Running in an Oven: 4 Ways to Stay Cool.

It’s not winter any more, and you got all your summer kicks and gear to hit the road. Before you step outside you see the heat index soaring into the 90’s and you start to question if it’s even worth sticking to running. There’s just no good season (besides a late September through mid-October) to run in South Dakota, it’s either bitterly cold, blastedly windy, or blazing hot. However, there are people that run year round. Do they know something you don’t? Probably, actually. Here are 4 tips from people who brave the weather conditions. Like anything that you want to go well, you need to prepare for the weather before you go slam out the miles.

• What it is: drink 8oz. of cold water before going on a run.
• Why it works: Heat Stroke/exhaustion is caused by your body temperature rising and staying at a dangerous level. Drinking a cool beverage before you go out the door will help with two things. One it will help cool you off before you head into the furnace and Two it will help with hydration.

 

• What it is: Stay hydrated early
• Why it works: Performance is negatively impacted by just 2% dehydration. Dehydration causes a lot of problems on the run including dizziness, confusion, high pulse rate, and sweating to cease. When you get too dehydrated your body goes into survival mode and it doesn’t send as much blood to areas not needed to survive. Ex. Your arms and legs. Also it lowers the amount of blood around the GI tract which means that if you packed a sports drink, it may be hard to swallow and keep down. Always drink BEFORE you are thirsty. If you wait until you are thirsty you are too late.

 

• What it is: Run on Grass
• Why it works: Grass doesn’t absorb heat as well as pavement, or concrete does. That makes the air above grass slightly cooler, but it also means the heat isn’t going to be radiating off of pavement onto your body.

 

• What it is: Run by effort/Watch your Heart Rate
• Why it works: When out in the heat, don’t try to push through it like a mad man chasing his kill for the day. Be smart and keep a similar effort as your other runs. Watching your heart rate is very important in the heat, because it can tell you that you might be going into heat exhaustion. If your heart rate spikes, that is one of the first signs that should tell you to slow down, or call it quits for the day. Make sure your heart rate is steady.

Just remember, if you push through it one day, but can’t run the next three, it didn’t do you a whole lot of good! Good luck out there, stay safe!

Keep Cool,
Jase Kraft (AKA Jay Cheese)

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