QOTD: What changes do you make when running in the summer months v/s winter months?
ATTQOTD: For those who haven't already heard me say so, I'm in west-central coastal FL, where "summer" lasts 6 months and is an entirely different level of hot than what most folks think of as "summer," so that colors things enormously. Also, I've had heat stroke twice, making me more susceptible to heat-related illness than the average gal.
Weekday short runs:
I change my work schedule for the summer months to go in an hour later and leave an hour later, so when I run after work, the sun's a bit lower and I can find some shade. I'm out around 7pm and on average the Feels Like is between 95 and 100, actual temp 88-95, and humidity around 65-80%, but with a decent sea breeze. Or, there's a torrential thunderstorm, so I wind up on a treadmill. It's probably about 50/50 outside/inside through the stormy season.
Weekend long runs:
I like to be out about a half-hour before sunrise. On average, temps will be around 80-85 and near-100% humidity, with no air movement at all - stifling, but at least not getting scorched by sun. But the reward is that at sunrise, a sea breeze kicks up, the humidity drops, and it feels a little cooler for about 45 minutes! After that, it's just a raging inferno of heat, so if I still have mileage to cover, I finish on a treadmill indoors, or in the pool doing deep-water running.
In general:
I take in WAY more electrolytes than in cooler months. Nuun before, during, and after every run.
For long runs, I drive to a local park that has ample shade, and I leave a cooler in my car with a big bottle of ice-cold Nuun. I run loops through the park and surrounding neighborhood, circling back to my car to refill my handheld water bottle.
I wear a bandanna wrapped around a wrist - every mile or so, I stop at a water fountain and soak said bandanna, squeeze it over my head/neck/arms/legs, and drape it over my shoulders until it stops feeling cool and I do it all over again.
I slow way the heck down. Any time I feel like I'm overheating, I walk more and run less. Sometimes I'll sit on a bench in the shade for a few minutes. I'm not joking when I say my summer running goal is just about survival, not pace!
I spend the rest of the day after long, hot runs indoors in the AC. Running in the heat takes a lot out of me and I have to be careful not to push it.