1. Hydrate. Sounds obvious, but I don’t mean only when you are running. I keep a water bottle next to my computer and try to drink on and off all day. The heat outside mixed with the air conditioning inside is a recipe for dehydration even before you start running. While you are training, make sure you carry a water bottle. Don’t rely on there being water on a course or water fountains on the trail being in working order. Drink 15 minutes before your run and at least every 15 minutes while running.
2. Dress for the heat. Naked is never a good idea, but I have thought about it. I’m sure the Grapevine police wouldn’t mind! Seriously, this is not the time for cotton t-shirts. Splurge on some moisture wicking shirts and shorts. There are even some new sun repellent, yet surprisingly cool, long sleeve shirts for the fair skinned ones among us who can use the extra SPF.
3. SPF is what it is all about. Sunscreen or you will burn in as little as 15 minutes of sun exposure. Bull Frog makes an SPF 100 water proof sunscreen that rocks! Wear it! No sense being in great shape but dying of skin cancer!
4. Salt Tablets. If you are going long, salt tablets are helpful to keep your systems going. I take at least two an hour when training in the heat, more if sweating like crazy. Hyponatremia (low sodium) can become a medical emergency!
5. Wear a heart rate monitor. You will be amazed in how much your heart rate goes up when it is hot. Stay in your zones, even if that means walking up hills! You want quality miles, not garbage miles!
6. Use common sense. Get heat acclimatized by running short distances in the heat and building up slowly. Don’t go out the hottest day of the year so far and do a track workout at 3pm in the afternoon! If you are pushing the envelope, be aware of the sign of heat exhaustion. If you are feeling light headed, have goose bumps or your heart is racing; time to find a tree or a neighbor’s house. Heat stroke kills too!

Get motivated and get out there, but run safely in the heat so we can all enjoy the fall race season!

Ice, Heat or Beer? That is the Question.....

Seriously, I crawl over the finish line and the first thing I want is a beer (or twenty)! I think that beer is a great adjunctive therapy for injury rehabilitation. Think about the benefits of beer:

1. It relaxes you.

1. Hydrate all day long. Drink water throughout the entire day. Most people actually start their training runs already dehydrated. Especially when the temperature reaches triple digits, it is important to always have that water bottle near by.
2. Prepare for your longer training runs and rides. This means dropping water bottles along the route before you start or making the route circle around many times so you can stop and pick up more water at your starting point.
3. Drink a mixture of sports drink and water. Definitely mix it up. I always have a bottle of each on my bike.
4. Consider salt tablets if you are running or biking more than 2 hours. Unless you can carry salty pretzels on your run, salt tablets are a must if you are sweating heavily.
5. Never be afraid to get off your bike and run through a stranger’s sprinklers! You may look like an idiot, but cooling off and wetting your clothing can only help you stay cool! Putting ice down your shirt can also be helpful!
6. Listen to your body. Especially in the beginning of your heat training, listen to the symptoms of heat illness. If you are nauseous, cramping, can’t spit, have dry mouth, notice your hands and wrists are getting puffy and you are starting to feel goofy; STOP! Go home to run or ride another day.
7. Avoid anti-inflammatories if you can. Ibuprofen and Tylenol actually can affect your kidney function. This can increase you chances of suffering from hyponatremia.
8. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. A bad sunburn will thwart your normal heat-regulation system. Heavy duty 70 plus water-proof sunblock is your friend!
9. Weigh yourself before and after your training. Replace your weight loss with more fluids.
10. Carry money. You never know when you may get lost and need to stop at a store for more sports drink or water.
11. Train with a friend. They may notice your symptoms of heat-illness way before you do. Denial is never a good companion.

Heat-illness is real! Be smart while training this summer! Follow these tips, heat acclimatize over a period of several weeks and be diligent about your hydration plan while training in the heat. Let’s get to those fall races stronger and without any heat-related training drama! See you on the run! Run Happy!

Too Hot To Handle Lives Up To It's Name!

I have to admit, it was too hot for me to handle this morning! I ran the 15K at Whire Rock Lake this morning and perished at about 5 miles into the race. I managed to hang on, after puking at 5 miles, to finish in 1:17....not my best showing by far! 95 degree heat coupled with minimal shade and way too fast first 3 miles was my undoing. This is one of the times when the doctor needs to take her own advice!

