Running in hot weather: who else?

yirara

*sigh* my last run was at 35C (95F) after sunset. Things are slowly getting problematic for me. About a month ago I could easily run over 7km with minimal walking and had almost finished C25K, now I'm back in week 5 and barely manage 5km with a lot more walking, and the weather will only get hotter the coming months.

I don't want to give up as I feel that the running is great for my stamina for hiking and walking up mountains. This is something I like to do during travels. I do drink enough, and I don't want to use a threadmill as my eyes get crosseyed when I constantly look at the same spot, and I'll get dizzy. Not looking for a solution but just for people who go through the same. How do you cope?

annekka

I live near Hong Kong in Guangzhou China. I wake up really really early to run. Before the sun comes out. Slow down for a while, let your body adjust to what it means to run in the heat. Carry extra water (I need to get a hydration belt/system for my long runs myself). Consider changing your running time to the morning.

My long runs are Sunday and I'm slowly building up my system to do long runs during the week. But I'm still not at the point of that yet.

flabassmcgee

Ohhh no. I live in Atlanta and I refuse to run in the dead heat of day. I run in the early AM as the sun is rising or in the late afternoon as the sun is descending. I can't pile heat exhaustion on top of my running.

Are there places/trails with lots of shade?

Bring water!

HelenaKor

I run very early, when it's not too hot. I think it's not helpful for your health to run in hot weather.

Pinkranger626

Heat is going to make you slower... it's just the way it is. As long as you're drinking enough and paying attention to any signs of heat illness then its doable. You also want to be smart about it and run early or later in the afternoon, find shade if you can etc.

I personally much prefer running in the heat rather than the cold. But I have a cold intolerance and I'm just miserable being cold. The more you run in the heat the more your body will get used to it and you'll acclimate somewhat. Humidity does make things much more difficult, and your pace should slow to deal with the heat.

I start out slow (even slow for me) until i get a good cadence in, if I'm feeling good then I will speed up a bit, maybe to my normal pace, maybe not. Walking breaks if I need them. I tend to stick to the trails in the summer since most of the path is shaded. Bring water for anything longer than an hour... if it's really hot and/or humid bring water no matter what.

mitch16

Can you do your runs early in the morning when it's cooler?

My endurance and speed go out the window when it's hot and humid for my runs... I end up having to take walk breaks but I turn them into intervals--walk for a minute, run hard for a minute, repeat. My overall time isn't adversely affected (the 4 mile run that usually takes me 32 minutes still takes ~32 minutes) but in the long run the intervals will help your pace. Or just do a shorter run--2 miles or so--and save the longer runs for when the thermometer is more favorable.

yirara

Mornings might be better but the sun comes up at around 4. That is too early. That's why I run after sunset. It's substantially cooler than a bit earlier and I don't need to worry about shade, which really is an issue.

yirara

Hmm... I notice I'm doing better when there's some humidity as the cooling effect seems to be more promounced. When it's really dry you can dry out completely and don't notice at first. The sweat evaporates so quickly even at night.

annekka

Even if the sun rises that early, you may not have the heat and humidity levels that you'd have in the evenings.

snowflakesav

I live in the South. I run in the morning. Running in hot weather increases heart rate...I slow way down. As summer progresses I will shorten my runs and take a bit of a break from running... I'll trade off for indoor cardio like Insanity or
Zhumba.

I don't run if it is hotter than 88. I look for shade. Carry water.

rockinrodders123

I run in the heat but I tend to stick to the seafront as long as possible for the sea breeze. The only time I get is early evening after work 6ish so still warm but cooling from the heat of the day.

Sabine_Stroehm

Yup, we're transitioning to the season where I only run before dawn, or inside. I don't handle heat well. At all.

Timorous_Beastie

Both extremes - heat and cold - will affect your pace and endurance. It's normal.

I hate the cold, but I'd rather run in the cold (unless it's in the teens or single digits Fahrenheit) than above 80F. If I miss the window of opportunity to run earlier in the day when it's not as hot, I'll go for a hike in the shade instead. I'm not a competitive athlete. There's no need to push myself to run when I'm going to be miserable.

scottb81

yirara wrote: »

*sigh* my last run was at 35C (95F) after sunset. Things are slowly getting problematic for me. About a month ago I could easily run over 7km with minimal walking and had almost finished C25K, now I'm back in week 5 and barely manage 5km with a lot more walking, and the weather will only get hotter the coming months.

I don't want to give up as I feel that the running is great for my stamina for hiking and walking up mountains. This is something I like to do during travels. I do drink enough, and I don't want to use a threadmill as my eyes get crosseyed when I constantly look at the same spot, and I'll get dizzy. Not looking for a solution but just for people who go through the same. How do you cope?

Hot weather stresses your body since some of the oxygen carrying blood is diverted to the skin to provide cooling for your body's core. This leaves less blood available to carry oxygen to the muscles. So, running in hot weather is harder for everyone.

The way to cope is to simply ensure you drink enough water and to slow down some. Walk some if you need to when you get too hot. You are still getting the training benefit and when the weather cools again you will be much faster.

mwyvr

I love running in the cold. Don't mind it in the rain.

Performance sucks in high heat but you are still getting benefit, just don't beat yourself up about the walk breaks and such. You are listening to your body, well done!

I treat myself to more forest runs when it is hot, and go early or late. Take water, keep listening to your body. You will eventually improve your hot weather running ability too, just don't be frustrated by the seeming reduction in your ability. The body had to work harder in heat just to cool itself.

yirara

yay! 36 degrees today after sunset. New record. I read yesterday that we're apparently in an el nino southern oscillation event. It's certainly too warm for the season here. Maybe that's the influence here.

betuel75

I ride mountain bike. I will ride in the heat(90 degrees or more) if i have to. I just expect my pace to be slower and im ok with that as long as im keeping my heart rate up to a good pace. Sometimes we work with what we have.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

Run in the morning before it gets hot, or in the evening/ dark after it cools down. I also like to transition to trail running in the summer where it's much cooler. I stay out of the direct sun. Luckily I live in Vancouver so we have plenty of urban trails that are so densely covered the sun can barely penetrate.

If for some reason I need to run during the day, I wear a water belt and make sure to hydrate. Oh and sunscreen, as much as I hate running with it on And keep the run short.

yirara

Thanks all. To be honest I don't want to know what the temperatures in the sun are at the moment. I'm sure they must be above 120F/50C. At least I cannot depend on tree cover as they don't really grow naturally, or if they do they have very tiny, sparce leaves. Oh well.. lets see how things continue as the summer progresses. I just should not have set myself a goal to run a bit more than the previous month

csman49

I live in London, UK. I wish i had the hot weather problem.

jrline

I try to go either early morning or later evenings so it is not so miserably hot I live in Georgia, so we have the heat and humidity. The other thing to do is get the miles even if more of it is walking than you like.