Running Mania

Hey all, as the weather gets warmer, the long runs get much sweatier and draining for me as my body temperature heats waaaay up.... do you have any tricks or tips for keeping cool?? (other than the obvious, i.e. running early am/late night, in the shade).

I'm thinking of leaving the house with ice in my hat? Not sure what to do, other than finding some sprinklers en route or carrying 10 gallons of water with me to dump over my head......

When it's really hot, I often freeze my water/sports drink the night before. Then it stays cool (and tastes better) for at least a while. Not sure if it keeps me any cooler but it helps psychologically.

It hasn't been too hot here yet, but I am definitely more sensitive to the heat than I was before I was pregnant. I am basically doing all the obvious stuff... there's not really any magic bullet. On the really stinkin' hot days (my def'n of stinking hot, btw, is over 35, and now I find I'm uncomfortable over about 27)... Light fabric, a white or light hat, choose shady routes, don't run between 10am and 8pm. Oh, and just accept that until you acclimatize, you'll be slower. I have always had a bit of difficulty in June/early July (but never complained... it's not snow!!), but I have found that by mid July or August I'm pretty acclimated. My second best 5K and 15K times were on super hot, muggy nights in mid-late summer. So I would say just keep on trucking and it'll eventually get easier. I did try wetting my shirt in cold water last year before putting it on... didn't really help.

One thing someone told me on a very hot day at the Ottawa Marathon was to cool off the big muscles in your thighs -- which you can do by dumping a bottle of water on them, or rubbing them with a cold wet sponge. A dry sponge is easy enough to tuck in your belt, and you'll probably be carrying some water anyway. I don't know how much of the benefit is psychological, but it helped me get through that race and I've never forgotten it.

QuickChick wrote:It hasn't been too hot here yet, but I am definitely more sensitive to the heat than I was before I was pregnant. I am basically doing all the obvious stuff... there's not really any magic bullet. On the really stinkin' hot days (my def'n of stinking hot, btw, is over 35, and now I find I'm uncomfortable over about 27)... Light fabric, a white or light hat, choose shady routes, don't run between 10am and 8pm. Oh, and just accept that until you acclimatize, you'll be slower. I have always had a bit of difficulty in June/early July (but never complained... it's not snow!!), but I have found that by mid July or August I'm pretty acclimated. My second best 5K and 15K times were on super hot, muggy nights in mid-late summer. So I would say just keep on trucking and it'll eventually get easier. I did try wetting my shirt in cold water last year before putting it on... didn't really help.

Must....not....say....anything......about.....wet....tshirts.....

Anyone hear about/try those new shirts made by Columbia that are supposed to react with perspiration to cause an actual cooling of the skin?

Ha!! Not white!!! (Re wet shirt)

I plan my routes so I can jump in rivers and lakes. Tresspassing at times, but it works.

Annelizabeth wrote:I plan my routes so I can jump in rivers and lakes. Tresspassing at times, but it works.

I like your style!!

I run past rivers, streams, fountains, beach showers, kids water parks etc and soak my cap or buff and put it back on my head. Feels heavenly on a really hot day.

Here in Ottawa it's easy to jump on dirt trails or crushed stone rail-trails, and I find those are quite a bit cooler than asphalt blacktop when the sun is shining.

Jogger Barbie wrote:When it's really hot, I often freeze my water/sports drink the night before. Then it stays cool (and tastes better) for at least a while. Not sure if it keeps me any cooler but it helps psychologically.

I use this one. Plus I use a Buff and I wet it with cold water. I try to plan routes where I can wet it again with cool or cold water. Then I wear it around my neck. Also if you are running near a fountain run the cold water along your forearms. This is better than pouring water over your head as the blood in your arms is heading to the heart and has the effect of cooling your circulatory system.

Ken B wrote: Also if you are running near a fountain run the cold water along your forearms. This is better than pouring water over your head as the blood in your arms is heading to the heart and has the effect of cooling your circulatory system.

+1, firefighters use this method (well, full forearm immersion... but that's tough while running!) at fire scenes.

Ken B wrote:

Jogger Barbie wrote:When it's really hot, I often freeze my water/sports drink the night before. Then it stays cool (and tastes better) for at least a while. Not sure if it keeps me any cooler but it helps psychologically.

I use this one. Plus I use a Buff and I wet it with cold water. I try to plan routes where I can wet it again with cool or cold water. Then I wear it around my neck. Also if you are running near a fountain run the cold water along your forearms. This is better than pouring water over your head as the blood in your arms is heading to the heart and has the effect of cooling your circulatory system.

I concur with both suggestions.

I love the wet Buff idea (I find I need to wipe my face down a lot because I don't like the burning sensation of salt on my face). I used the cold water on the wrists trick when I got in from my run yesterday and was feeling quite toasty. You could replicate that on the run if you have a partially frozen water bottle.

First you need a very, very long extension cord.......

I try to head for the trails and stay under tree shade in the heat. There are also some dirt/bike paths that are shaded.

Nick wrote:I try to head for the trails and stay under tree shade in the heat

That is precisely my strategy! I find that I'm VERY sensitive to direct sunlight for whatever reason and even if it's hot out, I can usually be okay running on trails where the sun is being blocked out. Sometimes when I'm in the greenbelt I'll be feeling really good and then the trail opens up into a field or marsh area and WHAMO, I just feel like I'm going to collapse. Once I'm through that, things settle down again and it's good to go. It's like I'm a vampire or something, LOL.

