With winter on its way out, the hot summer weather is on its way in.
Having trained for a ridiculous amount of races from 5 – 42 k in the deserts of Arizona, I have ten hot-weather running tips that I follow pretty closely. I wanted to share tips 1-5 with you all today. 6-10 will be on their way tomorrow!
1. Sun Protection – For every sunny run, I velcro on my visor, slip on my sunglasses, and put on face sunblock. If I’m being really good, I’ll sunblock the rest of my exposed skin as well.
In terms of sunblock, I recommend Coppertone Sport High Performance (spf 30) for body as it doesn’t slide off my skin when I sweat. For my face, I use Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch (spf 55) because it feels smooth and not like it’s clogging my pores.
When it comes to sunglasses, my Oakleys take the win. They stay in place, are comfortable, and are preventing me from getting cataracts.
2. Hydrate Before, During, and After Your Run – Before my runs, I prefer water. During runs, I like blue Gatorade. (It has to be blue. Yellow and I broke up during a marathon when it decided to projectile itself out of my body…you’re welcome.) After runs, it’s ice cold water that I have to keep myself from chugging.
During the run, carry liquid with you. There are some good fuel belts out there, but I prefer my Nathan hand bottle. The strap is adjustable and I switch hands ever mile or two.
If you like cold beverages while running, freeze half the bottle amount beforehand, and then fill the rest just before you head out the door. This way you’re not totally parched while waiting for your liquid to melt.
3. Salt Pills – I can’t even begin to tell you what a life saver these little things have been. After being severely dehydrated after a full marathon in 2010, salt pills were recommended to me. Now, no run over 30 minutes finds me without a few of these stashed in my water bottle carrier.
I use Hammer’s Endurolyte: Electrolyte Replenishment and take one every 20 minutes when it’s hot hot and one every 30 minutes if it’s normal hot.
4. Appreciate the Shade – In Phoenix, shady spots are few and far between. When one presented itself, I would run a bit slower, take a break to cool off, or just tune in to the cooler feeling on my skin.
If you’re worried about the consistent sun exposure, plan a loop run that goes by your house, or a shaded spot so you have the opportunity and option to stop if you need to.
5. Bring ID and Money – In my water bottle carrier pouch, alongside my salt pills, I put my driver’s license and at least $10 (or a few thousand Vietnamese Dong). If I get stuck too far from my house, I can pay for a cab, or at least stop into a gas station for a cool drink and AC.
I know some people carry their cellphones on long runs, which is also a good idea as long as you have a contact that says, “Emergency”, so helpers know who to call.
I also highly suggest purchasing, and using, a Road ID. I need a new one since my contact phone numbers have changed.
Stay tuned for tips 6-10 coming your way tomorrow!
RQ: Do you have any other hot weather running tips that you follow?
I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.
These are some great tips! I’m in upstate NY, so I don’t have to worry too much about super hot days, but we do get our share of hot days in the summer, and it’s good to be prepared! I love the Road ID idea. I’ve seen them on other blogs and think I may purchase one soon.
Where in upstate NY are you? I went to college in Ithaca. The winters were awful, but the summers rocked. Road ID is awesome. It really gives an extra sense of security, especially on long, solo runs.
I’m in Buffalo, so a little farther west. But similar weather!
Wow I never even thought of a road id with contacts or anything like that. My mom will feel so much better about my long runs now!! Thanks!
That was one of the main reasons I got one, to calm my mom. They really are great. And fairly cheap.
I have to agree! We don’t get a lot of super hot days in NYS but the humidity is dangerous 🙂
Great tips!
I need to invest in some sun screen ASAP!!
Even though it doesn’t get super hot in NYS, I’ve gotten sunburned plenty of times. Sun screen is key.
Really great tips! And can I ask a dumb question? Do you wear sunglasses/visor if you’re running like around 8-9am? I was thinking of starting to run in the mornings on the weekends but I don’t do 7am on a Saturday lol. But I was wondering if I would need sunglasses or if that would be lame of me.
Good thinking on the money – I was running past a gas station yesterday and thought that would come in handy. I need to rethink my water bottle situation… I hated carrying a handheld yesterday but a water belt feels a bit pretentious for me. Or presumptuous? Something…
That’s not a dumb question! I would absolutely wear sunglasses and a visor even at 8am, or 7am. If you don’t need them right away, just keep your sunglasses on your head until you do. By the time you finish running, it might be 10, or later, and you’ll want them by them.
The fuel belts are nice because you don’t have to fill all 4-6 bottles on it. You can just keep one with you and then you won’t feel pretentious (which no one would think even if you kept all of them on. They would think, wow, that chick is awesome at hydrating. Jealous.)
Thanks for answering my question! I may need to pick me up some new things now! Woohoo – an excuse to go shopping! 🙂
I put my sunglasses on my visor, too! Just in case I need them…
You never know. Especially in AZ, I would rather be safe than sorry.
Ahhh…. running in Phoenix! These are great running tips. I haven’t heard of salt tablets! Do you think they’re a must?
If you’re a salty sweater, like me, then yes, they are a must. If you don’t notice, or are extremely, ridiculously good about replenishing electrolytes, then maybe not. I swear by them.