of course, the best way I know is to run early but this past weekend I got started late and didn’t get going until 9am for a planned 1:20 run but at 9am the heat was already pretty bad. I usually am okay with heat but this day was pretty bad. I had a 20 oz bottle of ice water and had my route go past water fountains so I drank from those and mostly used my ice water to dump on my head. I also stopped more frequently than usual to try to cool in the shade. But at 55 minutes I called it a day. It was too hot and if I kept at it I was going to overheat. Next time I go I think I’ll do two things that will help. There’s a shaded fire road type trail near my house so the shade will help. midway through run make a stop at my house to refill with ice water and cool myself off. any tips on staying cool for hot weather runs? suggestions for hydration packs? Should I wear arm coolers? what else might help?
Dumping ice water on yourself and staying covered up, using sunscreen is usually best you can do. I’ve heard mixed reviews of arm coolers.
Otherwise, for training, unless your trying to heat acclimate, you should adjust your workout schedule and bike in the hotter time slots, and run in the cooler slots. In training workout quality is more important, that trying to heat adapt. Ultimately output drops and mean less fitness adaptation for the same time spent training.
I do all of my training mid-day here in the northeast, so lots of heat and humidity. If it’s really bad and I’m going to be out awhile, I’ll start out with a wet white longsleeve shirt and keep wetting it with a hydration pack of ice water. I’ll keep wetting my head, arms, and nether regions with the water as needed and break if I need it. Starting out with the wet shirt at least delays the heat for a little while. My pack is an old Hydrapak? nothing special, I think it carries 100oz.
good luck
Arm coolers are good but you have to get comfortable with how they work. I feel like they make me feel like I should be hot, but that is just a lack of airflow on my arms. If you are sweating or keeping the fabric moist they should keep you cool.
I’ve heard mixed reviews of arm coolers.
Along Texas’ upper gulf coast, I have seen a number of cyclists get overcome by heat while wearing arm skins/arm ‘coolers’ and I tend to discourage wearing them when the heat index tops 100.
If you are sweating or keeping the fabric moist they should keep you cool.
While arm coolers tend to work very well to amplify the benefits of evaporative cooling in areas with moderate temperatures, they are equally dependent on low to moderate humidity levels. When temperatures start out high and humidity exceeds 90% at sunrise, then arm skins/coolers are really only providing SPF protection with those conditions, as anything covering your skin is simply aiding in moisture retention!
I’ve been training for IM Vineman down in Miami in the summer. So whether I make it out early or late, it really doesn’t matter due to the extreme humidity and heat even when still dark. I do my long brick and long run on the weekend where I don’t have access to a good treadmill (just the one from the 80s in my apartment complex) so I am forced to do everything outside.
It has been brutal. However, it does get significantly easier over time if you force yourself through it the best that you can and make yourself drink A LOT. On long rides, I’ll go through a bottle of Gatorade every 30-45minutes or so and I add salt tabs to prevent cramping. On runs I’ll use my Camelback Dart which holds about 1.5L of fluid. I take it with me even on short 30min transition runs and sometimes wind up drinking the whole thing in just 30 minutes. I usually just fill it with water because I don’t feel like trying to clean soda out of the tube. However, I’ll usually drink a coke when transitioning from Bike to Run to get some sugar in my body and then drink some more coke when I’m finished.
For me, a lot of it is (1) making sure I’m never without liquid…not even for a minute, and (2) making sure I get plenty of salt and sugar in my body to help keep my brain “with it”, and (3) stopping for an extra minute in the shade during a long run or walking a bit more if I need to (yes I’m sure it hinders my training, but it also allows me to make it home without passing out along the way).
Unless you’re in Phoenix, that sounds kind of odd. 1 hour of running at 9AM with several water stops and you’re cooked?
