Super, crazy high humidity for my run this morning. When I left the house at 7:30, it was 77°F with a dewpoint of 75°. It gets plenty humid around here in the summertime, but that dewpoint is about as high as it ever gets this far inland. 75-plus dewpoints are much more common on the coast. Having run 11 miles Saturday and biked 35 miles Sunday, I was just looking to take a nice, short, easy recovery type of run. I ended up going 5.5 miles at around 12:15/mile, which is shorter and slower than I’ve run at any time in recent memory. My strategy for running in the heat/humidity is continually evolving, but in general, it involves:
- Aggressively seeking shade along my route (although with a 75° dewpoint, even heavy shade doesn’t provide much relief).
- Taking it easy. Any time I start to feel like I’m pressing, I dial it back a notch, always trying to maintain that magical 180-steps-per-minute cadence. The result is often a super-slow pace (like today’s), but less of a tendency to overheat and “bonk out”.
- Refilling my water bottle along the way. My usual weekday route has a filling station at about the halfway point, which I didn’t start taking advantage of until this year. Last year, I bought a 1.5L hydration pack, but I haven’t used it yet this year, as it’s generally easier to carry my 16oz soft water bottle and refill it along the way. 1.5L is a lot of water to carry on my back, and in high humidity, I really sweat a lot more when wearing the pack. I think it’ll be more useful during long, unsupported runs in cooler weather.
- During the second half of the run, pouring water over my head/face instead of drinking it. At that point, even if I’m thirsty/dehydrated, drinking isn’t going to help me finish the run. However, if it’s really hot/humid, often my face will start feeling hot, which is an early sign that I’m starting to overheat. In past years, I’ve cut many runs short for that reason. Pouring cool water over my face cools me down almost instantly, and gives me a second wind. A little bit goes a long way, too. Then, when I get home, I load up on fluids and electrolytes (my latest kick is drinking diluted pickle juice).
My running wardrobe has improved as well. I’ve been using compression shorts for a few years now, and they prevent heat rash in the thigh/groin area that has plagued me in the past. I also swear by my SweatHawg double-thickness headbands, which keep perspiration from dripping into my eyes and burning. This year, I invested in a couple of snug-fitting, sweat-wicking running shirts, and I like them much better than the larger athletic t-shirts I used to run in.
Today’s run went remarkably well, given the weather conditions. I ran my entire planned distance without “hitting the wall”, and finished strong. Can’t ask for much more than that.