Running Notes

I am also supposed to be starting week 3 of my marathon training. Oops. It has been hot here. And my schedule hasn't worked out well to getting in longer runs early in the morning (which is the only time to run when it gets really hot). Today for example, it was 102 degrees Farenheit at one point. At 8:30 in the morning it was already 84 degrees Farenheit. Wah wah wah you say. Stop whining. HTFU.

Normally I'd agree with you. Except last weekend on my six mile run, I HTFU'd and ran when it was too hot, and I hadn't hydrated enough before and it was the middle of the day. And really, there is a fine line between HTFU and stupid. I was just stupid. Halfway through the run I was already feeling naseous. I run on a road that goes through murky marsh water. I was so hot that the murky water looked delicious. Of course I did NOT drink it, that would be very unwise. Anyway, that run has made me a little gunshy to run in the hot weather.

What I need to do now, is what anyone should do when running in the heat:

Hydrate - and by this, I mean the day before a long run. Drinking a giant bottle of water just before a run will just give you a belly full of water, it won't properly hydrate you for a run.
Dress appropriately - cool technical fabrics are best because they breathe, hat and/or sunglasses are a must.
SUNBLOCK - because skin cancer sucks, worse than putting on sunblock. Use a sport type, or water resistant and reapply if you're going on a really long run.
Run early in the morning or late in the day - i.e. the coolest part of the day and when the sun is weakest.
Pick a shady route
Don't push it - take breaks when necessary. A PR at the expense of heat exhaustion doesn't really make sense. And don't pick your hardest hill route when the temperature soars, save it for a cooler day.