The Running Thread - 2026

[Novatrix]

"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."

If a running vest with the water bag 3/4 filled with ice isn't workable, another thing to try is half filling your water bottles with water and putting them in the freezer to freeze overnight. Put the nuun tablet in the water when you fill up right before the run, and it will mix with the ice water as it melts.

But yeah, if a vest is just too hot in those conditions, it is what it is. You’re dealing with a pretty brutal setup. Unless there's a park near you with lots of shade that you can run at instead of your normal route, not sure if there's a magic bullet to solve the problem.

 

[PrincessV]

If a running vest with the water bag 3/4 filled with ice isn't workable, another thing to try is half filling your water bottles with water and putting them in the freezer to freeze overnight. Put the nuun tablet in the water when you fill up right before the run, and it will mix with the ice water as it melts.

But yeah, if a vest is just too hot in those conditions, it is what it is. You’re dealing with a pretty brutal setup. Unless there's a park near you with lots of shade that you can run at instead of your normal route, not sure if there's a magic bullet to solve the problem.

I’ve got a good system for dealing with the heat, tbh. Mostly it involves sucking it up and complaining about it lol! Like it’s just plain HOT. Absolutely nothing actually mitigates that, but it also doesn’t hurt me: I’m well acclimated after 30+ years and do as much running in the dark or shade as possible, pour water over me at drinking fountains in the park, etc. I do need sun protection once the sun’s up, though and I was thinking maybe I could skip some sunscreen by pulling on sleeves or a shirt at that point, but nope - sunscreen’s still the better option.

 

[Guidman]

March Running
185.6 Miles

Ran the Love Run half in Philadelphia Sunday. Went well but due to me being a bonehead/oblivious, could have gone slightly better. Was hoping to run under 1:30. Went out with that pace group and we ripped the first few miles. By mile 4, the pacers were saying we were already :50 seconds under pace. I wasn't paying much attention to my watch and I don't think there were any mile markers until mile 7, and by that time we were running long due to the buildings the first few miles throwing things off. Stayed with the pace group until mile 12 (still saying we were under lol), then sped up. Finished in 1:30:17. I should have looked at my watch more and started to start pushing it at mile 10. Nice event overall, perfect weather (31, sunny, light breeze) and a relatively flat course. I know there's a handful here from the Philly area, I'd recommend it if you're looking for a spring half.