A quick look at the U-S weather map shows an area of extreme heat stretching from the Great Lakes to the Mid-Appalachian mountains. Temperatures in the mid-90s will be common in Central Ohio through at least Wednesday. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for much of Central and Southern Ohio. Smog will also build during the hot spell.
But, some outdoor types carry on regardless of the heat. Jennifer Deskins and Katherine Todd of Columbus are training for a fall marathon race. On Sunday, they ran eleven miles around the perimeter of Sharon Woods Metro Park. "Its really hard today. You feel it in your lungs and your body feels more taxed. So its really taking a toll." Says Todd.
Todd and Deskins had lots of company on the Sharon Woods trail. At the ranger station, Felix Lin of Worthington and Doug Dapo of Westerville were part of a larger group also training for a marathon race later this year. Dapo says during hot spells when the group trains, some members make the transition from jogger to what he calls a wogger. "That's someone. y'know they can walk and jog and intersperse that to get through. So we're not real strict on this. You don't have to be a marathon runner per se but whatever way you can get through and maybe their skill level, their conditioning level is they can't actually run the whole thing. But if they have to walk and jog and intersperse, that's O-K." Says Dapo.
None of the runners indicated they would suspend their training during a heat advisory or smog alert. Lisa Mahoney of Columbus had just completed a bike ride through Sharon Woods as the mercury hovered near 90. She says she pays little attention to heat advisories. "It doesn't make a difference to me. I'll come out in the weather whether its hot or whether its cold. I just prefer to be outdoors. So I really don't pay attention to that. For years we didn't have smog or heat advisories so I don't care about it now." Says Mahoney. Mahoney adds that her favorite way to beat the heat is to take a swim.
Forecasters predict it will be a good week for a swim. Temperatures will peak at 95 degrees on Wednesday. Public health officials though say those suspceptible to heat and smog should seek out air conditioning and drink water. The heat that has moved into the region today has taken lives in Missouri, and earlier in California. Tom Borgerding, WOSU News.