QOTD: We have made it to June, which means its an appropriate time to discuss running in warmer temps. For those of yall living up north you may feel a bit like Olaf about the seasons changing. For those of us in the south its a different story. For today lets discuss how you deal with running in the heat that is different than the cooler months of the year. Any tips, suggestions, or adjustments you make to your running schedule?
ATTQOTD: Along the gulf coast we will soon experience morning lows in the upper 70's / lower 80's with the RH at 90% or more in the AM, and the other option of afternoon runs with a lower RH% but higher temps. It's a pick your poison kind of deal. The third option if the trusty treadmill. I'll go over my thought process and other random ramblings for each option.
Option 1: The Sunrise Run - Who doesn't like watching the sun rise? So waking up at 4:30AM doesn't sound like fun... Well here are a few reasons why you should. It's unlikely to get any cooler at any point during the day. (Yes rain could cool it off. more on this later) The road surface you run on is at its coolest in the morning. You start your day off with a positive note and you then have your afternoon to spend doing other things. You are more likely to make healthier choices throughout the day. No sunburns. Most races start at or before 8AM, and if your training for a Disney race you have one less new thing to deal with.
Option 2: Afternoon / Sunset Run - So watching the sun set it also nice. That doesn't happen till almost 8:00PM though. So if you start a run around 7:00PM when it actually starts to cool off a little and run for an hour then you get that experience. The negative sides of the afternoon run are you get your heart rate up late in the evening, then a late shower which also wakes you up, and then eat dinner. Another activity that will keep you up some. So after all of that you are lucky if you get to bed for 10:00PM, leaving you no option but to sleep to the last minute to make it to work and repeat the process. Even as the air temps cool, the running surfaces are like a oven. But you can get lucky and get a afternoon shower to cool things off. If it rains to soon though, the humidity is almost worse than in the morning. If its bad storm, then you miss a run because running with lightning isn't a very smart thing to do. I do enjoy running in the rain, and have gone out of my way to do it, but it rarely works out. A lot of folks do make these afternoon runs, including myself. They are just hard to recover from with the extra heat. If you run even earlier in the afternoon with the sun still out things become even more of a challenge.
Option 3: The treadmill - This is another way to go, but it is boring.... very boring to me. Even with a TV on I still don't enjoy it. I don't feel like I am getting the same workout on it as I do outside. It does have its advantages. A controlled climate, no traffic, TV, can run on it at any time, ect. When I start trying to get in long runs this summer, I will probably get them done on the TM. A 15 miler will be much easier to recover from on the TM then outdoors during the summer regardless of time of day. This helps make the next run a productive run.
Random thoughts: During the summer expect your pace to become a little slower, even with the same effort. Do not get discouraged. Avoid running during the warmest parts of the day. Do drink plenty of fluids during the day regardless of when you run. Not just water, but something to replenish "electrolytes". Avoid cotton clothes at all cost while running. Run in technical fabric, and body glide will be your best friend. Run with water or have access to it. Do not over drink, as this could cause problems as well. Place ice cubs in your drink to keep it cool a little longer. Monitor your weight before and after runs for fluid loss. Sunscreen.
A lot of rambling here, but hope some of it us useful.
I still have to stick with my initial thoughts on the matter though. Here's a quick piece on
