Things Runners Training through the Heat Understand

As warmer weather approaches, a change in attitude does too.  I’m attempting to refind my running mojo, but for me, I know it’s a lot easier when it’s warmer. There are certain things runners training through the heat understand.

This year seems to have gone straight from winter to summer.  In the greater Philadelphia area, it’s either 90 degrees or pouring rain and 40.  Let’s be honest, we complain about running in any weather: hot, cold weather, rain, snow, ice…there is probably a week of weather we don’t complain about. You can even see How do You Know When it’s Summer Running?

Here are some thoughts I have when training through the summer:

So far in my running history, I’ve run in many climates; I’ve gone to college in upstate New York and spent summers in Hampton Roads, VA.  I spent most of the last winter in Alabama, which was hotter in January than New Jersey is in June.

Over the last 16 months especially, I’ve learned, you can’t control the weather.  It might be extremely hot, thunderstorming, or hailing, but everyone deals with the same elements.

So What are things runners training through the heat understand?

The Weather App is your best friend, and you stalk it:   

It’s the first thing you check in the morning and the last thing you check at night.  Forget about other social media; that is where it’s at my friends’.

If there is one thing runners training through the heat understand, it’s that running at 5 am or late at night doesn’t bother you. 

In the summer, it’s light, cooler and you beat rush hour traffic. You never knew you were an early morning runner until the summer hit!

You have more (weird) tan lines than the average person.

Runners have every tan line from a sports bra, watch, sunglasses, compression socks, and even shoes.  I am not even running and have a permanent tan line!

Your diet consists of salt tabs, Gatorade, and Gu.  

With all of those electrolytes lost, hydration is essential. If there is one thing that runners understand is that electrolytes are essential.

The lighter weight the clothing, the more expensive it is.  

Who knew you would pay so much for a moisture-wicking tank top? It keeps from sticking to you when it’s 90 degrees, so it’s worth it. Maybe this is a thing things runners training through the heat do not understand. Seriously why must everything be so expensive?

Sunscreen and Bodyglide are your lotion.

You and your running group all smell like a glorified trip to the Carribean.  The general population might wonder why you smell that way, but this is just a thing runners training through the heat understand.

Your route is planned to end at the pool, lake or ocean.

One thing runners training through the heat understand is jumping into the pool post-run.

There is always a mystery if what kind of workout you’ve done.  

Why is your clothing wet?
Did you go swimming?
Did you just sweat that much or run through sprinklers? The mystery is always there…

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Questions for you:
Do you do any of these things?
What is a thing runners training through the heat understand?