I listened to Michelle Obama’s speech, and felt renewed by it. What a remarkable lady and speaker. Like many, I was a full on Bernie Sanders supporter, and I was beginning to feel submerged into disbelief when what seemed like such a sure possibility for him turned out not to be that way. Unlike many of his supporters, however, I am not angry nor carrying a grudge. It’s always about baby steps when it comes to change, and Bernie introduced a narrative that is felt by many, which won’t go away. That he influenced the nominee Hillary Clinton is good enough for me. What’s more, I look at my submergence into a kind of mentally dormant state for the past few weeks. It’s a feeling that I’m alone in my utter awe at the fact that so many Americans support Trump.
Like Michelle Obama said, she wants a president [like Hillary]: “Somebody who knows this job and takes it seriously. Somebody who understands that the issues of our nation are not black or white. It cannot be boiled down to 140 characters. Because when you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military in your command, you can’t make snap decisions. You can’t have thin skin or a tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well-informed.”
Of course I’m not alone. There are millions who want to keep the country on the right path.
Today when running, I was filled with hope about my citizenship country–then came back from the run and got my absentee application filled out and ready to go. I am not sure I’ll ever move to the US again; it has a long ways to go to be as liberal as Canada is, but you never know.
Environmental policy is also a strong reason I vote for a candidate, and only one even believes in climate change, so it’s sort of a no-brainer for me.
Speaking of which, summers are often tough for runners. It’s always hot, depending on where you live, global warming or not. But now that we are going through the change, it’s getting tougher to run in the summers. Every year we have been setting higher global average temperature records. An article today in Reuters says:
Record temperatures in the first half of 2016 have taken scientists by surprise despite widespread recognition that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, the director of the World Climate Research Program said.
The earth is on track for its hottest year on record with June marking the 14th straight month of record heat, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said last week.
Temperatures recorded mainly in the northern hemisphere in the first six months of the year, coupled with an early and fast Arctic sea ice melt and “new highs” in heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels, point to quickening climate change, it said.
In a further announcement on Tuesday, the U.N. agency said it would examine whether a temperature of 54 degrees Celsius (129 degrees Fahrenheit) reported in Kuwait last Thursday was a new high for the eastern hemisphere and Asia.
Click the article link above for more. We haven’t been as warm as we were last summer, but overall warmer than usual. I don’t even like running in temperatures over 20C, or about 70F, so am running earlier in the day. But I know of plenty of runners around the world who have it awful this summer.
Here’s some quotes from the runner’s group (which is all over the world):
It’s too bloody hot here. Even though I waited until 7.30pm to do my 10k, it was still hovering around 26 degrees. While that may sound practically arctic to some Texas goons, 26 degrees is definitely too bloody hot in mid Wales.
Also, heat talk. I don’t know how you Texas people do it. Started too late today, 7:20am, and I was dying out there. 80F at that time of day? Ugh.
Running during the summer is one of the biggest reasons I won’t move back from Texas despite having grown up there.
Environmental factors can totally skew heart rate training. My normal easy pace is 10-10:30/mile. Today my HR was constantly in the 170-180 range for miles 8-11 at which point I gave up and went home. It was 90 degrees. At 8AM.
Really wish it would drop below 108 so I could go run without drowning in sweat. This heat wave blows.
Maybe running here in south FL isn’t so bad. “In Fujairah, on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, the dew point — a measure of humidity — reached 90 degrees (32 Celsius) at 4 p.m. local time Thursday. The 90-degree dew point, combined with the air temperature of 97 degrees (36 Celsius), computes to a heat index of over 140 degrees (60 Celsius).” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news…id=ss_fb-bottom
Good lord. :captainpop: I was complaining because it was 22C with a humidex of 29C (ie ~84F) today and I nearly died.
I spent a summer in Kuwait. I tried to get up to run at 4AM and it was already in the low 90s. I didn’t run much that year.
Those kind of quotes go on and on. I ran around 8:00 this morning, and it was only about 70F. But it was muggy. When I got to the locker room, my hair was drenched in sweat. When the temperatures get to 90 and above, it is truly miserable. I don’t know how I ran all last summer in our heatwave temps (which went into the 100s daily) and drought. The keys are: run early, run in the shade, hydrate before running with electrolytes, take water with you, and take it easy on pace.
This brings me back to Michelle Obama’s wonderful speech. She focused on the role of public servants and the importance of leaving behind a better world for our children. Isn’t that really what it’s all about? That’s not what the other guy is about. You can tell those who are in it for themselves vs. those who are in it for everyone else. I think of the world we are leaving behind for our children and their children. Will they have clean air and water? Will they have enough food? Will they be able to acclimate to the simple, free act of running in a much warmer climate?
Thank you, Mary, for all you do. I visit your blog and website frequently.
Christine, I am thrilled to get your comments. Hello to another who has visited Turkey Run and who appreciates nature writing. 🙂