Congrats to all the winners who handled the heat much better than I did! My running peep, Heather Wallace, took second in our age group with a 1:13 and looked strong as she passed me walking at 5.5 miles! Lot's of Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers were out and the club made a good showing in the age group ranks including a first place overall woman's winner!

RunOn! was a great host and Stampede beer (infused with B vitamins) tasted wonderful after the run! Nothing better than a few beers after a less than successful race! And a good excuse to drink a few beers before 9:30 in the morning!

I survived for another day! And the technical shirts and hats were a great give away!

Run Happy! Keep Cool....the summer has just begun!

Research on Heat Acclimatization in Athletes

Bottom Line:

As challenging as heat and humidity are, people can acclimate. Blood volume expands, which reduces the strain on the heart from the increased demand for blood flow to the skin and muscles. And sweating increases — people who are heat adapted sweat sooner and more profusely, allowing their bodies to cool more efficiently.

The key to acclimation is to exercise in the heat daily and to be sure you are sweating profusely — wearing extra layers of clothing can help if you are exercising indoors or in cooler weather. Given a choice between spending more time in the heat but exercising less intensely, or less time and exercising more intensely, it is safer to choose to go longer and work less intensely.

For the complete article click here.

Run Happy! And sweat on.........

Keep Yourself and Your Child Athlete Safe From Heat Stroke!

It that time of year again; School is getting out, Memorial Day weekend is here, and summer sports are starting in full swing. Age-group track meets in 100 degree heat for 10 hours, football summer workouts on fields so hot the rubber on the cleats is starting to melt and soccer games in humidity that can actually kill you! Whether you live in Texas or Rhode Island; the summer heat kills child athletes every year! If you read this blog regularly, you know that track season is here again and my girls are already sweating at practice before school even ends! As a runner and a mother I am concerned about the safety of this Texas summer tradition of having track meets on a track that you can fry an egg on...

1. Listen to your body! Teach your child that heat cramps lead to heat exhaustion, which leads to heat stroke. Stop when you feel cramping, not when you feel like passing out! This is not the time of year to “suck it up” and be the tough guy. Tough guys can actually die from being stubborn! Tell them if they feel “weak and whoozy” it’s past the time to stop! Seek attention immediately by telling their parents or coach.
2. Reduce the intensity of your workout when it’s hot. Remember that the higher the temperature and humidity, the harder your body has to work for the same speed. Tell your child to use perceived exertion as an index. Every day is different and they need to be in tune with their exertion level. I tell my track athlete’s that if they can’t talk when they are running more than 15 minutes then they are running too fast for the temperature!
3. Take time to get used to the conditions. It takes a full two weeks of heat and humidity to “get used to it.” The body has been shown to take 8 to 10 increments of 30 to 45 minutes in the heat to acclimatize. Give yourself some time in the early season to become heat-tolerant.
4. Drink plenty of fluids. Most children are already dehydrated when they start practice or competition. Encourage them to drink at least a pint of water two hours before practice and then at least 8 ounces, 15 minutes before any competition.
5. Keep drinking periodically during practice or any long competitions. Use an electrolyte replacing sports drink if the duration of exercise is more than an hour. Remind your child to drink at least every 20 minutes even if the don’t feel thirsty. By the time they are thirsty, most are already dehydrated.
6. A good way to gauge fluid loss is weight loss. Weigh in before and after competition. Replace the loss after competition to maintain hydration.
7. Wear loose, sweat wicking, light colored clothing. There are lots of synthetic materials on the market that help wick sweat away from your body and keep you cool. This is not the time of year for cotton t-shits and shorts. Spend the money on proper clothing to keep your child cool.
8. Wear sunscreen and replenish regularly. Sweating or swimming in a pool for more than 30 minutes will wash off even the most “waterproof sunscreen.” Keep reapplying. Remember that blistering sunburns in childhood have been linked to skin cancer in adults! 

Heat-related illness claim young lives every year. Don’t let your athlete be the sun’s next victim! Follow these tips and discuss heat illness with your child athlete before it’s too late! And remember....following these tips can save you from an untimely trip to the hospital yourself! Let this year's Chicago marathon be a lesson to all of us! Heat Kills!!

Run Happy and Well Hydrated!