Squish, Squish

 

 

"What's that noise?' 

 

"It is so freaking hot out!  How am I ever going to get use to this?"  I thought as I slowly moved forward.

 

 

Squish, squish. . . .  "What is that noise?" I thought as I moved forward.

 

"It is so freaking hot out and it is only 4:30 in the morning; how am I ever going to get used to this?"

 

Squish, squish. . . .  "O.K. That noise is driving me crazy!  Where is it coming from?"

 

Then suddenly I realized the answer.  That annoying noise was coming from me.  My socks were so soaked from the heat and humidity that they were rubbing in my shoes, and I was the one squishing!

 

Adjusting to running in Dubai has been a trial of fire; or should I say a little bit of hell.  I started running within 48 hours of my arrival.  I started running back in my Zombie stage when I couldn't sleep.  It seemed like the best thing to do so early in the morning.

 

I, or course, arrived during Ramadan.  During this time you are not supposed to have any food, water, or gum out in public.  Well, that didn't last long with running.  I had to have water with me.  I thought, "Great this will be a quick change - they'll catch me with water and send me back home."  Nope, no one cared that I had water with me at 4:30 in the morning when I was running.  Anyone who saw me probably thought I was deranged and not worth the time and effort.

 

Running has been very interesting.  When I started it was hotter than hell; the humidity was high; and I was afraid of very little creepy crawly thing that ran across my path.    Now  the humidity has lessened greatly; the temps are a cool 81 degrees in the morning: and I don't jump at every creepy crawly thing that runs across my path.

 

At the beginning I was drenched in sweat!  I would come inside to my cool air conditioned apartment and puddles would form under me within a minute.  I would be extremely thirsty and gulp down glass after glass of water.  My clothes would be so wet that the only way to get them to dry would be to hang them outside and let the sun bake them.

 

I am happy to say that I have survived my trial by hell with running!  I have progressed.  With the weather cooling down I no longer require huge amounts of water to drink.  I am pushing between 65 to 75 minutes of running each morning.  My running clothes are semi-dry and puddles no longer form around me.  My sweat is no longer flicking off of my skin as I jog down the road.  I have regular routes that I follow and I am looking forward to exploring more when I have extra time in the mornings.  I still take a water bottle with me when I run, but I hardly ever sip out of it.  I still hang my running clothes out on the clothes rack to bake in the sun to get dry.

 

And the best part. . . . .yes, you guessed it.  That damn annoying squish, squish sound is no longer following me around.