With Summer around the corner, maybe already here if you are reading this a few days after publication, it\’s essential to adjust your running routines to ensure a safe and effective experience. Running in hot weather requires intentional modifications to prevent dehydration, heat-related injuries, and negative impact on your fitness. These are 12 quick tips for summer running.
1 – Slow Down: Running in the heat is physically demanding, and your body requires more effort to maintain the same pace. Embrace the reality of running at a slower pace to accommodate the increased effort it requires. It\’s about maintaining the level of perceived effort rather than focusing on speed. It doesnât matter if it screws your Strava averages.
Running safely during the summer is perfectly possible, but it requires planning (Photo: Pexels)
2 – Plan Your Hydration: Proper hydration is crucial during summer runs. Plan your routes around areas with ample fluid sources or strategically seed water along your route in advance. Remember to consume water at scheduled intervals, before you feel thirsty, which may indicate dehydration has already set in.
3 â Overhydration is a Thing: While staying hydrated is important, be cautious about overdoing your water intake. Drinking in excess can lead to hyponatremia, a potentially life-threatening condition caused by dilution of sodium levels in the blood. Stay hydrated throughout the day, not just while you run, and ensure your urine is lightly colored as a sign of healthy hydration.
6 – Dress Appropriately: Opt for light-colored clothing, which reflects more light and deflects heat. Avoid wearing long sleeves, long pants, or outfits designed to induce excessive sweating, as these can hinder your body\’s ability to cool down.
7 â Freeze Your Running Clothes: Sounds weird, but if you place your running shirt and hat in the freezer and you put them on just before you leave home, your body will cool down, and delay the inevitable. Sure, it will get hot anyway, but isnât it better for it to start at mile 2 or 3 than at the first step?
8 – Stay Connected: Carry your mobile phone during runs. Inform somebody of your whereabouts and expected return time. Consider using apps or services that allow loved ones to track your real-time location for added safety.
Click this image to see the correlation between relative humidity and temperature
9 – Factor in Humidity: If you train in a high-humidity region, be aware that running in saturated air requires more effort compared to drier conditions. Adjust your expectations and accept that maintaining the pace may require additional effort, so you may have to run shorter. Mental preparation and acknowledging this difference may help you stay motivated.
10 – Adjust Your Training Schedule: Be flexible with your schedule, especially if you\’re preparing for a fall marathon. Should the weather conditions be extreme, consider rescheduling long runs or intense sessions to a more suitable time of day. Avoid pushing too hard in unfavorable conditions to prevent extreme exhaustion and/or injuries.
11 – Choose Shaded Routes: Plan your routes intelligently by selecting paths that offer ample shade. This will help shield you from direct sunlight and reduce heat exposure, making your runs more comfortable and safer.
12 – Listen to Your Body: Don\’t be a hero. If you feel dizzy, fatigued, or overheated, don\’t hesitate to stop, cut the run short, seek shade, ask for assistance, or just call it a day. Prioritize your safety and well-being, as taking these precautions will aid in faster recovery and enable you to resume running sooner.
13 – Differentiate Exhaustion from Heat Stroke: It\’s crucial to distinguish between normal exhaustion due to heat and a potentially life-threatening heat stroke. Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of heat stroke to avoid any severe consequences. Refer to the graphic below, borrowed from www.weather.org, for a comprehensive understanding of heat stroke symptoms.
Learning this information could save your life
Running during the summer months is possible with the right adjustments and precautions. Many of the worldâs greatest marathons, such as Berlin, New York and Chicago, take place in the fall, which means you must train during summer. By planning ahead, making smart choices, and prioritizing safety, you may continue training effectively and ensuring a smooth transition into the upcoming racing season.
Always err on the side of caution and enjoy running while staying safe.
 The most recent print edition of Runnerâs World Magazine (2023/3) was Eliud Kipchoge centered. It had 8 stories that told us from his humble origins to his monastic lifestyle to a dissection of every detail of his record-setting running shoes to Evans Chebet as his most likely successor. It is the most detailed account Iâve seen of Kipchoge related info in one place.
