Do with that what you will.
2 Ian said at 11:43 on October 18th, 2007:
Which Journey and Postal Service songs?
3 amake said at 11:57 on October 18th, 2007:
Ian > I don’t remember the exact order, but the Journey songs are Wheel in the Sky, Ask the Lonely, Separate Ways, and Be Good to Yourself. The Postal Service songs are Such Great Heights and Natural Anthem.
4 Seth said at 12:07 on October 18th, 2007:
SOMEDAY
LOVE WILL FIND YOU
BREAK THOSE
CHAINS THAT BIND YOU
5 amake said at 12:27 on October 18th, 2007:
Seth > Sometimes I nod my head like I’m saying “yes” to every beat. “YES, YES, YES! THIS ROCKS!” Then sometimes I shake it up and go “NO, NO, NO! DON’T STOP ROCKIN’!”
6 Ian said at 18:30 on October 18th, 2007:
Such Great Heights is, well, great isn’t it? The only Journey I’m familiar with is the karaoke staple: Don’t Stop Believin’. I’ve never really heard anything else from them (that I’m aware of), but that song rocks my socks off.

Btw, great blog!
7 Durf said at 14:08 on October 31st, 2007:
Lol, Journey

Their Greatest Hits has been getting heavy play on my iPod lately. On the subject of ’80s rock, this is sweet:

http://www.cracked.com/article_15636_10-most-terrifyingly-inspirational-80s-songs.html