With the blazing temperatures sweeping across the country, a post on hot weather running seems appropriate. Links to my past posts on this, which include my preparations and experiences, are at the bottom of this one. And, while I am still using the strategies and methods from those, I also make small adjustments based on experience.
I haven’t changed much of how I prepare and go through a hot weather run but I’ve been more mindful of what I do after. There are a couple of reasons.
One of my friends tracked his running heart rate through the calendar year. While I don’t have those numbers, the difference between the summer and winter months was substantial, and it showed numerically that the extra heat is stressful on us; it’s not just a few extra drops of sweat.
Following a 10K time trial on a hot day with one of my DCS teammates, I could tell that evening and the next morning that the heat plus the added speed had a bigger impact on me than other warm runs. Generally when I run in hot weather, I’m choosing my own pace and I’m not pushing too hard. For a time trial, I’m going at race pace and after that one, it definitely showed during recovery.
What I do immediately after a warm run is similar—a staggered cool down and gradual fluid intake. The difference now is that for the next day’s miles, instead of charging right back into the heat, I’ll go earlier in the morning when it’s cooler. This allows for more recovery time so I avoid excessive stress on my body. While I’m not pushing at race pace on most warm runs and it’s possible this new strategy isn’t necessary, it does allow me to maintain mileage in a more efficient way.
One other experience note. In prior posts, I mentioned that if I’m on an exposed course, I feel like it serves me better to cover my skin, as opposed to using short sleeves with sunscreen. On one 100 degree run, I wore compression sleeves. I got to a point where I was feeling exceptionally warm so I pushed the sleeves down to see if it would help. When the sun hit my arms, I felt even worse and the sleeves went back up. If staying covered, it’s important to take in plenty of fluids but it did offer better protection for me.
And, here are the links with additional anecdotes and experiences:
Summer running… – Untamed Runner
Warm times… – Untamed Runner
Running anecdotes, running food reviews, some race coverage, and more