Runnerâs World magazine cover for the issue with the 8 Eliud Kipchoge related stories
The story that caught my attention is titled âTrain Like Kipchoge (Sorta)â, by Sarah Gearhart, in which she shares five key aspects of Eliudâs training. My first thought was: how can we transfer them to us, simple mortals, to improve our running results. The article talks about how the greatest of all time (GOAT) does it, which doesnât mean we must apply it in the exact same way. The key is to harness the key lesson of each one and make it part of our current circumstances.
These are the five principles, as per Runnerâs World, with a personal commentary on how to apply it to our recreational runner training repertoire:
1 â Sleep like your run depends on it: Kipchoge sleeps 9 hours a night and takes naps. Most of us donât have the time for that, but neither we are professionals, nor do we run 120 miles per week. The point is to be purposeful about your sleeping habits. Sleep as much as your body needs and donât brag about your lack of sleep as a badge of honor. Our body recovers and rebuilds while we sleep, which is more valuable than all other recovery tools in your arsenal put together.
2 – Revive Sore Muscles with an Ice Bath: He takes 10-minute ice baths twice a week âto aid his post run recovery.â As recreational runners we may not have the facilities, the time or will tolerate this uncomfortable activity. But the point is that it works for him and despite the pain and inconvenience, he does it anyway because he works diligently on his recovery. Remember that you donât become a better runner just as you finish your hard workout. You become a better runner once your body has recovered and adapted to the stress it just went through. So, be as diligent as Kipchoge in your recovery.
3 – Upgrade Your Diet with Protein: Kipchogeâs high-carb diet is essential for his training and performance, yet in 2017 he upgraded his protein intake âto aid his recovery as well as help to build and maintain his lean muscle.â The point here is that diet is key to training, performance and recovery. It is not a matter of how many calories we take in but the quality of those calories. If we fuel with a dozen donuts and a pint of ice cream, our weekly milage or our daily nap wonât really provide the benefit they should.
Stationary biking is one of the multiple options to enhance your aerobic capacity without overtaxing your system (Photo: William Adams, Pexels)
4 – Meditate to Build Mental Strength: Kipchoge is a âmindful runnerâ says his coach Patrick Sang. âWhile training and racing, he focuses on his breath and his movements, and aims to minimize outside distractions.â While not all of us can or want to live Kipchogeâs spartan life nor we have the will to perfecting the art of mindfulness, we can separate 10 minutes for daily meditation, we can read a book on mental toughness or practice the visualization of our goals without becoming Zen masters.
5 – Build Bonus Endurance on a Bike: Interesting to note that to add to his training volume âwithout increasing his risk of a running injury, Kipchoge rides a stationary bike for an hour twice a week after his runs.â For mere running aficionados like us, this is what we call cross training. Participating in a non-running activity once or twice a week to enhance our strength or aerobic training while resting our muscles and soft tissues from the pounding of running. Biking, rowing, weight training, yoga, elliptical, etc. Make sure you do something other than running to complement your training.
If these techniques work for the GOAT, scaling them down to our level would be beneficial. Donât just think about it, do something about it and donât take too much time getting started. Marathon season is around the corner.
As a runner who seldom, if ever, runs with music, I usually get deep in my thoughts. This doesnât necessarily mean that my thoughts are too deep, but they do accompany me through my miles. When you come back from a 2+ hour run alone, you canât believe how many things crossed your mind. Some thoughts were ephemeral, some were transcendental, some dark and some, just bizarre.
I was pondering this last week and decided to recall some of the thoughts that usually cross my mind when I run alone. Maybe some readers can relate, some may think I am crazy and some may want to add their 2-cents to the list. So, here I go:
1.   What a wonderful day for a run. Beautiful weather to get lost in my thoughts and enjoy the sport I love.
2.   This sucks! Why am I running today? The weather is awful, I am tired and I donât want to be here. But I know that when I get back home I will feel better about it, so letâs keep moving.