There is certainly some level of acclimatization that goes on, your body has to learn to turn on the cooling system. I’ve spent time in equatorial climates and the first few runs suck… but if you carefully work on your exposure you should be able to get used to most anything. I figure most of my race runs will be in the heat of the day and it is good to train in that too. It was in the 90’s for Boulder IM last year at the start of the run, but i had hours of recent training at 90+ and did OK jogging through the walkers …
For really hot runs, I try to remember a cap. you can wet that and it is pretty effective to stay cool. Arm coolers can also be an aid ( we used them to get a rider across the Mojave during RAAM - 110’ and a 20 Mph headwind for ~8 hours) but again, you need to train your body to use the cooling. I also try to get a big drink of cool water before I go out the door - I’m not sure if there is much physical benefit to pre-cooling like that, but it makes me feel ready to tackle the heat.
I’ve been training for IM Vineman down in Miami in the summer. So whether I make it out early or late, it really doesn’t matter due to the extreme humidity and heat even when still dark. I do my long brick and long run on the weekend where I don’t have access to a good treadmill (just the one from the 80s in my apartment complex) so I am forced to do everything outside.
It has been brutal. However, it does get significantly easier over time if you force yourself through it the best that you can and make yourself drink A LOT. On long rides, I’ll go through a bottle of Gatorade every 30-45minutes or so and I add salt tabs to prevent cramping. On runs I’ll use my Camelback Dart which holds about 1.5L of fluid. I take it with me even on short 30min transition runs and sometimes wind up drinking the whole thing in just 30 minutes. I usually just fill it with water because I don’t feel like trying to clean soda out of the tube. However, I’ll usually drink a coke when transitioning from Bike to Run to get some sugar in my body and then drink some more coke when I’m finished.
For me, a lot of it is (1) making sure I’m never without liquid…not even for a minute, and (2) making sure I get plenty of salt and sugar in my body to help keep my brain “with it”, and (3) stopping for an extra minute in the shade during a long run or walking a bit more if I need to (yes I’m sure it hinders my training, but it also allows me to make it home without passing out along the way).
All this. I’m in Mobile, and I try to do most of my summer running on the treadmill. When I don’t/can’t/won’t, I end up watching my HR. Pace be damned, I just want to get home in one piece and functional for the rest of the day!
Run faster, the extra breeze will cool you off.
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Unless you’re in Phoenix, that sounds kind of odd. 1 hour of running at 9AM with several water stops and you’re cooked?
There is certainly some level of acclimatization that goes on, your body has to learn to turn on the cooling system. I’ve spent time in equatorial climates and the first few runs suck… but if you carefully work on your exposure you should be able to get used to most anything. I figure most of my race runs will be in the heat of the day and it is good to train in that too. It was in the 90’s for Boulder IM last year at the start of the run, but i had hours of recent training at 90+ and did OK jogging through the walkers …
For really hot runs, I try to remember a cap. you can wet that and it is pretty effective to stay cool. Arm coolers can also be an aid ( we used them to get a rider across the Mojave during RAAM - 110’ and a 20 Mph headwind for ~8 hours) but again, you need to train your body to use the cooling. I also try to get a big drink of cool water before I go out the door - I’m not sure if there is much physical benefit to pre-cooling like that, but it makes me feel ready to tackle the heat.
Maybe just a bad day or just the heat and humidity combination that day were more than usual. This was in South Carolina and I previously lived in Florida so I’ve had plenty of exposure to exercising in the heat. And last week I had a noon hour long speed workout which I was fine with. The heat index here lately has been 100+ for much of the past week. I think the heat index was 94 when I ran at 9am.
I don’t know if you wear a hat when you run, but I’d recommend one unless of course you’re running in the dark. It should be lighter in color, not black, navy blue, dark red, etc., and of breathable material. The underside of the brim should be black though, to prevent glare/reflection. If you get a hat that isn’t black underneath the brim (most aren’t), darken it with a waterproof marker. For that matter, all of your warm weather running gear should be lighter in color. I’m always puzzled when I watch the Ironman telecasts and see pros wearing black hats/black or very dark kits. It doesn’t work in your favor. Frodeno had it right last year with mostly white with red trim. Most of my runs here in Panama are between 3 and 6 pm, so staying cool is a real chore. I definitely feel better with a hat than a visor or nothing on my head, and if you have access to ice while running you can put it underneath for some nice cooling. I like running with my hands free, so no hand bottles. I also find hydration packs on my back make me feel quite warm. So I use a belt with bottles. I recently switched over to the Nathan Mercury Three, so now I’ve got an extra bottle.
