Here in South Carolina, runners do all sorts of things to overcome the oppressive heat and thick humidity of summer. Some choose to run before dawn. They reckon that 75 degrees and high humidity is an improvement over 95 degrees and high humidity. They’re right, of course, but have you ever seen a South Carolinian after a five mile run? Think emaciated, drowned rat and you’ll be on target.

Others choose to stay indoors, mounting treadmills, elliptical machines and stationery cycles of all sorts. This is also slightly better than wilting in the noonday sun. But the gym saps adventure from exercise. Worse, the interminable boredom must be endured while breathing the heady miasma of human sweat. Yuck.

Wisdom suggests that one restrict outdoor activity during the warmest months of the year. Unfortunately, excluding the warmest months in South Carolina leaves few months for much else. We must perish this thought. Inactivity is best reserved for the injured. I’ve been there; it’s torture. Lethargy is a poor salve for the soul.

Please, do not regale me with home-spun heat-wave remedies like iced sweet tea, fanned porches, air conditioning, river swings or watermelon. These are, in their own way, lovely. But I want to run.

A few weeks ago, I found my answer; a new strategy for beating the Southern summer. I will first banish this heat from my mind, then banish it rom my body. I have decided to embrace my inner cold miser by making a simple choice.

I am going to run the 2012 Antarctica Marathon. Seriously.

I will have to train in a freezer. Problem solved.

– Dean

I’m Running Antarctica for a Cause
I’m running with penguins to raise money for Antarctica research, education and conservation. Naturally, you can donate online. Giving has a decided cooling effect in the hottest weather.

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