Seely additionally varies her route primarily based on the situations. On the most well liked days, she sticks to one among her close by trails that’s shaded by timber. Take into account the floor, too, she says: Warmth dissipates higher on a gravel path than it does on asphalt.
Jones, in the meantime, goes for a shorter loop, so she will be able to keep near a cooler filled with ice and drinks. That means it’s far simpler to remain hydrated. You can additionally select to stay nearer to your house or automotive, in case you need a fast air-conditioning break.
7. Shove ice wherever you’ll be able to.
Talking of ice, even when you don’t have a coach to lug a cooler to the monitor like Seely did, there are many different methods to tote it.
Throughout scorching races, Seely stuffs some right into a tied-off pantyhose leg, which she wraps round her neck and tucks down into her biking package. When it melts, the sunshine pantyhose materials doesn’t weigh her down—and she will be able to unknot and reuse them till they’re disintegrated, decreasing waste.
Jones, in the meantime, swears by ice bandanas, which you’ll put on round your neck, head, or wrists to make you’re feeling cooler. Final October, through the Javelina Jundred, a 100-mile race in Arizona, temperatures climbed into the 90s, and Jones mentioned she refreshed the ice bandanas at every help station.
You may make your individual ice bandana by rolling up ice cubes in a daily bandana—strive making it safer by stitching up the sides to maintain ice inside. Or, you should buy one with a pre-made pocket for ice, just like the RunCool Ice Bandana from Nathan ($20, Nathan). You can additionally strive Cool Aid, an analogous fashion bandana with re-freezable chilly packs in-built ($13, Walmart). Or strive one with crystals that holds a chill if you soak it in water, similar to this mannequin from Ergodyne ($4, Amazon).
When temperatures in San Antonio climb, Howard generally hits the paths with a hydration vest, inserting her water bottles within the entrance and filling the house that sometimes holds a bladder with ice as a substitute. One hydration pack to strive: the VaporAiress Lite 4 Liter Ladies’s Hydration Vest ($125, REI). Seely freezes her water bottles forward of time they usually regularly soften as she strikes within the warmth.
8. Tweak your exercise plan to account for the situations.
When Seely did an interval exercise within the warmth, she knew that, even with all of the cooling mechanisms she used, she nonetheless couldn’t run precisely the identical means she would if temps had been much less scorching.
So she in-built an extended relaxation interval between intervals. As a substitute of her standard 30 to 60 seconds, she waited till her coronary heart fee dropped beneath 120 beats per minute earlier than she pushed once more.
Once more, she’s an elite athlete, however you’ll be able to modify this strategy to your exercise. Should you’re hitting some up-tempo segments, make the remaining between longer or lower-intensity (for example, stroll slowly, as a substitute of jog). Or simply go for a simple exercise and save the tougher stuff for an additional day or an indoor gymnasium session.
9. Be careful for warning indicators of warmth sickness.
All these steps can hold you forward of heat-related sicknesses, together with warmth exhaustion and warmth stroke, which can happen when your physique can’t cool itself. However the cool-down ideas aren’t foolproof, so when you’re exercising within the warmth, it’s very important to acquaint your self with the indicators of great warmth sickness so you’ll be able to cease earlier than it will get worse—or get medical therapy if it’s already unhealthy.
