May was the best running month I've had in years for both mileage and pace. I managed to run 55 miles and saw a good decrease in both average and max heart rates over the course of the month. I also managed to increase my cadence (a long term goal of mine to ward off injury). I was feeling pretty good about things going into June. But then I ran less than half of May's miles by the end of the month. July? Today is the first day I have run this month. So what happened?  

 

First, it was that rainy stretch we had. My regular running time seemed to be preempted by thunderstorms over and over again. There was also an allergy problem and a minor illness in the mix. Vacation didn't help much, although I put in a couple of good, strenuous hikes and rides, so maybe they should count as runs. But, more than anything else, I suspect it was the arrival of the real heat and humidity after a beautiful longer-than-normal spring on the Island.  There is no good time of day to avoid such things. Temps are lower in the morning, but humidity is higher. A lot of days they trade extremes in the afternoons. I'm not sure which is worse for a successful run.