This past week was a lazy week, which in moderation is a fun thing to have. Work was busy but productive, so I decided to be lazy the rest of the time, taking rest days and barely cleaning my apartment.

However, last Friday night I realized I had to get off the lazy train. On Fridays after work I go to the grocery store – since my workplace is maybe five minutes up the road – and get that chore done so the weekend can be free. I got home Friday night, unloaded the groceries, and got hit with exhaustion that I know isn’t supposed to be there.

When I’m active regularly, I find that I want to keep that momentum going. Running and resistance training are energizing, keep my mood stable and help me feel like I can physically get through anything. However, when I’m not active regularly, lethargy strikes and it can spiral out of control.

I knew Friday night, as I was ordering my inner toddler to take out her contacts and take off the eye makeup – “really Al, you can go without brushing your teeth, but you cannot sleep in makeup or contacts” – I had to start working out again.

So that’s what I did.

This past Saturday I ran a 10k, 6.2 miles throughout the suburb of Bexley. I ran through the beautiful upper-class neighborhoods, saying hello to the landscapers and dog walkers. My time was not impressive by any means, since I waited too late in the morning to run and was dealing with 70 degree heat, full sunshine and humidity.

Lots and lots of humidity.

There’s a phenomenon folks who live in the hotter Southern half of the United States refer to as “swamp ass.” This is what happens when a sweaty wetness builds up in the nether regions or bum, leading to soaked through underpants and sometimes regular pants. Skin chafing and unfortunate odors are also a side effect of this.

This past weekend confirmed this phenomenon also happens in the Midwest.

I’ll spare you all the gory details, but I did in fact finish my run with a swampy butt. I had some impressive sweat boobs going – more commonly known as swoobs. And my underarms were the things of nightmares. I’m convinced that if I ever wanted to change fields and join the FBI, I would be the one interrogating serial killers and threatening to lift up my post-run underarms if they didn’t tell me who took Catherine Martin.

The Silence of the Lambs was on the other morning. I love that movie. But I digress.

Physically the run was hard, since I’m just now transitioning from the treadmill to running outside in the humidity. But emotionally and mentally, I felt great, as though a part of myself woke up again.

I started heading south down Columbia Avenue towards Bryden Road, running towards Main Street in Bexley. Some folks were out and about, getting coffee at Market District or Kittie’s, enjoying the morning with friends or walking their dogs.

I made a left from Main to Cassady, and then headed east on Bexley Park Road. Here’s a tip about picking running routes: go for the upper-class suburbs. The landscaping is gorgeous and having different things to look at keeps the run from feeling monotonous, in addition to giving me some ideas about what I can do next spring for my patio flower pots.

The Virgin Mary at St. Catharine Church greeted me as I started north on Gould Road and made my way over and up Roosevelt Road. I crossed Broad Street and ran around the mansions of North Bexley for a bit before making my way south on Parkview past Jeffrey Manor.

The last leg of my trek took me past St. Charles Prepatory School, under the bridge to Wolfe Park and back to where I parked. I couldn’t wait for the water bottle that I had waiting in the car after chugging the two bottles I carried with me. Once I sat down in the car and was able to get my bearings straight, I couldn’t help smiling like an idiot. I ran happy. I wasn’t a lazy sack anymore, even if I was sweating in unsavory locations.

And then the heat migraine kicked in.

But at least this time I remembered to slather my arms and shoulders in sunscreen, so I don’t have a frightening farmer’s tan going on.

I hope you all have a great week ahead and I so appreciate all of you who stay and read this thing, even when the topic devolves into side comments and stories about sweaty body parts you probably weren’t thinking about before reading this.

Yours in writing and running,

Allison