BELL LAP #41

BEATING THE HEAT (June 27, 2001)

This time of year, we're inundated with tips on how to beat the heat. Run where there's shade, keep the pace reasonable, drink plenty of fluids. All good advice.

I've found, though, that even good advice can become excessive and counterproductive. The drink-drink-drink directive that many marathoners follow, for example, even in events where weather is moderate, sends zealous imbibers scurrying to the bushes and porta-potties over and over again for relief. Worse, an excessive intake of plain water can lead to hyponatremia, a life-threatening low concentration of sodium in the bloodstream. The situation is correctible by using a sports drinks that includes electrolytes, but for runners schooled to drink water till it hurts, the notion that there's a limit may fall on deaf, waterlogged ears.

The heat-beating advice I really wonder about, though, is: "Run early in the day." Running in warm weather is so dangerous--so the theory goes--and the possibility of heatstroke so imminent, that we need to avoid the warmest part of the day at all costs.

I know there are regions of the country--lots of them--where the twin summer demons, Heat and Humidity, make getting up at 5:00 a.m. a sensible option for runners. It's just that I don't live in one of those places. For all but a couple of stretches each summer here in the Inland Northwest, you can run any time of day without any real fear of heat problems. Sometimes you need to moderate intensity and distance, and you have to give due diligence to rehydration. But what you don't need to do is avoid the warmest part of the day.

Even so, I find that many runners here are deathly afraid of a warm afternoon or evening. They claim to be "bad at running in the heat," or they parrot what they've heard about the dangers of heatstroke. What they don't do is face the heat straight on and let their bodies adjust to it.

In December, 1978, I won the Honolulu Marathon. Hawaii is warm and pleasant that time of year, which can be a challenge for marathoners. Typically, winners come from warm climates. My victory, then, was an anomaly, a fact that race director Jack Scaff, a cardiologist by profession, pointed out to me as we headed to the awards ceremony.

"You're the first runner not from a warm training environment to win this race," he said. "Do you mind if I check your temperature with a rectal thermometer?"

Well, actually I did mind, and I declined. But I remained curious about my ability to tolerate warm weather. I was exclamation-point thin, and that helped dissipate heat. But I had also spent much of the previous summer and fall running in the warmest part of the day. Clearly, the heat tolerance I had developed as a result had carried over.

There are things to worry about when the weather turns hot. Chronic dehydration. An increased chance of skin cancer from running with exposed skin. Any hint of dizziness, nausea, disorientation or any other possible indicators of heat stress.

A little reason and a few precautions, though, and running in hot weather can be safe and enjoyable. And most important, it can help develop a tolerance for heat that can serve you well when you do have to face difficult conditions.

Avoid the hottest part of the day? In many regions of the country, and in some situations, yes. But like any advice, you need to take it with a grain of salt. Which should also be an ingredient of your sports drink.