Hottest July on record!

Read more about running and heatstroke 
at livestrong.com

Besides the debt crisis, the hottest news of the day is that last month was the hottest July on record.  Cool!  I can say with non-airconditioned bragging rights that I ran outside every single day of the hottest July since the US weather bureau started keeping track, and I survived!  So has my daughter, who is farther along in her training than I am.  Whereas my maximum distance so far is 6 miles, she's running up to 11 miles at a stretch.  She's happy when the temperature is below 80 degrees in the morning, and dreading heading back to Texas where she has to run before dawn or risk heat exhaustion.  


Overheating during running is risky business.  Every distance runner is accustomed to pushing his or her body past the comfort zone for the purpose of higher training.  Most of the time this is a good thing, allowing athletes to increase fitness and endurance so that they can run farther and faster over time.  But there are some discomforts that should not be ignored. If your core body temperature exceeds 105 degrees Fahrenheit you are in grave danger of heatstroke. Heatstroke can be fatal. 


Every athlete needs to learn the symptoms his or her body exhibits when approaching heat exhaustion (core body temperature above 102 degrees Fahrenheit), and to STOP and COOL DOWN before heatstroke occurs. Below is a list of danger signs from the Fellrnr heat acclimation training protocol:

The following can be symptoms of heat stroke:

• Nausea or vomiting. These symptoms can occur before true heatstroke, as running makes digestion harder.

• Weakness. An unusual muscular weakness could be due to low blood sugar, but elevated core temperature also creates weakness.

• Headache. This can also be caused by dehydration, or low blood sugar. Having had headaches from each of the three causes, I have found the type of headache is different. My limited experience is that a headache cased by heat is particularly painful and intense.

• Dizziness or confusion. This is a serious symptom that suggests either extremely low blood sugar or heatstroke.

Keepin' cool, até amanhã... 
8/2/11 - 3.2 miles | 38 mins | 5.1 mph | 358 kcal