Untamed running. It’s the first day of summer and true to my untamed running nature, I run in hot weather. Maybe it’s the challenge, maybe it’s the enjoyment, or a combination of the two. This post will describe how I prepare myself before, handle the heat during, and recover from, a hot-weather run. (I will emphasize that hot-weather running is not for everyone and these methods have worked for me. Run in hot weather at your own risk.)
Through my teens and early twenties, I never carried water or any other liquid for a run shorter than 15 miles. Now, following an incident several years ago where I ran in hot weather and got sick, I’ve changed my routine. I’ll carry liquids for anything ten miles or over and, depending on the temperature, I’ll take it on shorter runs. When I got sick, it was most likely improper recovery from the run and then being out in the sun the rest of the day. However, I missed a day of work and a few days of running and therefore am much more proactive during my hot-weather running.
For a recent distance run when it was in the mid-90s, I did several things to counteract the heat. The night prior, I froze a bottle of Gatorade to take with me and chilled another one to pour into my insulated water bottle. The evening before and the morning of, I drank extra water. An hour before the run, I soaked a bandanna in water, put it in a plastic sandwich bag, and stuck it in the freezer. When I was getting dressed to run there were several items I conscientiously chose to help with sun/heat protection. I put on a white t-shirt and white hat, then liberally applied sunscreen to my arms, neck, and face. (I’ve also used a long-sleeved white shirt instead of sunscreen.) I deliberately wore very thin socks, and of course sunglasses. My final bit of preparation was to put my chilled Gatorade on my Camelbak belt, with the the now-frozen bandanna (still in the bag) in the zippered pocket. The frozen Gatorade went into a hand-held bottle holder.
My average training pace tends to be in the 7:15-7:30/mile range. When the temperature gets into the mid-90s, I may keep this pace though for a distance run, I’ll usually back off a little. Regardless of the pace, to keep myself feeling as well as possible once I’m on the hot-weather run, I’ll take several sips of Gatorade every mile starting at mile one. As the run goes on, I may take longer drinks beyond sips. This may be overdoing it but the idea is to never let my body get too depleted. This seems obvious but you’d be surprised how easy it is to think “I feel fine” and then turn an ugly corner and struggle the rest of the way.
Around half-way through my run, the Gatorade that started out as cool had turned warm. I switched to the frozen bottle which was still cold. Fortunately, it stayed cold the rest of the way. (I’ve found that hard-frozen Gatorade can stay frozen and then cold for a good-long while.)
About two-thirds of the way through the run, I got out the wet bandanna which was still cold and tied it around my neck. I’ve also started with a wet bandanna and taken it off later. Both ways worked.
By the time I returned to my house, I had managed to keep my pace at under 8 minutes/mile–7:55-ish. Nothing supersonic but given the conditions, I was okay with it. Then, the cool-down routine began. While it may be tempting to guzzle a lot of cold water or sports drink, I tend to go with room temperature fluids first, then switch over to cold ones later. I popped the nozzle open of what had been refrigerated Gatorade and a bunch of it geysered out on me. I drank the rest and it had gotten so hot that it was like taking down Gatorade Green Apple soup. Prior to the run, I had made a quart of lemonade and left it at room temperature. I sat in the shade and drank that. Eventually, I switched over to cold water and drank that inside while stretching.
The last several times I’ve run in hot weather (including a 15 miler where I did not bring enough fluids–luckily my route took me by a rec center where I could go in and refill the one bottle I did have) I’ll wonder how well I’m managing it. I mentioned that my fluid intake may be a little over the top, and it may be that my entire routine may not be necessary. On the other hand, I’ve felt good after my last hot weather runs, including the 15-miler, and have been able to run the next day.
You don’t want to go too over the top with unnecessary preparation or induce hyponatremia, but it’s also no fun to end up sick. Know your body, respect the heat, prepare well.
Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): In the spirit of Gatorade Fierce Green Apple soup, I’ll review Gatorade Fierce Green Apple as it tastes either at room temperature or chilled. It’s like drinking a green apple Jolly Rancher. It’s that awesome. I enjoy it both before, during, and after the run. It’s refreshing and doesn’t create any GI issues for me. I tend to like the Fierce line and will discuss the nuances of their other flavors in future posts.
How to pick a race/event next time…