3.   It broke! Iâve been running for at least 45 minutes and this stupid Garmin says itâs only been nine.
Shoes. Running shoes is the answer to most of our running thoughts (Photo: Pexels)
4.   I canât believe my run is over! It was so quick, and I felt so good. I could have gone longer.
5.   Oh no! Iâm back to my car/home and my watch says 8.87. Iâm not done yet.
6.   Who had the brilliant idea of registering for a fall marathon so we could train in the Florida summer?
7.   This pace is too fast to qualify as easy. I always point this out to my trainees. Screw it! I feel great!
8.   I knew I had to go to the bathroom before I left. Let me find a bush.
9.   Almost done! It is the equivalent of once around the park plus twice my neighborhoodâs short loop.
10. That was an amazing run. Some people need drugs to feel like this.
11. What a spectacular sunrise! This is why I wake up at 5AM on a Saturday and run long.
12. I am 10 miles in and have 10 to go. Why couldnât I take a sport for normal people, like billiards or ping pong.
13. No! Not another gel. I think Iâll puke.
14. I get it now! Thatâs how trigonometry works. Now the world makes sense.
15. Ok, I made it to the bench where I was to take a walk break, but I will run until the next light pole and reassess.
16. I am beat up and ready for a walk. But too many people know me here. It will be embarrassing.
Running math in your head while you run, may not bring exact results (Photo: George Becker, Pexels)
17. Letâs see. It will be ham and mushrooms on that pizza, washed down with a beer. No, with two beers⌠But Iâll get donuts first.
18. Come on!! Ditch those negative thoughts. I run because I like it, not because I have to.
19. Iâve run nine miles so far. So, I donât need to do 13. Nine is a ton of miles. But 13 is better. How about we compromise at 11? Stop negotiating with yourself and run those 13!
20. This is the 3rd time I have crossed paths with this runner. I wonder what marathon sheâs training for.
21. I will kill it next season. I will set up PR in every distance. I am going to train so hard that I will never feel this crappy again.
22. It will be so impressive when I cross the finish line in that race. I will smile and raise my arms just like this.
23. If I keep this pace for 26.2 miles, I will set a PR by 22 minutes. WOW!! No⌠wait a minute. Thatâs wrong. Maybe I shouldnât be running math in my head at mile 16.
24. I love these shoes. Maybe I should buy myself another pair.
25. I hate these shoes. Maybe I should buy myself another pair.
26. These shoes are just OK. Maybe I should buy myself another pair.
27. Do I really need another pair of running shoes? Of course, I do!
In the last post I dissected the phases of the racing off-season. Through these you can properly prepare for next season and be ready in time to achieve your goals. If you havenât read the post yet, you can do so by clicking here.
The nature of the post didnât allow me to go in depth, so this week I want to dig deeper into the first phase: Rest and Recovery. I firmly believe this phase is the key for whatever goals you may set forth the next racing season. It is what will allow you to reset and restart working towards them. It is what will make them achievable.
A great time to hit the gym and start working on your strength training. Not having enough time is no longer an excuse (Photo: Andrea Piacquardio, Pexels)
I have identified six areas in which to focus during your Rest and Recovery phase. These will allow you to decompress, rest, recover, prevent burnout and make you tougher against injuries. It is not a complete list, just a handful of suggestions on which you may want to focus for a month or two (or three) so you can reset all the systems.
1 â Focus on life balance: We all love running. We chose this sport. Thereâs no PT teacher timing us on the mile. We run because we want to. Even if you are doing it on doctorâs orders, you have other exercise options. For most of us, running is an essential part of our lives. Our therapy, our steam relief valve, our social time outside home/work. Yet, unless we are professionals or we are planning to qualify for the Olympics Trials, it is not what brings home the bacon. Our families, jobs, other hobbies and home responsibilities require our attention and presence. An elite Kenyan runner may not be able to take two weeks off if a child gets sick, because winning his marathon is not just payday but âpay-yearâ. I am sure 99.9% of my readership are not in the same boat. So, keep life balanced.
2 â Work on your running form: There is not one way of doing it right. Your form is unique to you and you alone. Changing form is not needed unless itâs getting you injured but it doesnât mean thereâs no room for improvement. There is always an adjustment or two that may get you more efficient, less injury-prone, improve your breathing, avoid aches and pains or make your joints stronger. Figure out the tweaks you need and take advantage of this time to work on them. Four weeks prior to your goal marathon is not the time to work on your overstriding.