Don’t let your run route go with the wind for more than half a mile. If you’re running in the same direction as the breeze is going, you get no breeze at all and you’ll implode from overheating. But if you run into the wind, the cooling of the breeze has a hugely beneficial impact. Before you head out, figure out which way the wind is blowing and either run into it, across it, or zig-zag in and out of it. A looping course of about a mile total is pretty good for these nasty summer days. I went from not being able to run an hour outside in this stuff to doing nearly two hours no problem by changing up the route based on the wind direction.
Run slower…and have more water.
Drink the ice water (it’ll do more to cool you in your gut than quickly running off your body), and splash yourself with the water from the fountains. I’ve found arm coolers are great on the bike (higher wind speeds and lots of bottles to keep them wet), but too hot for the run. I go with an Under Armour HeatGear sleeveless top. It’s super-light, compression fit (doesn’t feel like it’s sticking to you like a tech tee), and actually feels cool when the wind hits it.
I also pace using a HRM. When it’s hot the pace may feel slow, but I know the heart rate that I can hold without blowing up.
I try to slow down as much as I can, but at a certain point your almost walking. It was 89 today with a 69 degree dew point. Within a mile sweat was pouring off the rim of my hat. Had it down to 2.5 minutes run and 1 minute walk just to try and keep heart react under control. At 4 miles my body had enough.
Ok, just checking. I slow it down in the extreme heat and cold.
Unless you’re in Phoenix, that sounds kind of odd. 1 hour of running at 9AM with several water stops and you’re cooked?
There is certainly some level of acclimatization that goes on, your body has to learn to turn on the cooling system. I’ve spent time in equatorial climates and the first few runs suck… but if you carefully work on your exposure you should be able to get used to most anything. I figure most of my race runs will be in the heat of the day and it is good to train in that too. It was in the 90’s for Boulder IM last year at the start of the run, but i had hours of recent training at 90+ and did OK jogging through the walkers …
For really hot runs, I try to remember a cap. you can wet that and it is pretty effective to stay cool. Arm coolers can also be an aid ( we used them to get a rider across the Mojave during RAAM - 110’ and a 20 Mph headwind for ~8 hours) but again, you need to train your body to use the cooling. I also try to get a big drink of cool water before I go out the door - I’m not sure if there is much physical benefit to pre-cooling like that, but it makes me feel ready to tackle the heat.
I start my long runs in Phoenix no later than 6:00a, but that’s only if I decided to sleep in. Ideally 5:00 or 5:30 at the latest. This time of year, the temp does not drop below about 88 overnight. I am acclimated but there is no way to make this feel good, especially if I am already cooked from a long ride the day before. As you mention, a big cold drink beforehand helps psychologically. I have worn arm coolers but they seem to do nothing beyond provide sun protection.
I will run up to 107 degrees. I have a run scheduled tonight and it is 109 so I will probably rearrange some things and do it in the morning. In past years I would probably just run through it but I am over killing myself unless I have to.
Btw, keep those “best places for triathletes to live” threads coming. I don’t want to deal with this much longer.
Drink the ice water (it’ll do more to cool you in your gut than quickly running off your body), and splash yourself with the water from the fountains. I’ve found arm coolers are great on the bike (higher wind speeds and lots of bottles to keep them wet), but too hot for the run. I go with an Under Armour HeatGear sleeveless top. It’s super-light, compression fit (doesn’t feel like it’s sticking to you like a tech tee), and actually feels cool when the wind hits it.
I also pace using a HRM. When it’s hot the pace may feel slow, but I know the heart rate that I can hold without blowing up.
A few gulps of 0 degree water won’t have a significant effect on the temperature of a 37 degree body. A splash of icey cool water on the skin will certainly give you a boost though!
there is, ahem, an article on the front page as of this morning.
there is, ahem, an article on the front page as of this morning.
I see that now. thanks. Always one step ahead of me. Haha