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Gear for Running Advice Please
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ghporter
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Jun 2, 2018, 10:36 PM
 
Not that I’m “running” like the guys in “Chariots of Fire,” but I’m getting some mileage on my feet, and I’m running into (sorry for the pun) some issues that I need a little help with.

One big one has to do with the fact that it gets FREAKING HOT in San Antonio, even more than usual this year. So here I am, needing to keep from cooking my noggin while avoiding being blinded by my own sweat. I’d like to hear from folks who actually run about how they manage this.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
ghporter  (op)
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Jun 3, 2018, 05:58 PM
 
I came across a "cooling headband" made of some sort of fabric that stays cool once soaked in water. I'm going to give that a shot tomorrow, along with more water, and see if I'm any less blind and overheated.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Thorzdad
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Jun 3, 2018, 07:47 PM
 
Back when I was running (pre-blowing-out a thorassic disc) I simply avoided going outside on stinking-hot days and hit a treadmill down at the Y.
     
Jawbone54
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Jun 4, 2018, 01:24 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
Not that I’m “running” like the guys in “Chariots of Fire,” but I’m getting some mileage on my feet, and I’m running into (sorry for the pun) some issues that I need a little help with.

One big one has to do with the fact that it gets FREAKING HOT in San Antonio, even more than usual this year. So here I am, needing to keep from cooking my noggin while avoiding being blinded by my own sweat. I’d like to hear from folks who actually run about how they manage this.
I'm in the same boat.

I've not found a solution other than running at either 6:30 in the morning or 7:00 in the evening. 100° weather combined with crazy humidity is a recipe for a heat stroke.
     
subego
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Jun 4, 2018, 03:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by Jawbone54 View Post
I'm in the same boat.

I've not found a solution other than running at either 6:30 in the morning or 7:00 in the evening. 100° weather combined with crazy humidity is a recipe for a heat stroke.
The crepuscular solution.
     
reader50
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Jun 4, 2018, 05:30 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
One big one has to do with the fact that it gets FREAKING HOT in San Antonio, even more than usual this year.
Don't do this. The object of running is to improve your health. Not to earn free ambulance miles or a tasteful writeup in the local paper.

When it's 100+ outside, believe the health warnings on the weather reports. Avoid exertion in direct sunlight. Run at night if you have to. Dress like a burglar, and you'll have running company with flashlights and dogs. Just the thing to keep you going.
     
ghporter  (op)
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Jun 5, 2018, 10:05 PM
 
There have been no “red flag” alerts here (i.e. warnings that exertion outside is unsafe). And keep in mind that this is a relatively normal temperature range for San Antonio - though it usually happens somewhat later in the year. I am managing with a) LOTS of water, and b) keeping in shade as much as possible. I built up to my current distance as the temperature increased, and in the timeframe I have available, so I’m acclimated. Between this and the trend for decent breezes, it’s not a dangerous thing. I used some apparently too subtle amount of hyperbole about “cooking my brain” and such in my original post. I just got tired of having sweat blind me.

For the last month or so, I’ve been logging an average of 3+ miles, three times a week, with only “being really tired” afterward as negative effects.

It turns out that this “cooling headband” worked great on Monday, along with a 50 ounce Camelback. Tomorrow it should be milder than today.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
OreoCookie
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Jun 6, 2018, 08:45 PM
 
I'm mostly on my bike these days, but I have done my fair share of running in hot climate. Personally, it is the humidity that has a much more severe impact, not the temperature. When I was living in the South of Japan (think 90-100 % humidity in the summer, 28 degrees at night and 35-37 degrees during the day), I could not do sports until 16:00 in the afternoon when I wanted to go cycling or, better, in the early evening. It is not just a matter of “being able to manage” but about having a pleasurable experience while doing it.

Also, the route you take has a huge effect:

(1) Is there ample shade and (unrelated to temperature but very important for someone like me with 1.5 bad knees) soft ground?

(2) Monitor how much water you need. When I go cycling, my water intake increases from about 0.5-0.75 liters per hour in the winter up to 1.25-1.5 liters per hour in the summer (and where I live now it is not as hot and humid as in the South of Japan). When I went running, I needed about 0.5-1 l for one hour/8-13 km route. Camelbak has some fanny packs with a 1.5 l hydration bladder that could fit your bill. Some off road cyclists and inline skaters are swearing by those.

(3) Pace yourself. I vividly remember the first time I went running at 8 pm in Fukuoka, I started out at my normal pace and after about 1.5 km I was done, completely exhausted. (The same happens when you do sports at a much higher altitude: start at a lower intensity that you are used to.)
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
     
Oussie
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Jun 8, 2018, 03:50 AM
 
Run in the early morning when the temperatures are bit cooler or you do in house like treadmill
     
ghporter  (op)
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Jun 9, 2018, 05:07 PM
 
Oreo, your experience with humidity is similar to mine. While hot is hot, humidity decreases the effectiveness of your sweat to cool the body. The local humidity has been pretty low at the times I'm out on the street, and right now there are afternoon breezes that are sometimes pretty brisk. That means I'm getting a little bit of help with cooling rather than my body having to work harder to cool me.

