The Dog Days Of Summer

Each year about this time, we talk about the “dog days” of summer – the days are long and hot and steamy and often uncomfortable. Of course, it’s fairly easy now to escape the discomfort, since nearly every house or building or vehicle is air conditioned. Still, the idea of people enduring unbearable heat in order to live their lives – a triumph of the human spirit, if you will – is as romantic as the idea of hearty Minnesotans suffering through a long, cold winter.

According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, the term “dog days” originated in early times, from observers in countries that bordered the Mediterranean Sea, referring to the period of twenty days before and twenty days after the alignment of the sun and Sirius, the dog star. In this region, this time coincided with hot days, plagued with disease and discomfort. (Actually, because of Earth’s 26,000 year precession cycle, in which the planet’s axis slightly wobbles due to the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon, Sirius no longer marks the hottest part of summer, as it now appears later in the year, with the constellation Orion.)

Here in Minnesota, the latter part of July through early August is the warmest, steamiest, nastiest time of year. Most normal people stay indoors or dive into the cool waters of area lakes or swimming pools.

News flash…3-Day walkers are not normal.

With less than five weeks until the Twin Cities Breast Cancer 3-Day, we are indeed in the dog days. The training walks are long. Blisters are more common (and often breed like rabbits). Skin turns red from sunburn. Muscles ache and cramp as the body sweats fluids faster than it consumes them. And our feet hurt – one may even say that, by the end of a training walk, our dogs are barking.

I have been fortunate to be able to avoid the blisters, sunburn and muscle fatigue. But not everyone is so lucky. During the dog days, some of the most dedicated, courageous walkers fall by the side of the trail, victim to the demands of preparing for such a physically demanding event.

Correction – they are not victims and they most certainly have not “failed”. They are still heroes, as they continue to do the hard work of raising money for breast cancer research and treatment. And just because they will be unable to walk in the 3-Day doesn’t mean they won’t be a part of it. They’ll be at the pit stops and the cheering stations and everywhere in between, lending their helping hands…and helping hearts.

This past weekend, I put in what will be my two longest training days before the 3-Day itself – 18 miles on Saturday and 15 miles on Sunday. I completed those miles without any real adverse effects, other than the expected desire to do a great deal of sitting for the remainder of the day.

But I have to admit, my dogs were barking…just a little.