The Running Thread - 2026

[Erika10021]

March Totals: 118 miles
Running: 87 miles
Walking: 31 miles

Feels like February totals fell off a bit (I don't think I even posted them) but things are back to normal (if this is normal!)

 

[RuntheMouse]

March totals:
Running: 110.7 miles
Strength training: 9 sessions
Cross training: 4 days

Had a good month overall including some runs at WDW! Staring to train in earnest for a couple of spring/early summer races. Happy running everyone!

 

[PrincessV]

I follow some ultra runners on Youtube/Instagram who use cooling sleeves/shirts in the heat. Jeff Pelletier has a great video from when he ran Badwater. But I've never tried those sorts of adaptations because those races are usually in dry heat.

I'm wondering if you can find anything online about the Keys 100 race and how people adapt to that.

Yep, I know it would work in dry heat, but with our humidity (which is unimaginably even higher than central FL!), I fear the extra cloth - which would just be soaked from 1/2 a mile on - might not improve conditions. But maybe it wouldn’t be any worse, either.

Reading your question, immediately I thought of the Rise and Run episode(s) where people discuss their strategies for running Keys. I can't remember what I heard where, but I know that most of these runners had specialized equipment like ice bandanas (I bought one of these from Ultimate Direction), hats with pockets for ice, and a shawl type thing to wear over the shoulders and arms. Another strategy that sounds effective to me is using a backpack and freezing water in the bladder.

I already do all that, lol! Ice in a bandanna, I soak my clothes and splash ice water over me every few miles, chuck some ice in my hat - it helps, but I still have to use sunscreen, which offsets the heat mitigation.


ETA: well crud- this is what I was afraid of. If wet UPF50 fabric is only giving me 15UPF protection, it’s not worth bothering - I’d need to wear sunscreen UNDER it, making things even more hot. Boo.

 

[The Expert]

March Totals

Running: 36 miles (took a good 10 days off after Princess and then took it pretty easy)
Walking (with my dog): 34.5 miles
Pilates/Strength: 5 hours

 

[PrincessV]

So I took a long sleeve UV shirt out on a 45-minute test run: 87º, full sun, but only 47% humidity, and…

OOOOH ABSOLUTELY NOT! NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

Like being wrapped in Saran Wrap and left in a sauna. Couldn’t tear the shirt off fast enough once I got into the AC. Sunscreen is nowhere near that bad! There’s a reason I never see other FL runners in long sleeves in summer.

 

[Naomeri]

So I took a long sleeve UV shirt out on a 45-minute test run: 87º, full sun, but only 47% humidity, and…

OOOOH ABSOLUTELY NOT! NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

Like being wrapped in Saran Wrap and left in a sauna. Couldn’t tear the shirt off fast enough once I got into the AC. Sunscreen is nowhere near that bad! There’s a reason I never see other FL runners in long sleeves in summer.

Well, that answers THAT question

 

[PrincessV]

Well, that answers THAT question

DEFINITIVELY!!! But also, I wore it for the PHM and it was perfection for that weather, so it’s still got a place for use… just NOT in summer!

 

[accm]

March was not a good month. My treadmill started making a weird noise, then we got a huge dumping of snow, making running outside a non starter, went to Jamaica alone with my kids (who decided they were not OK being alone in the room while I ran), then closed off the month with a cold.

Activities: 11 (of 21 scheduled )
Distance: 61.49mi
Time: 10:51

Hoping for a way better April since my half is in a month.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I know we are kind of past it at this point, but this is how I made my own ice bandana (red lines are where I sewed the yellow to the white), after seeing a social media post from Andrew Glaze about Badwater or Cocodona and what he wears for those. He plugged a local Etsy maker, and I basically looked at their product and thought “I could make 7 or 8 for what they charge for 1.”

It’s a normal size poly bandana with a microfiber towel square to hold the ice. I left a small opening for ice instead of the whole side so I didn’t have to worry about having the wrong side down and ice falling out.

Be warned that having this drip water down my back is basically the only thing that has made me chafe. I also stashed one for the marathon in January and put the whole bag of ice I got from an aid station in and that solved the dripping problem.

