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4 Ways to Motivate Your Hot Summer Runs

4 Ways to Motivate Your Hot Summer Runs

The sun is shining, it’s finally time to bring out your shorts and singlet and the weather outside is beautiful enough to run outside every day.

But now, instead of it being too cold, you are battling unbearably hot runs and struggling through humid days.

Keep yourself safe, and still maintain your run training plans with these tips:

Hydration Station

When it is extra steamy out, hydration becomes super important and this may require a bit of an alteration to your route to make sure you can get in enough fluids. If you are going to be doing a long run, plan the route around places where you know you can stop and get water, such as the corner store, or restaurants. If this isn’t possible, you can take water bottles and drop them off along the course ahead of time. Alternatively, plan your route so that you loop back by your house one or two times and can have water ready for you to grab at home.

Shorten it Up, Slow it Down

During the heat, the higher the intensity, and the longer your run, the harder it is for your body to cope, and the more the weather will affect you.  If it is going to be a particularly hot day, or quite humid, don’t plan to do your long run, or your higher intensity speed work. Instead, alter your training plan to adapt to the weather.  You can either switch up your days, do part of your run outside, and part inside on the treadmill, or split up the run into a few sessions and give yourself a break out of the heat in between. 

Head Where it is Cooler

If you have the option to head to a coastal area, into the mountains, or even to trails, take full advantage on hot training days.  The weather in all of these areas will be a few degrees cooler, and there is a greater chance of you having a nice breeze to benefit from to help cool you down some.  Likewise, in areas like the mountains and ocean side, the humidity is often not as high, and this can be part of the battle when it comes to tackling hot weather running.

Dress appropriately

Much of your success in hot weather comes down to what you are wearing.  A breathable hat can make a big difference in the amount of sun you are exposed to, and be sure to wear sunscreen to accommodate this added element as well.  Dress in a lightweight singlet and shorts, or a lightweight long sleeve if you are worried about the exposure to the sun. if you aren’t planning your route around water stops, take a handheld bottle with you, or wear a water belt to keep you adequately hydrated.

With a bit of careful planning and an arsenal of hot weather running clothes at your disposal, you can keep running all summer long, no matter how much the mercury soars.

By: Laura Peill, RHN, BScH –  Viand Nutrition

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