Run in heat?

Fitnessfaith7465
Fitnessfaith7465 Posts: 22 Member
edited November 20 in Fitness and Exercise
Do you still run in heat? With my schedule it seems like the only type of day I can run outside is in the Texas heat. Its currently 97 degrees out right now and just wondering how many others actually do?

Replies

  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
    Yup. Run at night or in the morning. You kind of adjust to the heat.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    I push my runs back as late in the evening as possible, but running in anything above the low-80s makes me feel sick. I'm in Southern California and July-September is a little rough.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    Nope. I've taken up swimming and indoor roller skating for the summer.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,749 Member
    I have a treadmill, so if the heat index is above 90 or so, I run indoors. If you do run outdoors, go either very early or very late, look for shade, bring water, and run significantly slower than your usual pace. I'll sometimes take a break and sit in the shade to get my HR back down, because it often skyrockets in the heat.
  • almuench378
    almuench378 Posts: 1 Member
    I live in Jersey right now the weather has been around 90 and humid so I stick to running in the morning (around sunrise) or at night after the sun sets
  • allyphoe
    allyphoe Posts: 618 Member
    Oklahoma here. The hour starting at dawn is best; the hour ending at dusk is tolerable.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,188 Member
    I'm in Texas. I usually run in the mornings on the weekend and run after 8 pm on weeknights. I'll be glad when it cools down and I can run right after work.
  • bruby28
    bruby28 Posts: 4,123 Member
    From Arizona here ..not the type to get up at 5am to run so I usually do about 7pm ..ya it's still 100 + out but if I'm properly hydrated I don't have a problem at all .
  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
    Im in Florida, and yes I run in the heat. I don't go as fast and make sure to replenish electrolytes when needed. There are some great hot weather running tips in the long distance runners group threads if you are interested!
  • girlgeeklula
    girlgeeklula Posts: 85 Member
    Houston here. If I plan on actually running, I'm either out in the morning before 8 or don't go out until after work (7ish). I do walk in the afternoons on my lunch break, but even that is coming to an end because I hate not being able to cool down enough before clocking back in.
  • Philtex
    Philtex Posts: 1,291 Member
    I'm inside on the TM for the summer.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,282 Member
    If it's all I've got, then yes. I run slower, and I stop for water breaks. I also start out hydrated. Next week is supposed to go up into the 90s and around 100. I might drag my tired *kitten* out of bed for a morning run rather than run in that. It's pretty miserable for me. I'm in Portland, OR, so it's not generally something we get used to because weather like that doesn't hang around.
  • cyndit1
    cyndit1 Posts: 170 Member
    In Jersey and I make sure I am on the road by 5am.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    I read somewhere that miserable summer, PR in fall, so that's what I keep telling myself. Here, we don't tend to get the 90+ degree heat as much as we get the high humidity. So it feels like inhaling swamp water the entire run. (And I do hills. Yay.)

    Last year, I did most of my C25k training inside on a nice, comfortable treadmill. I knew that this year, though, doing 5 or 10 miles (I've moved on to doing half marathons) on a treadmill would be more miserable for me than high humidity and heat, so I'm plodding along outside. And usually getting a light coffee frappuccino when I'm done on the 10 mile days.

    I've got a short race tonight that's supposed to be in either 97 percent humidity, or in a downpour (the percent chance keeps changing). I figure it'll be awful, but it's only a mile, and then there's free beer at the end.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    I am in the Central Valley of California, where days in July and August have temperatures that climb above 100 degrees F quite regularly.
    We go early in the morning here.
  • GaryRuns
    GaryRuns Posts: 508 Member
    If it's expected to be above 90 at my usual running time I bite the bullet and get up an hour earlier to run in the morning.