 

[SheHulk]

March Running:
Total Distance: 67.7 mi
Average pace: 11:22/mi

Strength/gym time: 6 hours 6 min

Adding in strength training so I don't feel as bad about cutting back on running. It's a conscious decision, and I'm not injured, but Garmin really does make you focus on those running metrics! I am proud of keeping up my strength training at least twice a week. Thanks to everyone in the Strength Training Accountability Thread.

 

[PrincessV]

View attachment 1061059
I know we are kind of past it at this point, but this is how I made my own ice bandana (red lines are where I sewed the yellow to the white), after seeing a social media post from Andrew Glaze about Badwater or Cocodona and what he wears for those. He plugged a local Etsy maker, and I basically looked at their product and thought “I could make 7 or 8 for what they charge for 1.”

It’s a normal size poly bandana with a microfiber towel square to hold the ice. I left a small opening for ice instead of the whole side so I didn’t have to worry about having the wrong side down and ice falling out.

Be warned that having this drip water down my back is basically the only thing that has made me chafe. I also stashed one for the marathon in January and put the whole bag of ice I got from an aid station in and that solved the dripping problem.

My “ice” bandanna is literally just a free bandanna my kid got a million years ago doing one of those Pirate cruises at WDW. I throw some ice in the middle, roll it up, and tie around my neck. It all melts within 15 minutes, at which point my clothes are already saturated from sweat, so it barely registers.

Honestly, running in FL summer is just perverse and stupid and I have no idea why I keep doing it lol!

 

[KCO5988]

March Running: 139.8 miles... really throwing caution to the wind on my last run yesterday to not run the extra 0.2
March Races: a 5k PR and a 10k with a stroller where I still managed 2nd overall female! (Oh and technically the Princess half was in March)

 

[Novatrix]

Question for anyone who’s run long distances in extreme heat AND full sun AND high humidity - think 80-90º and 85-100% humidity, plus sun: are UV arm sleeves or a long-sleeve UV shirt helpful in these conditions?

I like heat, so maybe I'm not the best gauge, but at the height of New Jersey's hot/muggy summertime, when I'm doing a long run outside at noon, I'll fill up my running backpack with ice and water (with electrolytes). The combo of chilled back + sipping cold water is more than enough to keep me comfortable. Can't comment on the sleeves, as I don't typically wear sunscreen and haven't tried cooling sleeves.

The UV properties would be due to the fabric weave, so wet vs not wet shouldn't make a difference. It's not like insulation that traps air to keep you warm.

 

[Jessem1133]

Question for anyone who’s run long distances in extreme heat AND full sun AND high humidity - think 80-90º and 85-100% humidity, plus sun: are UV arm sleeves or a long-sleeve UV shirt helpful in these conditions? I struggle with long runs in FL summers because I can only get so much done before sunrise, when I wear as little clothing as possible so my sweat has even a tiny chance of evaporation.

But also: does a white UV shirt/arm sleeves even retain its UV properties if soaked?!

Signed,
A Floridian slightly regretting her life choices after registering for Goofy

I haven't tried them running, but I use Nike's UV golf sleeves when playing golf in FL summers, and I don't feel any warmer than just wearing short sleeves. Worth a shot!

 

[avondale]

So I took a long sleeve UV shirt out on a 45-minute test run: 87º, full sun, but only 47% humidity, and…

OOOOH ABSOLUTELY NOT! NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

Like being wrapped in Saran Wrap and left in a sauna. Couldn’t tear the shirt off fast enough once I got into the AC. Sunscreen is nowhere near that bad! There’s a reason I never see other FL runners in long sleeves in summer.

Well, thanks for doing that experiment! So many people on the trailrunning subreddit talk about sun shirts that I keep thinking about trying one....but Maryland humidity gets pretty atrocious, as well, so I can't think my experience would be much better. The sun shirt people are definitely in dry heat or at altitude!

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

>> OOOOH ABSOLUTELY NOT! NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

Well, there goes my thought for @PrincessV :
I bought a UV shirt for going to the beach and on cruises. I lopped the sleeves off one of them and left the other one long-sleeved.
I was going to suggest trying one of those, but never mind...

I can say that I use SPF 100, and 70 if 100 isn't available. I recently switched from Coppertone to Neutrogena sunscreen, as the Neutrogena seems to be lighter than the Coppertone and doesn't seem to stain like the Coppertone. Maybe it is also more conducive to allowing perspiration.

