By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

The title of this blog post doesn\’t necessarily mean running at noon in the Sahara Desert. Yet, some Texas or South Florida-based runners currently training for fall marathons may wonder if the Sahara at noon may be more accommodating than what they are experiencing as summer hits. Running in cooler and/or drier conditions would be nicer, sure, but the sooner we accept that this is what we must work with, the quicker we\’ll adapt to our reality and move forward towards our goals.

Does anything else need to be said about Summer marathon training in South Florida?

As difficult as it is to hit the road for a 2-hour run on a 90/90 morning (weather/humidity), remember that there are plenty of runners from the hottest and most humid corners of the Earth who compete, complete, set PRs, and even win the biggest fall and winter races in the world. This means the bulk of their preparation is done amid the summer heat. This proves that it can be done. It is a matter of adjusting expectations to the reality that surrounds us, accepting that no amount of pouting or protesting will produce a change.

Sweating is one of the most important physiological functions in our body yet is a rarity in nature. Besides humans, only monkeys, hippos, and horses sweat. Sweat is what cools our bodies and allows us to be active for prolonged periods of time without the dangers of overheating. The evaporating water transfers heat from our skin into the environment.

High humidity is extremely dangerous to us runners. Beyond the additional energy required to displace a heavier mass of air as we move forward, it also affects the body\’s ability to cool itself. The higher the humidity, the longer sweat stays on our skin, the harder it is for it to evaporate, and the hotter we remain. To compensate, the body sends more blood to the skin to cool us down. The more blood we need, the harder our heart needs to pump, causing our heart rate to go higher and higher. This may trigger other health issues related to heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

Adaptation to running in extreme heat requires preparation, the right frame of mind, and patience. Steve Magness, a former competitive runner and coach for the University of Houston, recently stated that he spent many years running 120 miles per week amidst the Houston summers. \”You DO adapt a bit,\” he says. \”But it comes from going really slow, by feel, just getting it in for a few weeks before you magically start feeling better.\”

This \”magically\” word is nothing but a synonym for \”adaptation,\” meaning that the body learns to adjust to its environment, optimizes its resources, gets stronger, and becomes able to recover better and faster, allowing you to proceed with your training. Pushing through the muggy weather with the outdated no-pain-no-gain concept will eventually backfire and sideline you, either from exhaustion, injury, burnout, or a combination of all three.

“Don’t do anything stupid in extreme heat. Just get through it.” – Steve Magness

In a recent social media post, Magness provides 5 important and simple tips to run and adapt to running in extreme heat:

1 – Hydrate.
2 – Go by feel. Forget pace.
3 – Run by time.
4 – Don\’t try to do anything hard or long.
5 – Jump in the pool or take a cold shower afterward.

Magness\’ conclusion is simple and direct: “Don\’t do anything stupid in extreme heat. Just get through it.\”

For more tips on running during the summer, click here to check out my recent blog post on the subject. 

Serendipitously, as I was finishing this blog post, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon, medical reporter, and writer, posted a video on CNN.com explaining the physiology and dangers of exercising in extreme heat. I highly recommend everyone reading this to invest 3 minutes of their lives in understanding this video.