We had a blog request almost half a year ago now from two young nephews asking to document the amount of sweat we produced while running in Liberia.
Liberia is near the equator and therefore extremely hot and extremely humid. These two elements combined makes one want to faint after being outside for more than 5 minutes. The shade is not much cooler, but has the advantage of not getting you burnt. Skin is always wet or sticky with sweat. One just tries to get used to it while there and grabs a ride to the beach whenever possible.
We decided to get up before dawn to begin our running regime. We imagined running in the dark would be considerably cooler. Waking up was difficult (I am not a morning person) as we put on our running clothes and headed for the exit door of the air conditioned ship (the air conditioning is essential otherwise the ceilings start dripping with water which destroys operating room machines and becomes a huge health hazard for the hospital).
We stepped outside in the dark and were literally hit by a wall of humidity. We were stunned. In fact, it felt hotter than in the day because there was no breeze. I wasn't sure I could run.
I staggered slowly, much to Nigel's dismay. I am not a natural runner. I didn't like running in school, particularly long distances, but started about 5 years ago to feel better mentally (think endorphin "drugs"). I run for 30 minutes and no more. I don't want to start avoiding running because it takes up too much time. Nigel on the other hand only started running in Liberia and is obviously a natural runner. He is faster than me and has far more stamina.
We regularly did 6 laps from the end of the long dock all the way up the UN road to the main highway outside the port. We sweated profusely. It was about the same amount of liquid as if we had stepped clothes and all into a shower. Eyebrows that were meant to funnel off water from your eyes, were sweat-logged and we were continuously wiping sweat out of our eyes. I could feel a steady stream of perspiration filtering down my spine.
By the time the last lap came around I was usually feeling overheated and a bit nauseated. I desperately insisted on walking for a minute just to cool down while Nigel ran on ahead.
Then we were finally done as we walked it out for several minutes while the sun began to rise. We walked up the gangway and stepped back into the air conditioned ship which felt like bliss. If we were really desperate we would stand right in front of the big outflow fans at the entrance which blasted cold air. I always suspected the stomach ache I got from doing that must indicate I was moving from hot to cold too fast. Hmmm.
To end the whole experience and to make sure our body temperatures came down properly (because sometimes they didn't) we would jump into a completely cold shower. It was a shock at first, but after a few seconds it was nice.
Liberia is near the equator and therefore extremely hot and extremely humid. These two elements combined makes one want to faint after being outside for more than 5 minutes. The shade is not much cooler, but has the advantage of not getting you burnt. Skin is always wet or sticky with sweat. One just tries to get used to it while there and grabs a ride to the beach whenever possible.
We decided to get up before dawn to begin our running regime. We imagined running in the dark would be considerably cooler. Waking up was difficult (I am not a morning person) as we put on our running clothes and headed for the exit door of the air conditioned ship (the air conditioning is essential otherwise the ceilings start dripping with water which destroys operating room machines and becomes a huge health hazard for the hospital).
We stepped outside in the dark and were literally hit by a wall of humidity. We were stunned. In fact, it felt hotter than in the day because there was no breeze. I wasn't sure I could run.
I staggered slowly, much to Nigel's dismay. I am not a natural runner. I didn't like running in school, particularly long distances, but started about 5 years ago to feel better mentally (think endorphin "drugs"). I run for 30 minutes and no more. I don't want to start avoiding running because it takes up too much time. Nigel on the other hand only started running in Liberia and is obviously a natural runner. He is faster than me and has far more stamina.
We regularly did 6 laps from the end of the long dock all the way up the UN road to the main highway outside the port. We sweated profusely. It was about the same amount of liquid as if we had stepped clothes and all into a shower. Eyebrows that were meant to funnel off water from your eyes, were sweat-logged and we were continuously wiping sweat out of our eyes. I could feel a steady stream of perspiration filtering down my spine.
By the time the last lap came around I was usually feeling overheated and a bit nauseated. I desperately insisted on walking for a minute just to cool down while Nigel ran on ahead.
Then we were finally done as we walked it out for several minutes while the sun began to rise. We walked up the gangway and stepped back into the air conditioned ship which felt like bliss. If we were really desperate we would stand right in front of the big outflow fans at the entrance which blasted cold air. I always suspected the stomach ache I got from doing that must indicate I was moving from hot to cold too fast. Hmmm.
To end the whole experience and to make sure our body temperatures came down properly (because sometimes they didn't) we would jump into a completely cold shower. It was a shock at first, but after a few seconds it was nice.
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