I canât stress enough how important it is to catch up on your sleep as a recovery tool (Photo: Ketuf Subiyanto, Pexels)
3 â Catch up on your sleep: If you are one of my recurrent readers, you read this advice plenty of times. But if you can grasp the concept that humans have been on this earth for 200-300 thousand years and have not yet evolved to stop sleeping, then you will understand that sleep is a non-negotiable activity to keep yourself healthy. If that wasnât enough, there is no number of massages, compression socks, percussion guns or cold plunges that match sleep as recovery tool. And I donât mean one individually. I mean all combined. This is science. It is not open to debate.
4 â Partake in other physical activities: Since you may (and should) be running less than during training season, you could take a yoga class, go for a swim, a bike ride, a hike, or whatever else will complement your physical activity requirements. Running is a highly repetitive, high-impact activity. A 10K alone will have each leg hitting the surface about 5000 times at 2.5-4 times your weight load. Getting your movement benefits from other sources will not only help you heal and get stronger but will facilitate your brain to vary from the same moving patterns, which also provides neurological benefits.
5 â Run at a low heart rate: Running slow so you can run fast is one of the toughest concepts for a runner to comprehend. Hopefully, now that you donât need to run fast for some months, you may take time to apply this concept and verify its benefits. When you run at a slow heart rate, and thus pace, your body will learn to burn more fat as fuel, will increase your aerobic capacity, increase your mitochondrial density and your fuel consumption economy. None of this is possible when running fast, because your body requires so much energy, and it needs it right now, that all these benefits are negated. Sure, you can run faster, but thereâs a cost to that. Your body will be invoicing you for it later, during race training.
6 â Of course, strength training: Yes, I know. It is boring, challenging and takes time. I donât like it either, it is one of the weakest points of my training. But I do it anyway. You donât need to spend 3 hours in the gym 5 times a week. Start easily and increase from there. Thirty minutes sessions, 3 times a week during the off-season will make you stronger, more resistant to injury, increase your power and your speed. As you increase your running mileage, once you are strong, you can decrease it to two times a week. I canât stress enough the importance and the benefits of a strengths training program. The the time to implement it is now.
Any thoughts? Please let me know in the comment box, below.
In a recent phone conversation with a runner I train, she expressed concern about two consecutive bad runs she had just experienced. She had an important race coming up in a few days, though not a goal race. She began to freak out a little bit, thinking she may not be ready, or she may fail, or she just wasnât a good runner.
I told her that these things happen to everyone. That they are an inherent part of running. When you have good days, the bad days are around the corner. Just as when you feel on top of the world but then you feel underprepared and crappy when it counts. It is part of the process, one from which you should learn, so you can keep them at bay.
One of your running dreams will eventually come to die in porta potty (Photo Pexels)
Keep running and it will happen. âWhat will happen?â, you ask: Everything! Both the good and the bad.
One or more of these dreadful things happening, even simultaneously, doesnât mean you are finished as a runner, or that your race is doomed. Just as one or more great achievements donât mean youâve made it. It only means you are travelling through one of the typical high-and-low cycles of life, which also reflects itself in your running.
40+ years in running have taught me that if it hasnât happened yet, it is only because you havenât run enough. Keep running and it will happen. Guaranteed.
The Bad:
You will fall. Hopefully, you wonât break a bone, but you will fall.
You will underperform in a race, just when you thought youâre PR was in the bag.
You will crap/pee in your pants.
You will twist an ankle. How bad, thatâs another conversation, but it will happen.
You will have a close call with a car. Hopefully, it wonât go beyond that.
You will have a close encounter with an angry dog. Be prepared.
You will have to stop a run far from your finishing point and require help getting back.
You will eat something that unsettles your stomach and spend a pre-long-run night throwing up or sitting on the throne.
You will have a bad night of sleep, or two, or three; just before your goal race.
You will experience uncooperating weather during your key training run or goal race.
You will miss an important run because life just got in the way.
If any of these hasnât happened yet, just keep running.
Remember: Experience is what we get when we donât obtain what we originally set out for. Make sure you take advantage of the inevitable and learn a lesson, so you minimize the chances of it happening again.
