The Beauty of a Good Run

I love it when my fall race trainees who are training in the summer have a mild temp/weather run day. They finally get to see their hard work is paying off.

You see here in North Carolina, the summers can be brutal for race training. We are blessed with high temperatures June-August. We are also blessed with high dew point.

I've preached (my pastor dad would be proud) the High Dew Point sermon over and over, but for most runners, they still internalize a poor run as a reflection of their effort or lack there of.

Dew point is the temperature at which water condensates. The body's first course of action for cooling itself is through the evaporation of sweat from the skin. But on high dew point days (70° and above) the sweat will not evaporate. It just stays on your body.

The body is an amazing thing and your brain is like a super computer. When one cooling system shuts down or is working poorly, it kicks in a backup system. In this case, the brain diverts oxygenated blood to the skin to help cool the body. That's a pretty awesome backup system...unless you are training for a marathon.

More oxygenated blood at the skin means less oxygenated blood at the muscle. This is why you feel like you're running through sludge and can't seem to make your paces no matter how hard you try on a high dew point day. And this is why runners beat themselves up. Their plan says to run at X pace. They don't make that pace, so in their minds it was a crappy run.

Temperature can be deceptive. You can have a milder temp day, but if the dew point is still high, your run is going to feel labored. If you try to push yourself to run harder on a high dew point day, you can actually run the risk of heat exhaustion as well as put your heart at risk from so much demand being put on it trying to cool you off and make you move.

So, like I tell my runners, on a high dew point day, you should run by feel. This means on a high dew point day, if you feel like you're giving the same exertion as on a day that you are making pace, but your watch says otherwise, you are still reaping the benefits as if you were making pace.

Research has been done comparing running at altitude to running in high dew point. Results are very similar, because in both scenarios, runners are running in oxygen deprived situations. The problem is, if a runner goes to Denver to train at altitude, that's really cool. Just running in hot/humid NC seems normal and instead of runners realizing they are getting the same benefits as running in Denver, they get down on themselves, often pushing themselves harder, making things even worse.

Then comes a day at the end of August, like my runners had yesterday, where in the early morning, the temp and dew point is low and they had awesome runs allowing themselves to see the progress they've actually made over the past two months.

Funny part is hearing them exclaim, "Wow! That was awesome!" "Wonder why that run was so great?" "I felt better, even though that was the longest run I've ever done!" I run so much better when it's cooler."

Some have realized it, but others haven't yet made the connection that yes, the great weather allowed them to see the fruits of their labor, but that it was all that hard "smart" labor on those oppressive run days that provided the foundation for the awesome run they just had, not the milder weather.

The RunnerDude mantra is "Trust. Believe. Conquer!" It is a catchy mantra, but it's the meaning behind it that's important. Trust in your training, believe in yourself, and you'll conquer your goals.

Heat, Heat, Go Away! Don't Come Back Another Day!

Most of the Central part of the country and South, and many other parts of the US have been experiencing a tremendous heatwave the past few weeks. Heat can really take it's toll on a runner, especially for runners who are in training for their upcoming fall marathons. The only saving grace is knowing that in the fall, when the temperatures drop, they'll feel faster and stronger. But what's a runner to do in the mean time?

Well the first thing is good hydration. Be sure to drink throughout the day, the day before a long run. Be careful not to over hydrate and risk flushing out your electrolytes. Drinking moderate amounts of water throughout the day and eating something salty like pretzels works well or just ingesting one sports drink during the day before along with the drinking water throughout the day will help prevent depleting those vital macronutrients. If you don't want the added calories, plop in an electrolyte tablet into one of your servings of water.

The morning of (about 1.5 hrs before the run), be sure to get in at least 20oz of water. Drink water throughout the run up until about 45-60 minutes. Then begin using sports drink in order to help replace vital electrolytes (mainly sodium and potassium) needed to ensure good hydration and keep muscle cramps at bay.

Secondly, slow down. You will anyway, so you might as well not fight it. And no, you're not being a weenie when you slow down due to the heat. There's a physiological explanation. Even if you're running in mild temperatures (say around 60 degrees your core temp will begin to increase as your body "warms up." One way your body works to cool itself is to send more blood into the tiny blood vessels of the skin (the capillaries). Well, as you already know, your body has a certain amount of blood, so when it sends more blood to one area of the body, that means it decreases the amount in other areas of the body. In this case, when more blood moves to the skin, less is available in the working muscles. Less blood in the working muscles means less oxygen getting to the mitochondria in the muscle tissue where it's used in the energy-making process. Not only does that mean less oxygenated blood getting to the muscle, it means less blood available to carry away the waste products of the energy production (i.e., lactate). This combination spells fatigue and you begin to slow down. 

