RUNNING IN HOT & SUNNY WEATHER
Running and exercising in hot and sunny weather can be fun and beneficial to your overall well-being, if it's done right. There is always that "if", isn't there?
Sun is necessary for all living things, but in large doses it can be severe. Sun is good for your eyes, your skin, your overall health, so if you prepare for your training the right way - you will have a good workout, a bit of a healthy tan and an option to go for it again during your next session, compared to torturing yourself and suffering a heat stroke, getting a sunburn, getting sidelined and down recuperating for days or sometimes weeks, with a strong possibility of developing a strong negative and fearful reaction to sunny weather and running in general...basically, nothing good.
By following the recommendations below you will guarantee yourself a great and a safe summer of training. (Unless you're in the part of the world where summer is 365 days a year, in that case, you need to simply adopt the below recommendations as a way of regular training for you.)
WEAR:
- Hat on, sunglasses optional. Protect your head at all times. Sunstroke doesn't announce it's arrival, it simply arrives and when it does - it's already too late. So cover your head if the sun is blazing, and wear lighter colors to deflect the sun rays. While a hat is a must, sunglasses are optional. If you can handle the bright light of the summer sun - go for it, but if you find that it makes your eyes watery and you can't see - put a pair of "shades" on
. In general, sun is good for your eyes, but it can be blinding. Whatever you decide to do - you must be able to see the road ahead and around you, if only for safety reasons.
- Sunblock on your face
, neck, hands and legs. Sunburned skin is no joke. If you've ever experienced it, you know how nasty the pain can be. So instead of worrying about it after the fact - do preventative measures by applying quality sunblock
where needed. And besides preventing the sunburn, sunblock applied the way we recommend will help you maintain an even skin tone without any silly tan lines.
- Long sleeve, light color shirt that absorbs sweat. To avoid overheating, wear long sleeves but short pants. Since the trunk of your body sweats the most, wearing shorts will help you to effortlessly keep everything in balance. Covering your head and upper body also helps to maintain a better body temperature. This method has been successfully used for centuries by bedouins in a hot and dry climate of the desert.
- Short running shorts. "Short" doesn't mean
"speedos"
. Take your pick as far as the style goes, but as long as your running shorts are at knee level or higher, you are in good shape.
- Light running shoes with thin cotton socks to absorb sweat. In hot weather mesh top of running shoes
is the best. It helps to keep your feet cooler and dryer.
DO:
- Run early in the morning 5am-8am or later in the day after about 4pm and on.
- Have a warm/cool shower right after training to not just freshen up but also to cool down. Your recovery will be faster and better.
- Change your wet clothes to a dry set immediately after the training, you will feel better right away, it will help to speed up your general recovery and return your body back to normal.
- Keep yourself at neutral body and room temperature and dry. If you keep sweating shortly after you've already taken a shower and changed, change again, it will do your body good.
It would be ideal to change your shoes to a dry pair during training if you can, along with socks of course, or change to dry socks at least. It will make a good difference.
DON'T:
- Don't run between the hours of 10am-4pm. The sun is strongest during those hours. Unless you're specifically training to race in those conditions, stick to running earlier or later in the day.
- Don't drink cold water! Contrary to a popular and misguided belief, cold water serves only your moral and emotional satisfaction. You need hot liquid (like a bowl of soup or a cup of hot mint tea) to actually cool your body. Consider this - your body has a certain internal temperature, everything that comes into your system is first brought to the needed temperature after which the other processes take place. So, if you drink cold water, your body will now have to spare resources to warm it up and only then send it for further processing. This slows down your recovery time. Not what you want, is it?
- Don't drink too much water. Again, contrary to the popular advice promoting water gluttony, we suggest to keep liquids to a minimum. Overhydration is worse than dehydration. Your body will work extra hard to deal with the extra intake so instead of focusing on recovery only, your body will now have to divert it's efforts to process the excess of liquids coming in. Recovery & exchange of fluids in your body is a gradual process. Your body will take only what it needs regardless of what & how much you take in. Everything extra will go out in one form or another. In case you didn't know - your body is a homeostatic system.
AFTER TRAINING
Whether it's hot or cold, have a bowl of traditional
miso soup after training. It's a gem that will speed up your recovery. If you ever needed an excuse to try
Japanese cuisine, here it is! Enjoy!
Article by Dr. Nicholas Romanov
Composed by L. Romanov
