Hot and Sweaty

Here in Texas, it’s pretty dang hot in August. But at least up in the panhandle, it’s typically a dry heat. We can often use evaporative cooling techniques to beat the heat. Here are my best tips to manage heat.

First is pre-cooling. I do my best to keep my bladder full of icy cold water. A little more ice to water ratio because I know it will melt quickly. Don’t forget an additional electrolyte drink or capsules. My favorite is from GU Energy. This will help you replace what you’ve lost in your sweat.

Speaking of sweat, your clothing choices may help keep you cool too. In a dry and windy heat, you can use good old fashioned cotton as your own personal swamp cooler. The dampness and wind and heat will give your body a boost in evaporative cooling. Dry-Tech fabric is so much more comfortable to me, so I choose to wet it down. Since it dries quickly in an arid environment, I have to wet myself down pretty often. Which leads to another problem altogether.

Chafing occurs with skin to skin (or skin to clothing) contact and gets worse when wet with sweat (hello salty skin). To help prevent chafing, applying lube to dry skin. Common places I apply lube are bra strap areas, under and behind arms, between thighs and between the cheeks. If you ever have experienced “Swass” or sweaty ass, you know what I’m talking about. Just be sure to label that lube and keep it separate!

Ice bandanas are the best way I keep myself cool. Ice on the back of my neck and in my bra really help control my body temperature on long hot days. Soaking my head is another way to cool off well. If you are lucky enough to be running near water, especially a mountain stream or lake, take advantage of soaking as much of your body as possible.

It’s super important to take notice of your heart rate and perceived effort. Heat takes a lot out of you and your running will likely be slower. That’s ok. If you notice a headache, dizziness, confusion, nausea, clammy skin or rapid breathing, you likely have heat exhaustion. This is not to be taken lightly. You will need to do what you can to get your body cooled down before it turns into a very serious situation.

It’s still possible to get some long running in the summer, just be preventative and prepared!