In the those milder temps, not as much blood is diverted, so you don't really see much of a difference. But as the temp climbs to the top of that thermometer, your body works harder and harder to cool itself off, and less and less blood is sent to the muscle. It's like a salmon swimming upstream. No matter how hard you try to "pick-it-up" your body just begins to peter out.

When running in the heat, you need to adjust your pacing expectations, especially in a race. If your race falls on a 90degree day, a PR probably isn't going to happen. Doesn't mean you can't run, just means, you have to "keep it real." Your life is more important than that PR. Olympian and running expert, Jeff Galloway provides an Adjusting Race Pace for Heat chart. He'll be the first to tell you that this chart isn't based on scientific research, but rather his own personal experience as well as his experience coaching hundreds of runners.

Adjusting Race Pace for Heat
Example: Normal Race Pace =  8:00
55-60 degrees – 1% – 8:05
60-65 degrees – 3% – 8:15
65-70 degrees – 5% – 8:25
70-75 degrees – 7% – 8:35
75-80 degrees – 12% – 8:58
80-85 degrees – 20% – 9:35
Above 85 degrees – Forget it… run for fun 

Heat Cramps, Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke are three heat-related illnesses that can effect runners.  Below is a description of each along with what to do for each condition (reference: Marathon.com).

SIGNS OF HEAT-RELATED ILLNESS

1) HEAT CRAMPS
Causes: Loss of electrolytes and accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles.
Conditions: Muscle cramps and/or spasms, heavy sweating, normal body temperature.
Treatment: Drink water and sports drink, slow down, massage affected area.
2) HEAT EXHAUSTION
Causes: Intense exercise in a hot, humid condition and loss of electrolytes.
Conditions: Profuse sweating, possible drop in blood pressure (less than 90 systolic, the top number), normal or slightly elevated body temperature, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, decreased coordination, possible fainting.
Treatment: Rest in a cool place, drink water and sports drink, if BP drops below 90 systolic, call EMS, avoid activity for at least 24 hours, refrain from running or exercising in the heat for at least one week.
3) HEAT STROKE
This is a medical emergency!
Causes: Intense exercise in a hot, humid condition, older age, dehydration, obesity, wearing heavy clothing, running in the heat when you have an infection or fever, certain drugs such as amphetamines, diuretics, beta blockers, cardiovascular disease, poor acclimatization, high blood pressure.
Conditions: High body temperature (106 or higher), lack of sweating characterized by dry, red skin, altered consciousness.
Treatment: Call EMS! Rest in a cool place, remove clothing to expose skin to air, apply ice packs or cool water to groin, underarms, neck (stop if shivering).

10 Beat the Heat Tips for Runners

Don't let the heat keep you from running. Try the following tips to keep you running strong during the hot summer months.

1. Run in the early morning. If you need to do a longer run and don't have enough time, do part of your run in the morning and finish it up in the early evening when it's cooler again. Not ideal, but better than just a short run or no run at all.
2. Find an alternate route that provides more shade or hit the trails which usually provide more protection from the sun.
3. In addition to hydrating well before your run, make sure you carry water or your favorite sports drink with you on the run by either wearing a hydration belt with one or more bottles, carrying a handheld bottle, or a hydration pack. If you don't like wearing a belt, pack or using a handheld bottle, be sure to place some water/sports drink along your route. Just be sure to go back and collect any empties.
4. Splash it on! Fill one of the bottles on you hydration belt with water. Not to drink, but to pour on your head during your run. Regularly pouring a little water on your head/body during your run can help to increase the evaporation-cooling effect.
5. Don't wear cotton! Be sure to wear tops and bottoms made of lightweight technical fabrics designed to whisk away moisture keeping you cooler and dryer. A water-logged cotton T-shirt can actually slow down the evaporation-cooling process causing you to overheat.
6. Wear a visor or a hat with a bill. This will provide shade for your eyes/face as well as help to keep the sweat rolling off your head from getting in your eyes. Make sure to use a hat appropriate for the heat that's made of lightweight technical fabric that will promote evaporation.

7. American Running & Fitness Association recommends that you "acclimatize" yourself to the heat. To do this on your first run in the heat, you should cut your intensity by 65% to 75%. Then over the next 10 days, slowly build back to your previous level.

8. Refrain from being too competitive with your buddies on your regular runs. Save it for the weekend races.

9. Don't run alone. Having a buddy on a run is good because you can each look out for the other for any signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. If you do have to run alone, be sure to let someone know exactly where you'll be running and approximately how long you'll be gone so, if something does happen and you don't return, they'll be able to search for and find your quickly.

10. Check out air quality index rating before running. If it's a code orange and you're sensitive to air pollution and/or have upper respiratory problems you may not want to run. If it's a code red, it's not suitable for anyone to run. Check the weather section of your local TV station's website. It will usually provide such information.

For even more tips on running in the heat, check out this great video clip from Howcast.