Running in the humidity

[DontBurnMyFlag]

Hello everyone.

I have a question for any of our confederate members who dwell in states where "humid" is just a way of life.

I went for a run today in hazy, muggy, only to be described as Florida like humidity. I got about 1/3 of my usual route before I really started to feel it.

Any tips? Controlled breathing, slower pace? or just get used to it and suck it up?

Thanks.

[Hockey9019]

Hello everyone.

I have a question for any of our confederate members who dwell in states where "humid" is just a way of life.

I went for a run today in hazy, muggy, only to be described as Florida like humidity. I got about 1/3 of my usual route before I really started to feel it.

Any tips? Controlled breathing, slower pace? or just get used to it and suck it up?

Thanks.

I've heard one of the best things you can do when its humid is sit on the lay-z-boy in front of the a/c with a cold beer watching the races and baseball game. But of course thats just hearsay :D


When I go out on the bike in the summer and its humid just do it at a MUCH slower pace and drink more liquids. So maybe that could apply to running too?

[jmac_52]

As much as I hate the humidity, it's the one thing I can count on to make me lose weight. It's so unbearable sometimes that I don't want to eat. And, when I don't want to eat, it must be pretty bad.

That Cajun food is hard to resist.

[bluelightzgrl]

Hello everyone.

I have a question for any of our confederate members who dwell in states where "humid" is just a way of life.

I went for a run today in hazy, muggy, only to be described as Florida like humidity. I got about 1/3 of my usual route before I really started to feel it.

Any tips? Controlled breathing, slower pace? or just get used to it and suck it up?

Thanks.

I use to live in Little Rock, Arkansas. I think the only place that see worse humidity is Lousianna. Lookin at 100% humidy factor that nasty number into the temp and its like 125 degrees. Now my yankee but does not like temps that high. In August, oh screw that!! I was running at 3am when it was only 95.


But I would suggest droppin whatever odds kinds of soda/coffee or whatever else you are drinking and knock back the water and poweraid/gateraid. You also may want to watch how much salt/sodium your taking in -cut it back. That can make or break your runs. Unfornutally, most of it is suck it up and get use to it along with tons of water.

[mcsap]

In our HHH weather here ( and during my several trips a year to Orlando) , I slow down the pace , douse myself with water ( literally) just prior to heading out and if I dont take a drink with me, have one ready as soon as I am done.

I have run at 100 deg and I am happy to just have finished and dont even care about my time. Of course my local PD harasses me by way of their PA system when they see me out !

[Oscarsjava]

If running outside becomes unbearable, look to an indoor track, either at your local college/university, or a larger gym. You can get through your runs and not feel like there's a midget strangling you.

[Coastie 585]

As much as I hate to do it, I run on the treadmill when the humidity is bad .

(Im on the FL panhandle, I KNOW what bad humidity is like.) :rolleyes:

[DontBurnMyFlag]

I do have access to an indoor track, but I only go to the gym on the weight lifting days. Running around a track drives me insane. I like some scenery....and dodging traffic adds a sport aspect to it. haha

I have been drinking more water and watching my sodium. However, I just doused my chicken in hot sauce...which is basically just red salt. haha. I'll try to keep it down.

thanks for the advice everyone.

[CincyCop]

DBMF, I hear you with regard to running in high humidity...IT SUCKS!

Anyway, when I was in the military stationed in Pensacola, Florida, I would run without a shirt. It made a world of difference with regard to cooling and comfort...which increased performance. Also, there are many high-tech running garments that wick moisture quite well from the body and provide fantastic cooling.

[dnic75]

IMHO your best bet is to slowly acclimate yourself to the climate. Slowly increase running and outdoor activity. I would do at least half of your cardio outdoors, preferably more. The other days run inside on a track or treadmill. Of course stay hydrated, eat properly etc. In my experience, those that change climates and don't give their bodies a chance to adjust are in for the hardest times.
Also, keep in mind that running in the south's heat/humidity will never be "fun."