    That said, you can run in the heat but you have to be careful to avoid heat exhaustion/stroke. Use sunscreen, make sure you hydrate well beforehand and if your run is over 30 minutes or so carry some water with you. I have an amphipod running belt I use and it works. Not a lot of fun carrying a bunch of water with you on a run, especially at the beginning when the bottles are all full, but it beats passing out.
  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
    GaryRuns wrote: »
    If it's expected to be above 90 at my usual running time I bite the bullet and get up an hour earlier to run in the morning.

    That said, you can run in the heat but you have to be careful to avoid heat exhaustion/stroke. Use sunscreen, make sure you hydrate well beforehand and if your run is over 30 minutes or so carry some water with you. I have an amphipod running belt I use and it works. Not a lot of fun carrying a bunch of water with you on a run, especially at the beginning when the bottles are all full, but it beats passing out.

    This is very true, especially if the OP is not someone who usually is careful about drinking enough water etc. I personally prefer to not bring water, but instead will run within two miles of my house and keep a bottle on the porch and do a drive by hydration, or plan a route past somewhere that sells/has water and carry a couple dollars on me. If I am on a trail I wear a camelback, I prefer that to the belts. I always drink 8oz of water pre run, I add electrolyte mixture if I will be gone longer than an hour. I do the same for long walks.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    I ride a bicycle rather than run, but as long as it is below 105° I ride. The most important thing is drinking plenty of liquids.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    You also need to acclimate to the heat. So if you haven't been running, don't start at the hottest part of the year. Early mornings are probably best, but take it easy. I tend to not run in the summer. As the weather cools a little, I'll build up again.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Learned the hard way that I shouldn't. This summer has been the hottest I have even experienced. I mean every summer we have heat waves here and there which last 2-3 days, but a whole month of nonstop 40 degree celsius, 8 degrees higher than average, is an overkill. Nights are hotter than the average day at this time of the year. I had this nasty heat rash over my entire back and shoulders that just wouldn't go away because I was stubborn and continued running. I finally gave in and shelled out for air conditioning for the treadmill room.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    If you've never run in the heat before, you probably shouldn't start now... Run earlier in the morning, later at night, or somewhere heavily shaded. Run on the treadmill or an indoor track or find something else to do. Acclimate yourself to the heat/humidity--run way shorter distances at a way slower pace. Know your body and if it doesn't feel good, don't do it. Drink lots of water.
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  • mhwitt74
    mhwitt74 Posts: 159 Member
    I don't handle the heat well. I'm fortunate enough to have an indoor track at my gym so that's where I do most of my runs.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
    North Carolina...I'm heat intolerant and very thankful to be a member of a gym with an indoor track!
  • AmyOutOfControl
    AmyOutOfControl Posts: 1,425 Member
    Texas here - I get up and run at 5am. It is the "coolest" part of the day. I can't wait for summer to be over.
  • ICameToGetDown
    ICameToGetDown Posts: 958 Member
    I get up at 4:30 and am on a run by 5:15. It's actually more humid at that time of day, but the temp is the lowest and no sun beating my dome.
    I have also heard that staying with slow summer running will bring better fall results.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    If the early morning is low 70's or under here in Jersey, I'll run outside. Anything hotter and I run the risk of triggering a migraine. I stay indoors and run on my treadmill.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    I have a treadmill, so if the heat index is above 90 or so, I run indoors. If you do run outdoors, go either very early or very late, look for shade, bring water, and run significantly slower than your usual pace. I'll sometimes take a break and sit in the shade to get my HR back down, because it often skyrockets in the heat.

    same here but I have my treadmill in the garage so it can be pretty hot
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    South Carolinian here. I run at 6am while it's coolest. Take it pretty slow when it heats up and I chug a bottle of water before I leave the house.
  • clayelliott847
    clayelliott847 Posts: 125 Member
    edited July 2017
    Im in Florida, and yes I run in the heat. I don't go as fast and make sure to replenish electrolytes when needed. There are some great hot weather running tips in the long distance runners group threads if you are interested!

    Tampa, FL here, where at 8 am in August, I sweat from the house to the car. If I am going to run, I am up at 6 am. Currently second week of c25k
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