The Morning Run
Usually I like to go out in the afternoon because that was often when I felt the need for a mental break. This morning, and yesterday, or a day or two I went out in the morning. Part of the reason for this is that summer temperatures are arriving. We are getting back to 30°c or more, and running in that temperature is not as pleasant.
Noise and Comfort
There was little noise pollution yesterday so I opened the balcony door in the morning, and a velux and I had a nice cooling draft in my apartment. When there is little noise pollution, and when the neighbour who smoked has moved away summer is slightly less uncomfortable. The temperature in my bedroom is still 28°c but at least I can cool down the lower floor. I also made sure to get a draft from the stairwell to evacuate the heat from the centre of the building.
The noisy viticulturalists are still very noisy at the moment, so as I write this I am sweltering. It’s worth remembering that my isssue is not with temperature. It’s with the lack of air flow.
In summer, in most buildings, but especially Minergie buildings they are designed to trap heat, which is fantastic in winter, but awful in summer. I want to open the windows but I have the sound of wood saws, construction, hammering and more, so I close the windows, and I feel the radiant heat.
In my eyes this is a sick building. I don’t think that it is healthy in summer, especially given the problem with noise pollution from just one or two sources. Without that noise pollution I wouldn’t struggle with the heat at all. As soon as I have a draft I’m happy.
What made the noise so frustrating today is that it started during the cool part of the day, when I want to get the fresh morning air to cool the building. Noise pollution prevents me from taking advantage of nature’s cooling system.
Running While Others Commute
In theory running in the morning is fantastic but as my heart rate attests to, I found it stressful. At one point you have a bus disgorging a column of people and these people just move like wildebeeste, following the lead individual. After this you have buses getting ready to turn so you sprint faster, to cross without forcing the bus to wait, and then you get to a level crossing with the barrier down so you run in a loop, and then you have to run on the road because cars are parked on the pavement.
In reality it’s because the things that I describe above tend to make us speed up and have an erratic heart rate rather than a healthy, consistent one. The result is that we have a different level of fatigue than if we were running at a quieter time of day.
Acclimation
Recently I was thinking of the absurdity of running. In the middle of Spring people run in shorts and t-shirts, and then in summer find it too hot. If I was them I would run in clothes that feel comfortable, and warm, in Spring, and then remove layers in summer. If you run in shorts and a t-shirt in 10°c how will you cope with 30°c heat?
Toying with Taking the Bus
I was toying with the idea of taking the bus to La Rippe and then running back towards home. If I run from home I have to run up several roads. If I catch the bus I can run down a number of these roads instead. I could take advantage of living in a village with three or four bus lines running through it. If I go for a morning run that bus is every half hour. If I go later in the day it is every hour.
And Finally
When I was getting ready to get up I looked at the garmin watch, to see what it suggested as a run for today. It said to go for a 30 minute run at 06:20 min/km so that’s what I tried to do, when I wasn’t distracted by buses and other forms of transport and commuters. It went well. I then stopped at Porte de Nyon to pick up two things before walking home.
Tomorrow I could either run solo in the morning, or run with a group in the evening. We will see.