Running In the Heat

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you are running when you really should not be? Whether it be inclement weather or an injury or whatever it may be. Today was one of those days. The weather was pretty hot. I could feel the heat beaming on my body the second I walked out the door. Just minutes into my run I was sweating. The run only lasted about 20 minutes. With that being said there are positives and negatives from a variety of aspects .

To start off running in the heat can be dangerous in the sense you become dehydrated from the heat. Furthermore you can obtain heat stroke, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and hyponatremia. Since I'm a runner not a doctor here is a link to inform you of the dangers of these items.
 http://www.badwater.com/training/hoddeonheat.html

However despite the fact that these items can occur from running in the heat is some positive that can come from. The first is mental toughness. When you push yourself through difficult conditions you learn more about yourself. Secondly you will likely have a higher feeling of accomplishment by defeating adversity.

A note about safety:
First off you want to make sure you are physically in shape to handle heat
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267-269-11986-0,00.html
If you can handle the heat here is some advice on how to do it effectively
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267-269-12772-0,00.html

Hope everyone is enjoying the blog!