Does anyone have any tips/suggestions for improving the quality of my afternoon runs when its hot outside? I typically run in the mornings, but have recently started running in the afternoons (partly due to timing/scheduling issues and partly to better simulate the end of an Ironman). Is this something that I will eventually just adapt to?
I went for a run in the afternoon the other day and had to stop at a water fountain approximately every 2km to drench my shirt and hat to remain comfortable.
I carry a water belt and have to drink about 20 oz/hour during hot and humid runs.
same here, all my workouts are at lunch time here in the northeast and it gets very hot and humid. I run with a camelback and drench my shirt, shorts and head as needed. I sometimes wear long sleeves to keep the sun off me and then I can wet everything down all the way to my wrists. If it’s really bad, I’ll start off with a wet shirt to stay cool as long as I can. You do acclimate somewhat, but it’s never easy. Might want to bring a phone in case of emergency. Sometimes you just go too hard or too far.
good luck
Slow down. If you are wearing loose clothing, and running w water that’s the only thing to do. Be consistent and it *should get easier.
I live in south Florida so I have some experience with this. A few things:
I have the same issues, and also run in the afternoons due to work schedule. From about now (live in FL) until basically Halloween I carry a water bottle and douse myself regularly; seems to help. And also know where the water fountains are along the way for refills. The hose in the backyard afterwards is something I focus towards on those last few miles.
+1 South Florida guy here too.
Hydrate well in advance. Set up a mini aid station in front of your house. When it gets really hot (August) I do 15min out, 15 back, refill water bottle, gel and repeat. It’s boring as hell to run the same 15 min stretch over and over again but yeah… I change directions sometimes😀 I sometimes carry ice in hand. It’s actually less humid in the afternoon compared to mornings here. Even if temperature is higher I can tolerate the heat better if humidity is lower.
I live in south Florida so I have some experience with this. A few things:
It’s actually less humid in the afternoon compared to mornings here. Even if temperature is higher I can tolerate the heat better if humidity is lower.
Totally agree with this. I ran an easy hour this morning. It was miserable.
I freeze small water bottles and carry one with me as i run. Fuel Belt bottles usually last me 3 miles or so before they’re completely gone. The ice chills the hand, which I’ve heard is a decent spot for blood circulation (retired pro Torbjorn Sinballe used to wear a rubber glove and shove ice in it for the same reason in his Kona days). Also, as it melts I squirt myself with it or sip it.
Hope this helps. Stay cool and be safe out there.
Cheers,
Is this something that I will eventually just adapt to?
Yes, you will acclimate to the heat if you consistently run in it. Just take it easy for a while until you’re feeling more comfortable in the heat.
Everything above me… plus, don’t forget the sunscreen. The tips of my ears were getting absolutely murdered by the sun.
… to remain comfortable.
IMO that is the problem. Yes the workout quality is a concern as you get tired but you have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Not every run should be in the heat so you can get some quality training in but when you do run in heat, make sure you have enough water on you to be safe but if you want to handle the heat you have to take the punishment.
And remember, fueling is different too, you will sweat a LOT and that can deplete your electrolytes. IMO, the biggest benefit is to KNOW what it will take to fuel those workouts, so you know what you will need during your race.
I tend to mix and match my longer workouts so not all of them are afternoon miserable runs, but at least do a few so I know the strategies I need to employ to stay properly fueled. I don’t know if you ever really get used to the heat, it is always going to slow you down a little (lot). What you are trying to avoid is completely cooking yourself and shutting down.
I used to live on a golf course, and I wouldn’t run on it, but one of the side streets came very close to the #4 tee box that was always stocked with a water cooler with ICE COLD water. I would do a 6 mile loop where I would pass it almost in the middle. Going to miss that.
Live on a SC coastal island just north of GA. To add to the Florida guys comments, a salt stick for anything longer goes a long way in addition to water stops. The hardest part is psychologically accepting you’re going to be slower - a lesson that repeatedly needs relearning.
Running in the heat is hard, no way around it. You still will benefit from fitness gains in the heat as long as is not dangerously hot out, even if you’re running slower than you’d like in ‘normal temps.’ I ran my best during marathon training in full Los Angeles summer sun, including quite a few 85-90+F runs.
Make sure you have lots of water available. I didn’t have water sources where I ran in the Santa Monica mountains for 20+ milers, so I brought a full 2L Camelbak that weighed 9lbs fully loaded (!) and I drank ALL of it on those runs. That’s def the most important thing.
slow down and def carry water. You might not actually get that acclimated to it. I don’t ever fully get used to it, but you just train through it smartly. When its hot out is when I am way more focused on my HR than pace.
forgot to mention and not sure if anyone else did, make sure to try to drink what you will likely be drinking on course. You don’t want to find out at the race your stomach has a hard time with x energy drink or gel… when it’s hot. Stomachs can be weird when it’s hot.
Does anyone have any tips/suggestions for improving the quality of my afternoon runs when its hot outside? I typically run in the mornings, but have recently started running in the afternoons (partly due to timing/scheduling issues and partly to better simulate the end of an Ironman). Is this something that I will eventually just adapt to?
I went for a run in the afternoon the other day and had to stop at a water fountain approximately every 2km to drench my shirt and hat to remain comfortable.
I abhor running in the heat, particularly in the sun. The answer to your question is that heat-associated training acclimation begins immediately and takes approximately two weeks to mature, depending upon the magnitude and frequency of the stimulus. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be more comfortable, but that the physiological adjustments will have taken place to improve your performance in the heat. So theoretically, at a given absolute workload, you should be more comfortable than if those acclimations hadn’t taken place. There’s really a lot of literature, including review papers, available on this topic. Search “heat training exercise” on pubmed.
I live in south Florida so I have some experience with this. A few things:
Agree with most here. But re heat exhaustion it’s been one of the most unjustifiably hyped occurances in endurance sport. The facts are clear from years of data that especially in marathon running and ironman that more athletes have died from over drinking (EAH) than heat stroke or dehydration.
Run more in the heat and try keeping your upper body covered as much as possible, arm sleeves work well especially with water on them, that helps to cool you. Just drink when you’re thirsty and the more you run in heat the better you’ll adapt. Humans are better at than any animal in heat when it comes to running.
You probably don’t sweat up to 2l per hour in 90% humidity. Drink to thirst my ass.
I live in south Florida so I have some experience with this. A few things:
Agree with most here. But re heat exhaustion it’s been one of the most unjustifiably hyped occurances in endurance sport. The facts are clear from years of data that especially in marathon running and ironman that more athletes have died from over drinking (EAH) than heat stroke or dehydration.
Run more in the heat and try keeping your upper body covered as much as possible, arm sleeves work well especially with water on them, that helps to cool you. Just drink when you’re thirsty and the more you run in heat the better you’ll adapt. Humans are better at than any animal in heat when it comes to running.