Running With The Florida Summer Heat

Anyone who’s ever tried running in the Florida summer heat knows just how brutal it can be. Theresa and I discovered this first hand last Sunday morning during an 8 mile training run. The run started at Holmes Beach, and was to take us along Manatee Ave to Robinson Preserve, through the preserve, then home. We parked the truck and spent a few minutes stretching and making fun of a few beach bums before we hit the pavement.

The run started well but it didn’t take long for us to realize that the heat was a bit more intense than usual. We got to the Manatee Ave Bridge and I remember looking out over the water and seeing the Sunshine Skyway Bridge thinking “If the sky is this clear the Sun is gong to be brutal”. Our pace was much slower than usual, partially due to a lower leg pain that Theresa was feeling, but mostly due to the heat. Around mile 5 Theresa decided that she didn’t want to take any chances with her leg and that she was going to walk the remaining 3 miles home. Feeling pretty good I decided that I was going to add 2 miles to my run and head back towards the truck. The one thing that I didn’t consider is the lack of shade on that portion of the route. I was still feeling pretty good and I still had 2 full bottles of water with me so I took off.

At mile 6 I started noticing a tightness in my chest, difficulty breathing, and a light head ache. I didn’t think much of it and kept running.  At mile 7 the head ache was fairly intense and my pulse had started racing - more than it should have considering my pace. I figured a short walk break and some water would take care of the problem. After about 1/2 mile of walking I didn’t feel any different. I couldn’t seem to cool down and my pulse was still racing. A that point I decided to finish the remaining 3 miles with an easy walk. Unfortunately I was out in the Sun for the entire walk. I’d see cyclists, both serious roadies and casual beach goers, and wished I had my Superfly. I’d take off and let the wind cool me down, but I didn’t have it and I doubt anyone would let me use their beach cruiser. I kept on walking. Once I got back to the Manatee Ave Bridge I was relieved to feel a slight breeze. Not enough to cool my body down, but enough to make it a little more comfortable.  I didn’t get really cooled down until I reached the truck. I blasted the A/C and headed home.

I need to figure out how to get these training runs in during the summer months without succumbing to a heat stroke. It would be very easy to say “forget it, I’m not running when it’s this hot” as some people do, but that isn’t going to provide enough training for the Goofy. The only thing I can think of is to get up and get the runs over with before the Sun comes up. That means getting out of bed and out the door by 4:00 or 4:30 a.m. depending on the distance and sun rise. That’s very early for a weekend. Does anyone have any advice, suggestions, or ideas? If so please post up.