Hot, Hot, Heat

Ah yes, summer...a time of bikinis and sandals and the dewy glow of a warm summer afternoon. Summer also means pounds of sweat pouring off your face as you struggle to make it through what usually is an easy 4 mile run. What gives? The first time I went for a run in the heat and did a usual 3 mile short afternoon loop, I had to stop. Twice. I hate to even admit that publicly. I felt like, well, a loser! Here I was, typically doing 4 and 5 mile runs with ease and was stopping during a 3 miler. I immediately went into a panic. Am I anemic? Do I have a potassium deficiency? Good lord what could it be? I am a chronic self-diagnoser so this was my own personal heaven in some ways. After many hours on Google and pouring through my magazines I figured it out...HEAT. That lovely thing I wait all frigid winter for was the downfall of my quickly rising running career.

Yesterday was no exception. My running buddy and I went out for a nice 4 mile loop and had to take some walk steps at about mile 3.25. It's an exercise in defeat I tell you. We are both in good running shape but even that was no match for the blistering weather. By the time we finished our loop we were completely soaked in sweat, red in the face, feeling faint and literally melting before each other's eyes. So, I am re-evaluating my approach to running in the heat and as such have researched and figured out some key elements to beating the road running heat.

Electrolytes. First you hear, sugary artificial drinks are bad, you should only drink water! Then I read about the fact that losing so many electrolytes while sweating like a pig in the heat equals fatigue and exhaustion. Enter my new friend, Gatorade. I haven't drank this stuff since high school but I am naturally a fan as it was created at my Alma Mater (hence the name GATORade). I drink a nice big glass of it about an hour before running and another one immediately after. Gotta load up before and then replenish after.

Wicking clothing. Now, lets be honest, short of running down a road with sprinklers and/or running in the buff, any material touching my skin is too much material when the heat index is bearing down on you with 85 degrees and 90% humidity. But in the interest of the eyes of passers by, I leave the birthday suit behind closed doors. I done as light of clothing as possible with as little skin covered without offending the sweet elders I pass by on quiet neighborhood streets. (I would guess that the young gentlemen I pass while running by the university would have no objection to my mini spandex shorts but I also don't plan on accepting any of their date offers anyways).

Laughter. Yep, you heard me. Laughter. Smiling requires less energy than frowning so as you come to the base of a lovely climb and you are already about to pass out from heat exhaustion, wipe that pout off your pretty, glistening face and think of the above comment of me not accepting dates from college boys...go ahead, do it, and get a smile on that face.

Cold Showers. Or if unlike me you actually have a backyard and pool, that works too. For me, I climb in my shower, turn it on to a nice cool temp and pretend I'm lazily leaning against a rock in the Caribbean with a waterfall gracefully flowing over my face. If I light my sun and sand candle and turn on my noise machine to the ocean setting it's almost believable.

Fuel. Eating right. It's key whether it's hot out or not. But, despite the fact that you need carbs to fuel your body during a run, don't think that means that funnel cake is a good choice. Things with that much fat will only weigh you down more. It takes way too much energy to burn that and your body can't focus on burning the good stuff in order to give you more energy. Save the funnel cake and loaded brat for a long weekend with no runs planned. Load up on whole grains (Ezekiel sprouted pasta is great), leafy green vegetables, bananas and kiwis (kiwis have more potassium per fruit than bananas FYI) and berries.

Pace and Speed. I'm an instant gratification kind of person. I want to improve now, not tomorrow. I don't want to take any steps back, only leaps forward. However, with running in the heat, that is a recipe for disaster (and probably why I lost a running challenge against my co-worker...oh the pain of defeat). When it's hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement, slow your pace down, take it a bit easy and don't feel like you have to do a 15K that day. Your body has to get used to the heat so don't push it. It takes a few days and up to a few weeks for your organs to learn how to cool themselves more efficiently and your body to process sweat better in hopes of keeping you cool. It's like altitude, give it time and you'll get back up to speed.

I know, as a beginning runner it's easy to take the heat as an excuse to take some time off of running but this is the best time to really learn about commitment (don't worry men, running won't demand to meet your parents and coincidentally ask to meet you in front of Tiffany's...wow, look at that gorgeous emerald cut w/baguettes!). Stick with it and let your body acclimatize. When a nice cool day pops up, you'll feel like a million bucks as you cruise past your 4 mile mark and pick up the pace for an extra few miles that day.