Took this after a hotter than hell attempt last summer. yeah, that’s a mess right there, ya’ll

Today is the twin’s last day of school so regardless of what the calendar says, it’s officially summer at our house. There are a few things that I can count on in June in Texas:

1. It will be hot
2. My kids will be bored and will complain about it being hot
3. I WILL STILL RUN

Don’t worry too much about #2 – we have plenty of camps and a couple trips planned so although they’ll be bored at times I’m sure, between the planned activities and the 8 million dollars of electronics that they own, they will truly be fine, I promise;).

But when it comes to number 1 and 3, we’ve got some stuff to talk about.

Ironically, summer is a time when it’s much easier for me to find time to run – work is quieter and less demanding and there is more space in my schedule, especially early in the morning since I don’t have to mess with getting kids up and to school. Add to that the within-walking-distance middle school track and it’s an EXCELLENT time for me to get some good training done!

So here’s how I survive running in the TX heat and humidity. Ready? Get you some iced tea and let’s sit a spell and talk about it (I don’t really talk like that. I’m originally from California. I’m just being cute):

• I hydrate and not just with water. I learned this the hard way. I was having severe dizzy spells last summer so  Scott took my BP with our home BP cuff and it was scary low. Went to my doc convinced I was dying. Turned out, I’d been hydrating plenty with water but was dangerously low on sodium and, because I’m a vegetarian, I don’t get a lot of salt in my regular diet. The fix? An electrolyte replacement drink (I like Nuun or Emergence) and eat more things with salt. When you’re putting in 20 – 25 miles a week and it’s 75 degrees and 80% humidity during a typical run, PLAIN WATER IS NOT GOING TO HACK IT.
• I go early or, sometimes, I go a little later. If you think right before sunrise is the coolest time of day, you are right. BUT when the humidity is REALLY bad, waiting an hour can really help as they temps won’t go up that much but the humidity usually goes down.
• I wear the right clothes. My favorite when it’s REALLY hot are the Brook’s D’lite Micro-mesh tanks. They are very sheer and are seriously almost like wearing nothing but your sports bra (which I will never do because a. I’m modest and b. I’ve had 3 massively large children including a c-section with twins. Nobody wants to see my bare belly. Trust me.)
  
• I mix it up. If my mileage for the day is 5 miles, I may do 2 outside, and 3 on the treadmill. Or, when it’s really bad, I might go up to the local gym that has a beautiful outside running path and alternate miles, 1 mile outside, 1 mile treadmill, repeat. I did this when training in the summer for the Chicago marathon and it made my 17 mile long run bearable. OK, so it was still miserable, but I survived and didn’t overheat.
• I TRY NOT TO BE AN IDIOT. Some days are just not outside running days. If it’s 85 and 85% humidity at 7am (which has been known to happen) you’ll find me on the treadmill every time. We are blessed to own one and we also belong to a gym (sometimes it’s more motivating to be on there with WITNESSES;) but if your goal is to stay on track and you’re in a very warm location, investing in a home machine or joining a club may be just the ticket.

I realize most of this is pretty basic runner stuff, so the biggest thing I have to remember about the summers in TX is that I just need to SHUT UP AND RUN. Yes, it’s hot. But if I stick it out and stop my whining, my body WILL acclimate and I’ll head into the delightful cooler fall trained and ready! And btw, marathon training starts in September, so I’m highly motivated to keep after it.

What’s your favorite tip for running in the heat? I’d love to learn some new tricks for keeping my cool!!

Happy Summer Running!!!!

Jen