Indian summer?

According to Wikipedia, “Indian summer” is defined thusly: “The US National Weather Service defines this as weather conditions that are sunny and clear with above normal temperatures, occurring late-September to mid-November. It is usually described as occurring after a killing frost.” Based on that rather broad definition, the period of extended warm and sunny weather we have been experiencing probably does not qualify, since we have not yet had a killing frost. This seems to be a pattern during cooler and damper summers, as we had this year: Following the cool and damp weather, the hottest summer weather actually occurs in September.

While I’m rarely one to complain about the heat, since I’m always feeling chilled, this type of scorching weather in late September is ill timed from a cross country training perspective. Long distance runners and heat are not a great combination. Hydration is key, people. We have a few more days of searing temperatures, and then it appears cooler early autumn weather will finally arrive – hopefully in time for the Paul Short Run at Lehigh on Friday.