7 miles easy pace, sunny & 91 degree
Today is the hottest weather I have ever run in. Ever! It is so hot the National Weather Service issued heat advisory for my immediate area today and tomorrow.
I saw a few brave souls out running/ walking. In fact, YC, fellow SRCer, had messaged me earlier this morning about the heat. So I was prepared with water bottle, hat, sunscreen, etc.
Even then, I took pletny water and walking breaks as precautionary measures especially during the last two miles. Heat stress and exhaustion are real. Diverted blood circulation to body’s cooling means less oxygen to the muscle according to this Runner’s World article.
Paying attention to our internal feedback & adjust accordingly (also known as run-by-feel) is much reliable than blindly following the watch, GPS, or training schedule. This is a case where mind-over-body is the wrong strategy to follow particularly for distance runners.
Interestingly as the article points out, heat run could be incorporated into race specific training if you can predict the race day condition. The addition of heat runs will make you lose heat more efficiently (e.g. reduced heart rate, less perceived exertion, increased sweat rate).
As for me, I will pass for now.
What cooling routines do you use after a heat run?
