Training Log Archive: Lori

Double commute. Biking with an N95 mask on is uncomfortable.

Annnnnd....now UC Berkeley is closed because the air is so bad. There are things I don't miss about Boston weather (heat, humidity, knee-high slush puddles), but school closures for snow are infinitely preferable to school closures for air quality.

Air quality has dropped from merely being "unhealthy" to "very unhealthy". I guess at least if I was going to run yesterday was the day to do it... My lungs, throat, and head are displeased.

Running with Presto after lab! I was able to work from home this afternoon, which meant I didn't have to do the double commute. Presto was kind of going insane bopping around the house while I was working, so I decided that even with the bad air we probably needed a run. The air was indeed quite bad. I was trying to take it really easy (although there's a limit to how easy I can take it on the hill), but even still my heart rate was REALLY high. I started feeling a bit light-headed after a mile, so I turned around there. Presto was extremely pleased to be outside and since we saw 10 deer on this run, was also super excited about the deer.

Normal abs. My throat, lungs, and head definitely did not appreciate this run, but the rest of me did.

Normal stretching.

The air quality here is still distressingly bad. Sam found this PurpleAir website that lets me know exactly how bad. Turns out that Saturday night when I was playing a concert and noticed that the air *inside* the hall had a distinctly hazy look to it, I wasn't going crazy, the air quality index had actually risen to nearly 400 (below 50 is considered safe). This explains why even though it is still terrible here, it feels so much better than over the weekend.

Part of me feels like surely I will feel better if I go for a run, but the smarter part of me points out that breathing this stuff deeper into my lungs is probably not a great idea and perhaps now is not the best time. Maybe if the air quality index improves to merely "unhealthy for sensitive groups"...