RUNNING IN THE HEAT

It’s scorching from the very morning till late evening. Sitting in the pleasant chill of your apartment, you feel the outside calling you to get some fun. And then you go outside – it’s so dreadfully hot you can’t even breathe, after two minutes all the clothes stick to the body, and the you only dream about crawl under a stone and stay there. How on earth are you supposed to do your training!?

High temperatures favor sprinters, who can get more power out of hot muscles on a short distance. However, the longer the distance, the lower the optimum temperature. For a marathon, for instance, the optimum temperature is 11-14 ° C. During the run, the body must be cooled and this requires the evaporation of sweat from the skin. The hot air causes the body to work harder for sufficient cooling. If you combine it with high humidity, conditions are getting really deadly, because sweat doesn’t evaporate that easily and our cooling system becomes inefficient. The body temperature rises, we slow down, the heart is pumping like crazy and the blood boils in veins.

Fortunately, we can handle everything. Here are some tips on how to deal with workouts, when the heat is pouring from the sky.

1. RUN MORNINGS OR EVENINGS

I love early morning running. I avoid struggling with the heat, my body is regenerated after a good night sleep, and the training gives me a kick of energy for the whole day. Running in the evening is also a good option – there is a large group of supporters of such running. It is crucial not to burden the body unnecessarily – unless you prepare for an ultramarathon in Death Valley ;)

2. TAKE IT TO THE WOODS

Avoid running in the open. It’s already warm enough – there’s no need to expose yourself to the full sun. Parks and forests offer shade, a much more pleasant microclimate, as well as some natural ground for our feet to rest from asphalt. Moreover, we will always find a bench in the park, where one take a break or stretch a bit. In the greatest heat we should refrain from very heavy workouts – it is easy to overtrain – the trick is to know when to slow down.

3. DRESS LIGHTLY

Use every opportunity to help your body. Invest in a lightweight and breathable materials that will help dissipate sweat and dry quickly. It is wise to choose bright colors, and for longer workouts it’s worth considering whether not to protect arms and legs before the long sun exposure. At shorter distances, on the other hand,  one should expose as much skin as possible for better cooling. You definitely invest in good socks – buy special ones for running – breathable and seamless. On hot days feet sweat more intensely as well – callus or abrasion is not a thing you want to have.
It is also worth thinking about the cream with UV filter for extra skin protection.

4. WATER, WATER AND WATER AGAIN

  • Drink 0,5 L of fluid an hour before workout, and even better, eat something salty. The salt water will help retain water in the body for longer. Good hydration is essential during hot weather
  • Take a drink with you (you can buy a running belt with water bottles, but you can and take classic 0,5 L bottle of water as well), and remember to rehydrate with small portions (100-200 ml) every 20 minutes. Make sure you do that, because you can’t replenish the fluids by drinking a whole bottle at once later on. Such amount of water at once will not quench thirst and rehydrate the body – it will rather load your stomach.
  • If you do an interval training, drink between sets
  • Water is hypotonic drink (having a smaller amount of minerals and trace elements, and thus a lower density than blood), which is why it does not replenish lost eletrolytes as effectively. However, if you drink clean water, let it be noncarbonated. Drinking carbonated water before, after and during exercise will be hard for your stomach.
  • For longer workouts isotonics are the best choice – they have a density similar to the density of blood, being therefore quickly absorbed and replenishing lost electrolytes better. They also contain carbohydrates, thus also providing energy for your muscles.
  • After training, you can safely drink a full glass of water. You no longer need to worry about excessive stomach load and certainly you haven’t replenish all the fluids lost during training. Moreover, fresh water will cool the hot organism.

5. PACE

Follow your heart rate. If you do not have a heart rate monitor, lean on your own judgement of effort. We have already talked about how the body reacts to heat. If you try hard to keep your usual pace, you just increase the difficulty of your workout unnecessarily. From the very beginning accept to keep a slightly lower pace – it is better to do a little lighter workout than to overburden and overtrain.

AND WHAT ARE YOUR WAYS OF DEALING WITH RUNNING IN THE HEAT? ALL IDEAS APPRECIATED :-)

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