I've been keeping a weather log since moving to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in August 1989. The month that just ended—June 2011—is the hottest June since I've been here. The average high temperature was 97.6º Fahrenheit. This breaks the record of 96.7º set in 2008. The lowest average high temperature for June has been 85.2º (in 1997).
We hit the century mark seven times this past month, with the peak being 104º. I rode my bike 63.34 miles that day in Italy, Texas. Overall, I had a great month. I rode my bike four times (all in rallies); I ran 14 times (3.1 miles each); I did two brisk 4.3-mile walks; and I played softball three times. That's 23 aerobic activities in 30 days. I also worked out at the Maverick Activity Center on the UTA campus four times. When I go to the MAC, I run 3.1 miles on the track at full speed and then do about a dozen arm and leg exercises.
Heat does not deter me. In August 1983, when I moved to Tucson, Arizona (from Michigan), I decided that I would never let the heat affect my life, and I haven't. I had friends in Tucson who wouldn't go outside during the daytime during the summer months. I lost all respect for them. Real men don't let the weather dictate how they live. This doesn't mean being stupid. You have to hydrate, obviously, and you have to ease up when your body tells you to do so. My runs, for example, are slower in the summer than they are in the fall, winter, or spring. If you know what you're doing and don't push too hard, you can stay active even in very hot weather.
Addendum: What I'm doing is nothing compared to what some people do.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 