I went from a 750ml water bottle to a 1.5l Camelback recently, and that seems to have been a Good Move. Not only do I have extra water, I can make it a little cooler with an ice cube or two. Not really cold - which would be bad metabolically - but not sun-warmed the way a plastic running water bottle's water winds up. I also drink by dryness of my mouth, not "thirst," which is typically quite a bit behind the body's needs when running.

My pace has been pretty good. I'm getting about 5k in over slightly less than 45 minutes most of the time, almost all of it a fast, long-stride walk. I do jog a bit when needed, like clearing an intersection when traffic is around, but my knees aren't very much in favor of running anymore anyway. I can tell when I've pushed too much for conditions, though. On the last k or so of my route my energy level plummets and I wind up slowing way down to finish.

Oussie, neither early morning nor treadmill are options for me. I already get up at an ungodly hour, and since it takes me forever to cool down I wouldn't be able to get in a sufficient distance and still get to work on time. And I don't own a treadmill, and I'm NOT going to join a gym just for access to one.

Overall my recent changes - the Camelback and the Perfect brand headband - have helped quite a bit. My time to stop sweating profusely is now quite a bit shorter without any negatives I can find. I'm keeping at about 3 miles a day, +a little usually, and my weight loss is on track as well. Yesterday the scale said that I weighed less than I have for the last decade. My resting heart rate is stable in the upper 50s, my blood pressure is somewhere around 115/68 or so, and I have tons more energy at work and at home. My exercise regimen, along with paying a little attention to diet, seems to be positive overall.

One more thing... We like to attend the Texas Renaissance Festival, held near Huston from the beginning of October through November. It tends to be either hot and sunny or cool and maybe a bit drizzly when we go - we think the weather gods are testing us with this. It's easier to dress for cool and drizzly than hot and sunny (costumed or not) because there's only so much you can take off, even at a Renaissance faire. So I figure that, with all this exercise and acclimation to hot weather, I'm sort of ensuring that it'll be cooler and not so sunny. We'll see if reverse psychology works on the weather gods...

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
OreoCookie
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Jun 10, 2018, 08:57 PM
 
@Glenn
Ice cubes are a very good idea, and I do that regularly. (I should have added that, to be honest.) Same with drinking when your mouth is dry, especially in the beginning, you don't feel dehydration. Those are very good tips. If you feel like you are running out of energy at the end of your run, perhaps your glycogen storage is emptied by the time you have your last km ahead of you. You could add a little bit of carbohydrate sports drink mix (I'm thinking of the real stuff from companies like SIS). I don't think you have to go for the advertised ratio, since you only go running for an hour or so, perhaps 1/2 or 1/3 is enough. Even if you don't want carbohydrates, the calorie-free versions are also worth thinking about: they replenish you with minerals and salt. Depending on whether you are a “salty sweater” (you can tell by whether your sweat stains are white), you may have to add some salt to your recovery routine.

Regarding knee problems: as someone who can't go running unless the majority is on soft ground (I've had two knee surgeries on my right knee already), the best bet is to look for a route in the forest or where you have some softer surface. That's why I am just doing cycling now: there are no nice routes where I live to go running, as we are surrounded by hostile traffic lights. And cycling is much gentler on the knees anyway.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
     
ghporter  (op)
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Jun 12, 2018, 05:10 PM
 
My knees are doing well with the new shoes I recently got. New Balance has stores staffed by (amazing but true!) knowledgable and helpful people who actually assess both gait mechanics and foot issues.

I have always had discomfort under the balls of my feet because mine are "different." I have "Morton's Foot" which essentially means that my foot thrust is applied through the base of the second toe, not the first. Most shoes don't handle that well, so I wear out shoes and build uncomfortable calluses.

The New Balance folks identified that I roll my feet inward, ("inversion" or "pronation") which adds pressure in the uncomfortable areas. They properly measured my feet for the right fit, suggested a shoe that helps reduce the roll, and found an insole that supports my (very high) arches. These shoes feel great.

The bottom line is that foot problems - from bad shoes or anything else - will cause knee, hip, back, even NECK problems. My knees may not be "newer" than they were, but they are far less uncomfortable while I'm walking at speed, to the point that I have NO soreness during or afterward. And I'm throwing in a bit of actual running along the way without any discomfort. While strengthening my quads has been essential to managing my knee issues, it hadn't done this much to help my knees. It's pretty amazing.

If only traffic allowed for cycling around here, I'd have my bike taking the wear and tear and not my feet. Did I mention I live RIGHT NEXT TO a high school? Traffic from when school lets out until several hours later is, to understate it, "crazy" with occasional "full tilt bozo" driving from the young people who "drive" from school. So I'm MUCH safer on the sidewalk than cycling anywhere near my home...

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
   
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