As for March, the Garmin says:
50.7 miles and 10:42 of running time
308,923 steps for a total of 164.0 miles

After listening to a recent interview with Coach Stokes on One More Run, I was reminded that I need to be better about strength training, so I have resumed using weights, and exercises for my calves and hip flexors, etc.
And I try to be better on food so there can be less of me in January....
Oh, and since DS2 wants to run the Peachtree, I signed up for that this morning.
What would Independence Day be without heat, hills, and humidity?

 

[sandam1]

Be warned that having this drip water down my back is basically the only thing that has made me chafe. I also stashed one for the marathon in January and put the whole bag of ice I got from an aid station in and that solved the dripping problem.

Having listened to the guys who did Keys who had the same problem, I'm paranoid about this possibility. If/when I try this, I plan on double bagging the ice or using a solid ice pack. (BTW this whole discussion has me figuring out potential plans for Springtime)

The sun shirt people are definitely in dry heat or at altitude!

The Keys 100 is run in south Florida over Memorial Day weekend so it is neither.

Obviously, this is a highly personal preference. Personally I don't think that I could stand wearing long sleeves (I rarely wear them even on super cold days because I find them uncomfortable), but this is yet another reason why I don't run - or live - in a place that could be called the surface of the sun.

 

[rick1zoo2]

March Totals:
Running: 14 runs, 98.95 miles, 2,208 elevation gain, 11:06 avg pace. - includes the Princess Half Marathon
Walking: 27.8 miles

 

[PrincessV]

Well, thanks for doing that experiment! So many people on the trailrunning subreddit talk about sun shirts that I keep thinking about trying one....but Maryland humidity gets pretty atrocious, as well, so I can't think my experience would be much better. The sun shirt people are definitely in dry heat or at altitude!

I won’t say it was a pleasure, but I’m happy to take this one for the team, lol! For real: I wore the exact same shirt for PHM and was perfectly comfortable in it. But I HAVE to be able to have sweat meet air - even if it’s very humid air, with a layer of sunscreen in the mix - in high temps, apparently. I pulled up my shirt a few times just to see and it was a HUGE difference in comfort.

I bought a UV shirt for going to the beach and on cruises. I lopped the sleeves off one of them and left the other one long-sleeved.
I was going to suggest trying one of those, but never mind...

I wear UV shirts running errands, in the pool, etc. down here, and am comfortable, but wow - running in it was something else entirely!

I can say that I use SPF 100, and 70 if 100 isn't available. I recently switched from Coppertone to Neutrogena sunscreen, as the Neutrogena seems to be lighter than the Coppertone and doesn't seem to stain like the Coppertone. Maybe it is also more conducive to allowing perspiration.

I have VERY sensitive skin, so I can only handle certain sunscreens, but have found that Banana Boat’s Sport 50SPF is GREAT: fragrance free, sinks in easily, no major issues sweating. BUT, on long summer runs, I start in the dark and don’t want any sunscreen on, and BB can’t be applied properly to already wet skin. I carry a tiny stick of Coppertone Wet to apply on the run - and that is a waxy base that definitely reduces my ability to sweat properly. I was hoping UV cloth might be more comfortable than that, but… nope.

 

[PrincessV]

I like heat, so maybe I'm not the best gauge, but at the height of New Jersey's hot/muggy summertime, when I'm doing a long run outside at noon, I'll fill up my running backpack with ice and water (with electrolytes). The combo of chilled back + sipping cold water is more than enough to keep me comfortable. Can't comment on the sleeves, as I don't typically wear sunscreen and haven't tried cooling sleeves.

The UV properties would be due to the fabric weave, so wet vs not wet shouldn't make a difference. It's not like insulation that traps air to keep you warm.

I can’t do a vest in summer: that’s waaay too hot. But truly, anything cold is not within minutes in FL summer. I pack my water bottle with Nuun ice cubes and by he time I start sipping 1/2 a mile in, it’s mostly melted, even in an insulated bottle. There’s really nothing that makes the heat less hot here, but I was hoping maybe I could at least forego sunscreen and not be any hotter - no dice, it seems.