Chicago is boasting some seriously warm temperatures right now, as is the rest of the country. Instead of a lengthy post today I wanted to just do a quick one with some reminders for hot weather running. Right now many of you are in marathon training as well as for other distances. Summer is race season! That means most of us are doing long runs this weekend and it is a great time to do a quick discussion on hot, sweaty, long runs (very sexy, right?!).
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: Don’t just down water the morning of the run. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water in the days leading up to your long runs. Once you get dehydrated on a run, it is hard to reverse the situation. On the flip side, always make sure you don’t over hydrate as this can lead to rare but very dangerous health conditions as well.
When you can’t drink from the Fountain of Youth I recommend plain old tap water too!
LSD means long and slow: Long runs are meant to be done at a slower pace than your other weekly runs. It is perfectly acceptable to go 30 seconds to even a minute slower per mile on these runs. The point of these runs is to be spending lots of time on your feet. It isn’t a dress rehearsal for the marathon. So don’t fret about pace. Just get those long miles in.
When it gets hot and humid, you have to slow it down even more: While heat takes it out of you, nothing is more detrimental to your runs than humidity. If you start looking at your GPS and scanning your paces you are going to become very discouraged. Know as soon as you head out on a hot and humid day that you are going to have to run at a much slower pace. When the weather takes a turn like this, forget your pace and make it your goal to just finish the run.
Remember that over time your body will get used to this: Just like cold weather running or training at altitude, as you continue to train in the heat and humidity your body will adjust and you won’t suffer like you do in those first few days. Be patient with your body.
Go ahead and add some salt: If it is going to be humid on the day of your long run, don’t be afraid to add a little sodium to your diet. Ordinarily I don’t recommend a high sodium diet, but with as much sweat as your body will lose on a long run, that added salt will help your body to retain some water and help to make that long run more doable. A bowl of chicken noodle soup the night before your run can work wonders.
Plan your recovery: One thing I love do on a long, hot run is look forward to my recovery. Before I head out I like to take some almond milk, chocolate protein powder, a banana, and some peanut butter and make a delicious smoothie. I blend it up and leave it in the fridge. When I come home I have a deliciously cold, protein packed drink waiting for me. Add a tall glass of water with a Nuun tablet and you are on track for a great training session the next time you are ready to go.
How do you cope with hot and humid running? What is your favorite way to recover?
Running On Healthy 
All good tips. Sadly my “strategy” for running in summer is just try to make it through the run even if my pace turns into fast walking. 🙂
I think that is how most of us tackle hot weather. Whatever works, right?
I love a big cold smoothie post run. Especially one with coffee. Best kind of pick-me-up 🙂
Ah coffee! We runners love our caffeine. Sounds delicious.
I accept I’ll be slower than usual and will probably end up walking at some points. I take water and have a nice cold bottle of Zico coconut water waiting for me when I get back!
Wonderful plan. Something to look forward to definitely helps. And I think knowing it will be slow and giving yourself permission to keep it slow works wonders.
I should’ve added grudgingly I accept I’ll be slower. I try not to look at my pace!
Such great tips. I definitely had to use a few of these this week in Georgia!
Oh I bet! Summer running in the south sounds super rough!
Love the having a smoothie ready tip! 🙂
It’s my favorite one by far. I’m definitely motivated by treats 🙂
I love summer smoothies. Humidity was at 80% here yesterday. Halfway through we walked for a few minutes just to cool down and it helped. I also only run early before the sun is fully up or at night once its down.
I love summer evening runs. I wish I was better at getting my butt out of bed earlier. The humidity is such a killer, especially in the city. It feels like it just sticks there.
i cope with hot and humid running by being miserable. jk. but sorta. 🙂 i run slower and drink alllll the water and try not to beat myself up for having to walk/slow down/whine a lot.
Great tips! You’re right, it’s important to acclimate to the heat before going all out in it.
I think those of us who tried to tame the heat on the first try know what a huge mistake it can be! I certainly have cried my way home on a few occasions 😉
Agreed with the salts. I swear a lot and always worry about what I’m losing in the sweat
We’ve been dealing with the same kind of madness here and I feel like I’ve quadrupled my water intake over the past few weeks to compensate for it. I haven’t tried the salts yet though and I might need to in the next few weeks. Luckily the trail where I’ve been spending a lot of time is pretty shady. 🙂
I hope you guys get a break from all this soon!
Things have calmed down a bit. Or at least the humidity has. I’m no longer running at the moment so I have the AC to “enjoy.”