I'm in So Cal and it's more of a dry heat here and it cools down at night still. Sometime in August the nights will start staying pretty hot and it will still be warm in the morning. Right now I can still run comfortably once the sun comes up but I probably wouldn't want to run after dark here.........no street lights and only horse trails to run on. I will swim after dark though.....LOL

Not a runner, but a rower. That's also pretty vigorous, and it inherently happens in daylight, and - unless it's overcast - in full sun. I'm not in the South, I'm in mid-Michigan, but have rowed in very humid 90-plus-degree (Fahrenheit) weather.

Happily, my main double partner is now also retired, so we can go in the morning. But we formerly rowed at 6PM, which, while not max heat most days, is right up there.

Strategies:

1. I wet my (cotton) cap before going out on the water, for more evaporative cooling. When rowing on cleaner bodies of water, I'd dip my hat in the water again if it dried out, and I sometimes immerse my hands in the water to above the wrist (one at a time!) when taking a water-drink break.
2. When racing in hot summer weather, I'd take a 2nd water bottle out with me, and pour it on my body/clothing just before race start.
3. I avoid doing higher-intensity work on the hottest days, sticking more to steady state or short intervals (this may sacrifice some training objectives, but dying or being hospitalized are kinda bad for training objectives, too ).
4. On occasion, I'd use one of those gel-crystal-filled neck-tie thingies that you soak in water, but I'd also store it in the refrigerator between uses so it started out cold.

Typically, we'd been rowing several times per week since the Spring, at gradually increasing outdoor temperatures, so there was some conditioning built up. When we had newbie rowers finish the learn-to-row class in early July, right as it was getting really hot, I'd usually encourage them - unless they already did other vigorous outdoor cardio frequently - to take it very, very easy out there; drink lots; take frequent rest breaks (in shade if they could find some); and generally to recognize that they should be very cautious until they developed some conditioning. Heat can be brutal!

I don't think this was such a hot summer but it was hot enough for me !

luluinca wrote: »

It's been pretty hot at times here on the west coast but I get out just after sunrise to run so it's nice then. I still sweat buckets just because I'm running but the sun isn't beating down on me and we don't have the humidity here that really seems to sap the energy of runners.

I ran a 5K yesterday in Huntington Beach which started at 8 am and it seemed hotter than when I run at home which is inland from the beach 35 miles or more. It was baking on the first leg but once we turned and headed for the finish like the sun was at our back and I could feel a nice breeze, definitely an improvement.

We - my rowing double partner and I - have talked about the fact that we both think that it seems warmer when we're facing the sun than when we have our backs to it, for some reason. (This is became a conversation-worthy phenomenon because we regularly row a circuit on the river- upstream from the boathouse to a bridge, downstream to another bridge, then back upstream to the boathouse - and the river's oriented mostly east-west there.)

marshal616 wrote: »

I'm on vacation in southern TX & haven't had to work out in humidity in years. Is there anything other than staying hydrated that will help? It seems that regardless of the time of day I end up sweating buckets...

I think the issue is both loss of electrolytes and perhaps some salt. If you don't have health issues with salt you could easily repalce that and for electrolytes I prefer coconut water over Gatorade or sports drinks but both work...It's not just water that need to be replaced when you sweat buckets........

I run year round, but I hate, hate hot and humid weather. I, too run first thing in the morning. If the temp and humidity are too high, I just exercise to youtube stuff. I ran this morning with a temp of 71F and 94% humidity. Ugh, but drank lots of water and didn't die. Come on, winter!

marshal616 wrote: »

I broke down and found a gym near my daughter's house that will let me hang out for a couple of days. The temps here are similar to those at home, but humidity is awful...
I have to keep going to keep my glucose levels down.
I'm looking forward to getting back to California...

Humidity is the worst.........IMO. That's one thing we don't have too much of in So Cal and if I told some of my East Coast and Southern friends that it was humid here they'd probably laugh at me. I just run in the morning right now but I'm looking forward to some evening runs as the weather changes.

Come on, autumn! Almost here...maybe Saturday when the temps will be in the 50s. Hurray! My favorite running temps, believe it or not, are in the 30s

Been in the 80's, a bit of Indian Summer here. Looks like tomorrow might actually hit lower, maybe in the 60's. How can we just skip the 70's. I like them. Perfect for sitting outside. Ah, well, I prefer the 50's or so for walking. Don't mind adding layers as it gets cooler too.

yes I finally put my shorts away!