Safety Tips for Running in the Summer Heat

Hot running is here again this summer. A little too soon for me! It’s 80 degrees at 6:30am, 100 degrees by 1pm; and let’s face it: it’s really hard to get motivated to run!

Goals are important during the summer training months. When you look at your calendar and see the races you have penciled in, getting out of bed is a lot easier. Pick a race in the fall and enter! I have already entered the Ironman 70.3 Pocono Mountains in October and the White Rock Marathon in December. The power of the race calendar gets me motivated to get the workouts done on these hot, hot days.

I also encourage everyone to try to get their workouts in either early in the morning or inside at the gym in the afternoon. Ozone is so high during the afternoon hours and poor air quality warnings abound this time of year. No reason to stress your upper respiratory system; do it early or do it inside!

Just a few tips to keep yourself safe this summer while running in the heat:

1. Hydrate. Sounds obvious, but I don’t mean only when you are running. I keep a water bottle next to my computer and try to drink on and off all day. The heat outside mixed with the air conditioning inside is a recipe for dehydration even before you start running. While you are training, make sure you carry a water bottle. Don’t rely on there being water on a course or water fountains on the trail being in working order. Drink 15 minutes before your run and at least every 15 minutes while running.

2. Dress for the heat. Naked is never a good idea, but I have thought about it. I’m sure the Grapevine police wouldn’t mind! Seriously, this is not the time for cotton t-shirts. Splurge on some moisture wicking shirts and shorts. There are even some new sun repellent, yet surprisingly cool, long sleeve shirts for the fair skinned ones among us who can use the extra SPF.

3. SPF is what it is all about. Sunscreen or you will burn in as little as 15 minutes of sun exposure. Bull Frog makes an SPF 100 water proof sunscreen that rocks! Wear it! No sense being in great shape but dying of skin cancer!

4. Salt Tablets. If you are going long, salt tablets are helpful to keep your systems going. I take at least two an hour when training in the heat, more if sweating like crazy. Hyponatremia (low sodium) can become a medical emergency!

5. Wear a heart rate monitor. You will be amazed in how much your heart rate goes up when it is hot. Stay in your zones, even if that means walking up hills! You want quality miles, not garbage miles!

6. Use common sense. Get heat acclimatized by running short distances in the heat and building up slowly. Don’t go out the hottest day of the year so far and do a track workout at 3pm in the afternoon! If you are pushing the envelope, be aware of the sign of heat exhaustion. If you are feeling light headed, have goose bumps or your heart is racing; time to find a tree or a neighbor’s house. Heat stroke kills too!

Get motivated and get out there, but run safely in the heat so we can all enjoy the fall race season!