[cntryboy0531]

I live in Florida, and was running 5 miles a day in the academy during the summertime here, I think I have some experiance to this. :D

Keep yourself hydrated, preferably keeping a drink with you. The humidity will dehydrate you in a heartbeat. Try running in the late evening or early morning if possible. If that is unavoidable, try a slower pace and get yourself accustomed to the climate before really getting into it. Otherwise, just have to get used to it.

At one time in the academy, they had us running for about a mile or two with duty belt and gun, tac pants, shirt, hat, boots in the florida afternoon in the summer, then go and shoot after being called away from running. It was hell. I feel your pain. :D

[1depd]

I would second cntryboy0531's advice. Except if you run in the morning the cement or asphalt has not had time to heat up so in addition to the air being a bit cooler so is the running surface. When I was working mids in Florida I would see many people running before the sun came up.

If you insist on running in the evening expect your times to be much slower. The heat and humidity will zap you, until you are used to the heat. I read an article a while back about Olympic runners going to the hotter/humid climates to compete. They would start a few months out running in the heat and humidity to acclimatize.

[Group9]

Hello everyone.

I have a question for any of our confederate members who dwell in states where "humid" is just a way of life.

I went for a run today in hazy, muggy, only to be described as Florida like humidity. I got about 1/3 of my usual route before I really started to feel it.

Any tips? Controlled breathing, slower pace? or just get used to it and suck it up?

Thanks.

I have been running most of my life in very high humidity areas so I feel qualified to tackle this one.

First, understand why high humidity is a problem when running. Your body gets hot when running. To cool itself, you perspire, and the condensation of this perspiration into the air is what cools your body. When the humidity is very high, condensation can't take place at a very high rate because the air is very close to being saturated with moisture. Your body, doesn't know this, it just knows that it is not cooling itself off quick enough and just keeps pumping out more perspiration, eventually dehydrating you.

Second, the two things you have to worry about when running in high humidity, and high temperatures, is dehydration, of course, and heat stroke, from the body overheating itself.

Combating dehydration is easy. You just have to hydrate yourself well, and carry additional water. When I used to run a lot down here, I would hydrate myself until I thought I was about to throw up, and then I would carry a bottle of water in each hand to drink as I ran. (I would also frequently wet my hair down to help my perspiration system out.) Because, once you get in hydration debt, for me at least, it takes a while to catch back up, and if that happens, you might as well just stop running until you are re-hydrated.

Combating heat stroke is more difficult. You can condition yourself to running in the heat to a certain degree, but some people just can't really ever get used to it, and those who do, will still find days that they just can't keep their body cool enough to continue running.

To insert a story illustrating this point. I went to my first academy in the summer during a pretty hot year. The second day, we did our PT entrance test and I wasn't doing too well in the events, and was getting pretty intimidated by a lot of ex-military guys and other guys who were in unbelievable shape and were just stomping me in every event. A couple of other students and I were looking at being sent home for not making enough points
when we got to the two mile run.

By now, it was about two o'clock in the afternoon, about 100 degrees and around 90 per cent humidy (basically, what I had been running in every day while preparing for the academy). On any day but test day, it would have been a black flag day. We started the run and all of the jocks and military guys quickly ran off and left me at my meager 8:00 mile pace. About three quarters of the way through, I started seeing guys stopping, slowing down, and even starting to weave down the track, as I caught and passed them.

About half of the class (most of who had come from very dry climates and had never run, or hadn't recently run, in these type conditions) didn't finish the run or failed it and two guys (one of them, an ex-Marine) ran until they actually passed out and bit the asphalt. I finished the run in my usual time of 16:00 and was in remedial PT (for not doing enough pull-ups and being too slow in the shuttle run) with over half the class who failed the test (many with high point scores) because they couldn't finish the run, or finished it over the 16:30 time limit. :D

But, by the end of the academy class, they were all used to the heat and humidty, and were smoking me in the runs (including one guy who didn't finish the test run, who later had the best two mile time in the class at under ten minutes).

The moral being, you can get used to it, but be careful doing it.