I don't know where that phrase came from (and maybe that says something of me), but I sure heeded those words these past couple days.
Yesterday, I was all set to run a tempo run (holding a faster pace for a certain amount of time; e.g. 7 min/mile for 30 minutes). Knowing it was going to be a hot day I know I shouldn't have waited until 9 to start my run, but that's exactly what happened. After my mile warm-up, I began to tempo (run my set faster pace) and could only hold tempo pace for a mile. The next 4 miles was a mix of jogging and walking and excessive sweating. The sun definitely earned my respect yesterday.
And today....forget it. Because I'm going camping for the 4th of July weekend, I decided to move my long to today so I can just relax over the weekend. So up I was at 4:45 this morning for this amazing 5 hour run I was psyched to do. 10 minutes into my run I felt like I was running in a sauna. The humidity was disgusting and after much internal deliberation, I decided to shorten the 5 hours to 2 hours. Again, mother nature won the battle.
Look. I hate cutting runs short. I think if you have a plan, it's important to stick with it. This helps build discipline which needs to occur during training for a successful culminating event. But it is more important to be safe and to listen to your body to prevent any regrets. I had planned runs, but the weather just wasn't going to let me follow through with them so I needed to adapt. These decisions are what we, as athletes and people, need to be able to understand, do, an be okay with.
I'm a huge advocate for exercising outdoors and enjoying what nature is all about instead of taking it to a treadmill to avoid a few raindrops for example. But as the summer temps start to rise, I just hope you are all staying smart and safe to make sure that you can continue to do what you love to do while keeping your body and mind healthy.
I know I promised a continuation of hydration and that will come. I just thought I'd discuss the topic of staying healthy and smart during the summer heat. Also, even while you are running for shorter periods of time or even earlier in the morning to avoid the heat: stay hydrated!
Happy Running and, as I am leaving tomorrow morning for the weekend, Happy Independence Day! That is what the 4th of July is all about remember?
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