Good things you havenât experienced will happen if you keep running. Here is a small sample of them.
One day your battery will die and you will need help getting back to the start. (Photo Pexels)
The Good:
You will experience an unexpected PR on a race when you thought it wasnât even a possibility.
You will overcome obstacles to realize you are stronger than you thought.
You will reap the rewards of having embraced the lesson from a previous failure.-
You will find the assistance from a running angel at the perfect time, or even better, you will be that angel for a runner in need.
You will run farther and longer than you once thought possible.
You will inspire someone who didnât know he/she was a runner to fall in love with the sport.
You will become friends with people you couldnât believe you had much in common.
You will find some of the best friendships of your life by hanging out with likeminded people.
You will surprise yourself and your doctor with the results of your annual physical.
If any of these hasnât happened yet, just keep running.
Anything you may want to ad to these lists? Let me know in the box below.
Happy New Year!!! May 2023 bring you countless, injury-free miles and PRs in all your distances.
As we turn the page onto a brand-new notebook, one where all the pages are still to be written, we set up our running hopes and goals for this new trip around de sun and we must start dialing in and focusing on what we want to accomplish when it comes to our physical activity. This way we can have a roadmap and not improvise along the way. So, come December, we are not regretting a lost opportunity to accomplish something big.
A brand new year to fill in with hopes and goals so, come December, we donât realize we have wasted 12 good months (Photo: Bich Tran, Pexels)
As we analyze our goals for 2023 and we ponder our fears about coming short, we start by making sure we are well prepared and focused by setting goals that require effort and challenge you to be active for 12 months. Below find six guidelines to set up realistic running goals.
1 â Set up a bold yet attainable goal: Easy goals that can be achieved with little effort donât mean much. Unfeasible goals that will not be realized, will leave you in frustration. So, be reasonable. Goals can be accumulative, like running 1000 miles in the year, or 200 kilometers per month, or five times a week. You can also strive towards running a particular distance or have a goal time for a distance. The key is to make it a real challenge, one that will leave you elated when you achieve it.
2 â Choose your goal race or races for the year, now: Set up a road map so you know how to get from where you are to where you want to go. Select the races where you want to excel and/or set up your PRs and then work toward is with plenty of time. If you want to set up a marathon PR, you must set up enough time aside so to include all the elements of a training plan. If your goal is a 5K or 10K PR, then you need to plan enough speed work, which also requires time. Make sure you are not surprised when your goal race is 4 weeks away and you are not ready.
3 â Set up a reasonable training schedule that will fit your life: Once you have figured out what you want to accomplish for the year, it is time to get it all into your schedule. Donât wait until you have time to fit in your training. If you do, you will never train. Write in your running and your cross-training activities into your schedule (actually, write it in, yes!) so, when something comes up, youâll know you are not available, since thereâs a previous appointment in your agenda. This simple technique has worked very well for me, so I highly recommend it.
Block off your exercise time in your daily planner, so you wonât double book it (Photo: Bich Tran, Pexels)
4 â Donât just run: Sure, running is what we want to do. Yet, the constant percussion this sport places on our bodies requires us scheduling time for repair and restoration. Incorporating one or two days a week of yoga, swimming, Pilates, elliptical or any other non-impact exercise will go a long way to make you a more resilient runner. And if you donât have time to ad that to your schedule, then trade in a run for one of them. In the long run, your body will thank you and your racing times will reflect the benefits.
5 â Include strength training: I procrastinated about this one the entire 2022. Weight work specifically designed for runners and core exercises to help your body withstand the pounding of the long miles are no longer optional. If we donât prepare our bodies and make them stronger, it is a matter of time before we will have to stop and recover from an injury. My #1 goal for this year is to restart my strength training.
6 â Upgrade your sleeping habits: If you put all the recovery tools together; the massage guns, the protein shakes, the compression gear, the amino acids and the write-in-your-favorite-here, the sum of them wonât be as restorative to your body as a good, full night of sleep. Skipping sleep is not a badge of honor, it is a mistake that will not allow your body to recover and with luck, you will end up underperforming. Without luck, you will end up injured.
If you liked this blog post, please give it a like, below; or leave a comment if you want to contribute to the discussion.
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