This week’s Tuesdays on the Run topic is a timely one: Running in heat. Although it’s been a relatively cool spring here so far, the heat seems to be rolling in.
Since the very hot and cancelled Chicago Marathon 2007 was my first, and I finished, upright with a smile (ok a fake one), I feel like I earned my “heat cred”. Let’s review some of the ways to manage hot weather:
Dress accordingly. Light-colored, wicking (no cotton) loose fitting clothes are best. Wear a hat or visor, sunglasses and don’t forget sunscreen! When I ran the Chicago Marathon I put aside the hot pink top I’d planned on for a loose (boring but sensible) white one. Lots of my friends never saw me but I finished the race!
Drink fluids containing electrolytes often, for me that’s every 15 minutes. I’m a heavy, salty sweater so replenishing that sodium is key. Ideal hydration is a fine balance of taking in enough but not too much so that your tummy feels sloshy and you throw off the electrolyte balance, ultimately leading to a dangerous condition called hyponatremia.
Freeze your drinks. Trust me they thaw quickly but feel great in a fuel belt in the process. When I have a super long training run on tap, I keep my fuel bottles in a cooler in the car or stashed along my route. A cold drink is heavenly on a hot run.
Run early or late. Avoid the heat of the day. Take advantage of cooling breezes.
Choose a shaded route. Personally I prefer trails on super hot days. Asphalt has a nasty way of reflecting the heat back at you.
Listen to your body. Muscle cramps and/or heavy sweating mean you need to drink more/slow down.
Lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting indicate heat exhaustion. Rest and drink.
High body temp., lack of sweating and altered consciousness indicate heat stroke. Rest in a cool place, apply ice and call emergency professionals.
Back off your planned pace. When you run, blood/oxygen flows to your muscles so there’s less available to flow to your skin for cooling purposes. That’s how you overheat.
Take refuge inside. When training, the treadmill is always an option.
If You’re Racing in Heat
Carry your own hydration. In Chicago, some of the water stations were completely out of water, many others simply could not keep up. This set many up for disaster. By carrying your own, you eliminate some of this risk, and can refill when you see water.
Take advantage of course amenities: cold sponges, ice and wet wristbands are wonderful. I think keeping ice under my hat in Chicago saved me.
Start planning your rematch race. I vowed I’d NEVER run another marathon! We all know how that went.
If its any consolation, know that you’ll have ‘war stories’ to share about your hot race for generations to come!
How do you manage the heat? Tell me a hot race war story!
Freezing drinks is a great idea! When I run with my camelback I usually put some ice in there before I head out. Full marathons in the heat are rough. That’s why I seem to have better luck with fall races.
Where I live it’s just part of it for a big chunk of the year. I embrace the sweat. I also stink profusely.
Great tips. One other that I would recommend would be to figure out what your personal “maximum marathon temperature” is. For example, if the day before the marathon, I see the forecast is for 70+ degrees at the start with high humidity, it would be best if I stayed home on the couch with the A/C full blast rather than risk heat-related issues and a tortuous death march of a race. I can always find another cooler race a week or two later. For me, when it’s too hot and humid, marathons aren’t fun.
Oh man I just ran a half on Sunday and it was way too hot! I am not in PR shape so I just took it easy and walked the many awful hills. Some of the ladies on my team got their hair wet before the race to help cool them down. I also drank double the water at every station.
All great tips! The humidity has shown up here with a vengeance – no bueno!
Backing off the planned pace if needed is the best advice! We are caught up with numbers and all that we often forget to account for conditions. When I ran my first superhot marathon, I did not account for the heat and 16 miles in, I paid for it.
Good tips! I train in the heat most of the year here in Florida. I just ran a half on Sunday and boy was it rough!
I love iced towels, cool pops, and anytjing cool and wet during summer runs.
I’ve never really raced in the heat. Way too sensible for that.
I love running when it is hot out. Very rarely do I complain but those times when it is a bit too much, luckily I have a treadmill I can use.
Smart tips! One I really agree with is back off on pace. It’s so important to not over stress your body in the heat.
My last race was in the heat and it was rough! I definitely appreciated the sprinklers the race organizers placed at water stations, but next time I’m definitely bringing my own water bottle!
I sure could’ve used wet sponges in Maui when I raced a half! The best surprise ever during a race was when I was running an ultra in 30 degree c heat up a mountain in the middle of nowhere and a bunch of kids were up there giving out freezies. It was so appreciated!
Great tips! I like the suggestion of putting ice under your hat. Others have suggested putting ice in your sports bra and that works well, too. (Except when you’ve got multiple cubes clinking against each other and people around you are wondering what the rhythmic noise is. Purely hypothetically, of course…)
Its so important to always listen to your body. It always knows best.
How funny that we wrote about the same topic today, great minds…
Great tips. I would much prefer to run in warm weather than cold, but humidity is not fun. I hope you have a great Summer of runnning.
I’m with you…run early or late. I just saw a guy running now, and my car read 87. Bet he wasn’t going very far!
I like to fill my hydration pack halfway the night before a long run and then freeze it. When I wake up in the morning I top it off with more water or nuun and it’s like an ice pack on my back! Works like a charm!
I always go out rise as the sun is rising so most of the time I miss the bad heat in the summer.
I learned the hard way at a 10 miler to always carry my own electrolyte drink. It wiped me out completely and became a march instead of a run.
Great tips and looks like we need them TODAY! I agree with Pete. Over 75 and humid, I will take the $200 t-shirt and cheer for my friends. I almost quit marathoning after 2007 Chicago and several brutal summer halfs!
Heat really does impact my pace, It sucks for summer running, but is a nice surprise at my fall races! I love when races have icy sponges at water stops!
I say it all the time…I don’t mind running in the heat, in fact, I know it benefits me. But racing in it is another story. Boston 2012–nightmare!
I have to carry hydration with me on long runs because I sweat so much. I also take sald pills (S!Caps) which really help too. I’m so nervous about chicago marathon mainly because it can be super hot depending on the day! I really really hope it’s not or my race will be shot.
Down here you need to get out early and get it done- no excuses! Anything over 30 minutes requires bringing your own water and i like mine real cold too, in my hand held so I can press it against the back of my next if I need to! Also don’t forget the sunscreen on the lips! Very important to protect the pucker! Nice list lady!
When I was running (only 3-4 miles most at a time) I never brought water with me so at the half way point which was a park I would always gulp down water and then on the way back I would get those dreaded side stitches. Once I start back running again this year I’m definitely going to use an electrolyte based one.
Awesome tips, Marcia! I never used to run with hydration until the end of last summer when I nearly passed out 12 miles into a 14 mile run due to dehydration! No bueno!
Totally agree with the treadmill. better bored than a heat stroke!