I also find that running at or near sundown provides me with the same basic benefit.

My long route has a hotel at the turn around point and by the time I get there all my frozen water has melted and been consumed so I pop into the bathroom there and refill my water and rinse my face. It only takes a minute or two off my run. I've tried drinking a Slurpee before going out on a really hot day and it does drop your core temp but not for long.

My long runs never seem quite as hot as they did in Ontario, but I keep cool by wearing light colours, picking my time of day (lesson learned after nearly getting heat-stroke at noon on a long-run), planning my route around stopping for water refills in climate-controlled fast foot joints (I love Subway), and pouring water on my head/back.

Avis wrote:Anyone hear about/try those new shirts made by Columbia that are supposed to react with perspiration to cause an actual cooling of the skin?

Mrs Fishie bought me one last fall. I've only had a few hot days to wear it, and can't really say it did much. Its white (which is all I wear on hot days) so that helps, but if it was actually cooler, it wasn't very noticeable.

I find a frozen water bottle held in my hands helps a lot. I switch it back and forth from hand to hand to keep them both cold. Seems to really help me until it melts.

when I did my Ironman in Louisville on a 94 deg day with close to 100% humidity, I tucked my shirt into my shorts and dumped a cup of ice down my front and back every aid station on the run. Now on any cold winter day my stomach gets bright red and sore right where that ice sat for 5 hours. Not sure what that is all about, but I think I might have done some minor damage.

I experimented with a cooling cloth (just a head scarf I brought along) on last Saturday's Manitoba Half. I wet it once I got hot and used it to wet my legs and arms and it felt great. It wasn't super hot (about 22) but I felt a lot better once I started doing it.

Runners doing Badwater often put ice cubes in a bandana and wrap it around their neck. Cooling the blood that goes to the brain supposedly helps a lot.

Do some heat training if you can and make friends with the heat. I used to enjoy winter and cold weather running and really dread the hot months of the year. I've since retrained and now prefer heat to cold weather... In the spring time as the weather starts to warm up, I start putting on extra layers and a neck warmer to 'overheat' on my runs. I also do somewhat disgusting heat training sessions on my commutes home from work: I change into sweat pants and tshirt, grab a liter or so of water, put seat covers on the seat, turn on the heater in my car and put on sunshades so my eyes don't dry out from the fan blowing hot air into my face. I gradually increase the time, temperature and fan power. By June I am ok with heat and start sweating at the mere mention of 30 degrees.

If I overheat at races, I put ice in my bra... put the largest chunks of ice under my armpits and use some to cool my temples while I run. Works wonders. At a race last summer I was desperate to cool down, so I stopped at a creek crossing and grabbed 2 flat rocks from the water to put under my armpits to cool me a bit. It helped a bit...

UltraQueenga wrote:Do some heat training if you can and make friends with the heat. I used to enjoy winter and cold weather running and really dread the hot months of the year. I've since retrained and now prefer heat to cold weather... In the spring time as the weather starts to warm up, I start putting on extra layers and a neck warmer to 'overheat' on my runs. I also do somewhat disgusting heat training sessions on my commutes home from work: I change into sweat pants and tshirt, grab a liter or so of water, put seat covers on the seat, turn on the heater in my car and put on sunshades so my eyes don't dry out from the fan blowing hot air into my face. I gradually increase the time, temperature and fan power. By June I am ok with heat and start sweating at the mere mention of 30 degrees.

If I overheat at races, I put ice in my bra... put the largest chunks of ice under my armpits and use some to cool my temples while I run. Works wonders. At a race last summer I was desperate to cool down, so I stopped at a creek crossing and grabbed 2 flat rocks from the water to put under my armpits to cool me a bit. It helped a bit...

word from the wise and experienced ultra Queen! What events are on your horizon, Kinga?

Ken B wrote:

UltraQueenga wrote:Do some heat training if you can and make friends with the heat. I used to enjoy winter and cold weather running and really dread the hot months of the year. I've since retrained and now prefer heat to cold weather... In the spring time as the weather starts to warm up, I start putting on extra layers and a neck warmer to 'overheat' on my runs. I also do somewhat disgusting heat training sessions on my commutes home from work: I change into sweat pants and tshirt, grab a liter or so of water, put seat covers on the seat, turn on the heater in my car and put on sunshades so my eyes don't dry out from the fan blowing hot air into my face. I gradually increase the time, temperature and fan power. By June I am ok with heat and start sweating at the mere mention of 30 degrees.

If I overheat at races, I put ice in my bra... put the largest chunks of ice under my armpits and use some to cool my temples while I run. Works wonders. At a race last summer I was desperate to cool down, so I stopped at a creek crossing and grabbed 2 flat rocks from the water to put under my armpits to cool me a bit. It helped a bit...

word from the wise and experienced ultra Queen! What events are on your horizon, Kinga?

A few more meetings with a physiotherapist to work the kinks out of my Tragical Hip and Pain in the Youknowwhat.
Volunteering at Creemore, running at Limberlost and Dirty Girls 24hr in hopes of getting into shape for Haliburton 100 if the stars line up.
It's been a while...

Good to see you back. I hope to see you at some event this year! Take care! BTW - I am registered for the JFK again this year. I am going to try to get in under 11 hours this time.