Summer Running

Running In Warm Weather

We are not often exposed to consistently high temperature conditions. However, we are often exposed to dramatic temperature changes. This presents us with the challenge of how to be sure that we are properly prepared for hot weather running.

You’ll know from your winter holiday that a certain amount of acclimatization to hot weather occurs in a few days. The heat that blankets you as you leave the plane does not seem so bad when you leave. Acclimatization is not immunity: it simply means that your body is automatically taking precautions.

Heat is the one of the endurance athlete’s greatest enemies. Heat stress does not need to progress very far before it becomes a medical emergency. It may be unpleasant to contemplate, but heat works on the protein in the body in much the same way as it does on any other protein–it starts to cook!

Luckily, we have defense mechanisms that protect us. Distance athletes may not like the slowing down that these mechanisms produce, but they are there for our protection. At the first sign of any symptoms, stop, cool off and seek help.

Your cooling mechanism operates on water. In hot conditions, you need to drink frequently–before, during and after exercise. If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. For the length of normal fitness activities, plain water is your most effective drink. Sports drinks work best immediately after you have finished. Below are some common symptoms to look out for when running in the heat.

Common Symptoms

Heat Stress

Heat Exhaustion

Heatstroke

Under heat stress, your cooling system is working at the upper limit of its capacity. You will not be able to exercise as vigorously as you can under cooler conditions (but, if you’re in an race, neither will any of your competitors). You will be sweating profusely, and you will likely not be enjoying the effort as much as you otherwise might. You will likely feel muscle cramps.

Heat exhaustion means that your cooling system is overloaded. It is still working, but it is not able to keep up with the cooling demands. Danger is mounting. The body defends you by slowing you down even more, actually trying to make you stop, so that the production of body heat does not continue. The pulse grows weak, you look pale and you may actually feel chills. You begin to feel dizzy and disoriented; speech slurs and muscle control is lost.

With rest, fluids and external cooling, the heat exhausted athlete will recover quite quickly. But the body keeps up its protection as you recover. It doesn’t want you to exert yourself or a while. You become very tired and will doze off, your rest often interrupted by bouts of vomiting. Finally, you will be able to sleep off your experience, likely waking with a wicked headache as a reminder of the stress you were under.

Heatstroke is when your cooling system simply gives up. If you get heatstroke, you won’t remember much about it. You will wake in a hospital bed some time afterwards with an IV in your arm that put fluids directly back into your body. After a short rest, you will be able to go home. You may wonder what all the fuss was about.

In the meantime, people worked furiously to keep you alive. You stopped sweating. You collapsed and remained unconscious. You were rushed to the hospital and packed in ice, because your body no longer had a way to cool itself. Your body temperature was so elevated that your brain was in danger of being permanently damaged. You were lucky to wake up at all.