The New Calculus of Summer Workouts
Nothing compares to the perfect summer run. All winter, even through spring, I sustain myself with the dream of jogging in shorts down a dry, grass-lined path, unencumbered by puddles or black ice. But that dream is becoming more elusive. Now, in mid-June, I already dread the prospect of being outside past about 7:30 in the morning. Summer is set to officially start on Thursday, and the coming season looks to be, once again, marred by record-breaking temperatures, prolonged heat waves, and devastating fires. As climate change pushes the environment to new and more frequent extremes, exercising outdoors in the spring and summer is getting—to use a technical term—more gross.
Summer has long been a time of year when are , by as much as 20 percent, according to one study; of Americans camp, hike, jog, fish, or bike outside, taking advantage of the longer days, the respite from school, the, and the effects of the climate crisis appear to be around the world. Last summer in the U.S., hazardous air and sweltering temperatures and ; and —designed to push a notoriously stubborn bunch of athletes to their limits—were canceled too. And with the Summer Olympics in Paris fast approaching, some are about the toll of extreme heat—and about the strength of the contingency plans in current regulations and .
