How to Love Running in the Heat
Step 1: Complain.
For runners, summer is a time of particular joy—and particular misery. Running in the heat is like “peak” running. Everything about it is exaggerated. It’s harder and usually slower, too. There are new levels of discomfort: mega chafing, blisters, and sunburns that leave behind atrocious sports bra and/or watch tan lines. But there’s also more freedom in it.
I’ve had to work up to this, but my favorite thing about summer running now is wearing my shortest shorts and no shirt and not giving a single fuck. Bonus if you do 4 or 5 miles during the hottest part of the day on a beach boardwalk, and then run directly into the ocean in your clothes afterward. You’re already drenched in salt water, so what’s a bit more?
One of the things that’s helped me fall in love with this particular season is that I refuse to train all that hard in the summer. Two years ago I did the bulk of my marathon training in July and August. I could have made my life easier by waking up earlier, but that never seemed to happen so I’d end up running miles 13 to 16 of a 20 mile run during the hottest part of the day.
The following summer, I tried to train for a half starting in June, but I just never found a groove. After skipping two long runs in a row, I allowed myself a gracious exit. I decided henceforth I’d use summer for short fun runs, lovely beach runs, and cross-training in the air conditioning. I run to suffer (like we all do), but not so much that I feel suffocated and uninspired.
The past few weeks I’ve only really been running here or there. Last weekend I was in Phoenix where it was 118 degrees (🥵), so I hiked in the mornings and did a little interval workout on the spa treadmill. This morning I was going to wake up early to do 6 miles, but I slept in (as per usual) so I did 3 instead. Even with taking it easy, though, running in the heat is still running in the heat. It takes a special approach. Here are some tips that have helped me make it through.
Complain a lot. Look, I’m not going to tell you to run in the mornings. That’s a good idea, but even if you wake up early or run at dusk it’s still going to be hot. And so you should absolutely complain about it, to anyone who will listen. They will probably console you by reminding you it’s hot outside, of course your workout was less than stellar, which will make you feel good. It’s also an acceptable way of bragging. Go ahead, you've earned it!
Wait ‘til it rains. Sure, you *might* get struck by lightning, but the temperature won’t even phase you. Jk, definitely check the forecast for thunderstorms, but a cool rain basically solves everything. No sunburn because clouds. No dizziness or wanting to vom because you’re not that hot. You may not even notice you’re sweating! Also: summer rain often ends in rainbows.
Make a game out of your walk breaks. Walk breaks help you stay cool. But it’s a little frustrating to constantly be stopping just to stop. Instead, you can make a game out of it. One of my favorites: Grading people’s yards. This might just be a me thing because I grew up in Florida where everyone’s suburban yard looks exactly the same year-round. But now that I live in Queens, I live to see everyone put out their flower boxes and make guerrilla gardens in their sidewalk spots during the spring and summer. So when it’s hot, I’ll give myself a walk break past the good stoops. When someone has something spectacular going on, I’ll stop to take a good look and maybe snap some photos of their A+ rose bush. And then I’ll tell myself I can stop again when I find another B+ or better.
Carry water, no excuses. One of the major things I messed up during that summer marathon training was not carrying water. Instead, I’d keep water in my mailbox and do a bunch of loops. Or I’d stupidly try to rely on public water fountains, which never quite worked out. Inevitably, I’d get way too dehydrated, and then need to stop to find a Gatorade or something. It was dumb. Don’t be like me. Invest in a Camelbak or flask (I have this one now and love it), and carry it with you even on short runs. If you let yourself get too thirsty it can really turn into a dangerous nightmare, fast.
If you hate it, wait ‘til Fall. As always, I encourage you not to run if you’re not enjoying it. Like I said earlier, as much as suffering is kind of the point of this whole thing, the idea is that you actually enjoy the discomfort. If that’s really not working for you right now, let it go. Running will be here for you in the fall, I promise.
Song Suggestion Box
This week’s song…
“Freek-A-Leek” by Petey Pablo
I… just trust me.
Other things to think about while running this week…
Please read about the drought. We’re not talking about this enough.
The People Who Transformed Themselves During the Pandemic.
Seriously, please get vaccinated, and talk to your families. An Uber driver recently told me he was exposed to Covid “like 10 times at least” and never got it so he skipped the vaccine. Let this be yet another PSA: this virus is only going to keep mutating. The new variants are already more transmissible and more deadly, and it’s only a matter of time before you come across one. Stay safe!