Miles 288.5-293: Beating the Heat

The following chart is taken from Mindy Solkin's  "Runnning in the Heat; Respect Your Body, Respect the Heat"

HEAT INDEX CHART


As yesterday at 5:55 found my home experiencing 97°F at 35% humidity, my post-work 5-mile run would have put me squarely in the 105°-110°F apparent temperature (orange) range, which Ms. Solkin describes as the range at which "heat cramps or heat exhaustion [is] likely."

Thankfully, I can't recollect suffering from either. However, I've mentioned before that I tend to hit a wall if I run in the heat, and this little blurb finally helped me understand why:

Overheating is the result of inadequate cooling; when the body cannot keep up with the demands of evaporation of water from your skin. When the body heats up internally, it starts to sweat and sends more blood to the skin where it is cooled by coming into contact with the relatively cooler skin. However, while running, your body's demand for oxygen to the muscles means less blood will flow to the skin and this is when overheating occurs. And thus begins the tug-of-war within your body, especially if you want to keep up a certain pace. Either the blood (and oxygen) goes to your muscles to keep up with the pace demands and you start to overheat because less blood is going to the skin for cooling - OR - the blood goes to the skin for cooling, but less blood goes to your working muscles meaning you'll be forced slow down. 

Obviously, I fall into the latter category.  I sweat profusely, turn a violent shade of red, and then as I begin to feel light-headed, my legs simply won't move faster than a shuffle. Which, I suppose is better than dealing with fainting spells or rapid-onset muscle spasms of the excruciating kind.

Though, it does make me feel like a bit of a wimp compared to my husband. I've struggled for a long time to try and explain exactly how I feel and how running slower isn't really a choice for me in certain temperatures.

Thankfully, John Hanc's article "The Heat is On" in the latest Runner's World came to my rescue. I am simply an inferior specimen (i.e. one who's core temperature increases more quickly than my running machine of a husband) who needs to spend some time figuring out exactly what I need to do to hydrate and cool during long runs outside.

Or, as did yesterday, I can - and should - opt to go to the air-conditioned gym.

Once again, I emerged victorious.

Miles 288.5-293: Erin 3, Treadmill 0.