I’ve never been one of those girls who merely glows instead of sweats. But living in a country that takes humidity to laughable proportions has increased my perspiration factor to Michael Jordan-esque levels of dripping and shirt-soaking.
Back in January, my exercising was basically nil. But I registered for the National Half Marathon on a whim of motivation and, following a training program from Cool Running, finished it and (mostly) enjoyed every mile. I vowed not to let my hard-earned training go to waste, so I registered for and ran another half-marathon – this one held in Alexandria, Va., in late May – along with a handful of 5K and 10K races. I love so many things running gives me, from a sense of accomplishment to stronger legs to, I hope, health well into the later years of life. I want to be committed to being a lifelong runner, no matter how slow I crank out the miles or whether that means 15 miles a week or 40 miles a week of pounding the pavement.
Oh, but Senegal has other plans for me.
My longest run since I arrived here is a paltry 5.5 miles. It’s not so much the heat that gets to me; I can handle temperatures in the mid-80s and tried to run outside during the hottest hours of the day in Virginia prior to our departure to acclimate myself to hot running. It’s the humidity that’s the real wench, often reaching 80 or 90 percent; it’s like trying to breathe air that’s three times as thick as what my lungs are used to (which, biologically speaking, might be close to the truth).
The stickiness finally begins to lift around 7 p.m., but then it gets dark by around 7:45. I feel safe here, but I’m not dumb enough to run alone at night, either. If I start a run around 6:30 p.m., the lingering humidity has me wiped by the time that blessed cooler period rolls around.
So, runners: any tips for me? Is it a matter of further acclimatization? Should I go for longer runs and learn to be satisfied with taking walking breaks as needed? Advice greatly appreciated!
Rachael Cullins is a twentysomething American girl living in Dakar, Senegal, with her husband and two dogs. She blogs about her adventures in Senegal and travels elsewhere in West Africa. She will reside in Dakar until summer 2013, when she and her family will move to another foreign post as part of her husband’s career with the U.S. government. In addition to West Africa, she has traveled to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy and Costa Rica and plans to continually add to that list.
