Summertime training - HYDRATE

Here in South Central Texas we are nearing the traditional cap of the summertime heat, at least that’s what the statistics tell us. However, anyone who has trained for the Fall race season knows that there are still brutal heat conditions which linger through August, often not allowing any appreciable cooling until early or mid-September.

For about six years I lived and worked in Mexico, first Mexico City, then Toluca (at 9,000 feet!) and finally in Xalapa, capital of the State of Veracruz. Each of those places presented conditions which had to be solved in order to run, walk, or otherwise maintain some degree of aerobic fitness. Truth is, I ran a little in Toluca and raced a few times in Xalapa, but didn’t really become a runner until well after returning to San Antonio 20 years ago. The point of this is to say that when I moved back to San Antonio, in late August, I was expecting the same brutal heat I had escaped from in my move to Mexico. Lo and behold, a cool front actually arrived in South Texas on Labor Day weekend, forcing me to actually lay a blanket out on my bed. Could my memory have really been so wrong about hot Septembers and Octobers of the past? As those first fronts of any year are wont to do, this one lingered only for a few days and life gradually slipped back to what I had remembered.

In the Summer season in this part of the world we must choose our running time carefully. Obviously, mid-day or early to mid afternoon just won’t do. I have run a few times lately mid to late morning and it is possible, if not exactly fun. The real runners, of course, at least those with regular work schedules, run in the relative cool of the morning, though that cool might only be 79 or 80 degrees. Recent lows have been about 75 or 76, but of course that won’t last you long if it’s the day of your long run.

I recently got this note from Heather McCoy, a runner in Ft. Worth who had just subscribed to my podcast iExercise:

“It sounds like I subscribed to the iExercise podcast just in time. I am glad you are back podcasting and am looking forward to hearing about all the preparation for the Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon. I have a fondness for San Antonio and lived there for four years when I was attending Trinity University.

“I will be running the half marathon and my friend is running the full marathon. We are training with the Fort Worth Luke's Locker Get Fit training program. I am guessing there will be anywhere from 30 to 40 people from this program participating in the Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon.

“I will make sure to pass on the link to your podcast. We will all appreciate any tips you may have.

“I am also glad to be listening to a podcast by someone who is training for the same event in very similar weather conditions (mainly hot). I was listening to another running podcast just the other day while I was running at 6 a.m. with the temperature already at 80+ degrees. The podcast was recorded on 20 July. The gentleman recording the podcast lives in New England and mentioned that he was getting ready for his long run. It was early in the morning and already hot – about 60 degrees! I had to laugh.

“Good luck with your running. And I will see you in November.”

Thank you Heather for subscribing to the podcast, and I do hope to offer some good training tips for helping runners get safely through this most trying of training seasons. In fact, here’s something I ran into a few years ago, at about this time of year, which will emphasize the importance of carrying water with you while you run.

My work schedule is such (I get off work at midnight) that I often run at 1 or 2 in the morning. I was out on one such early morning run with a goal of 15 miles. My route took me through several parks which normally had functioning water fountains. For some reason unknown to me, each fountain was turned off. I had counted on this for my hydration and therefore hadn’t carried any water with me, nor did I have any money with me which could have bought a Gatorade at a deconvenience store. I finally slipped into the grounds of a church and guzzled water from a hose, hopeful my stealth wouldn’t arouse the attention of the police cruisers. By the time I finally got water, I was pretty seriously dehydrated (the general rule is that by the time you sense thirst, you are already past due taking a drink) and ended up walking miserably the last three miles of my route. Ever since, I always carry hydration with me, not just water, but a fluid with good electrolyte replacement such as Hammer Heed or, if you prefer, Gatorade.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. And happy training. Have a great time with whatever races are on your agenda. I, like so many others, am training for the inaugural Rock’nRoll San Antonio Marathon on November 16, 2008.