I’m currently training for my first half-marathon (the Rock ‘N’ Roll’s Strip at Night!), and I live in Texas. Summers in Texas are normally kind of brutal but this summer is breaking heat records left and right. I’d be impressed with Texas if I wasn’t sweating so much! It’s hot first thing in the morning and it just gets more and more miserable from there. I often feel like skipping a training run, so I can stay in the air-conditioning, but I know training now will definitely pay off on race day. So, how do I stay motivated to run when the thermometer reads 110 outside? Here are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned as a Texan in training!
1. Buddy Up! It’s always helpful to train with a partner, but training with a partner in the horrible heat (or even bitter cold) is nearly essential. It’s so much easier to cancel on yourself (why is that?) than on a friend, and once you’re on the trail or course, you can take turns encouraging each other.
2. Run Early. This is a great idea because 1) you finish your work-out before your day has really started and 2) it’s not quite as hot as it will be. By the time the temps have cranked past 100, you can breathe easy knowing that you’re done training for the day!
3. Move Inside. Once a week, I train on the treadmill. It’s not ideal, but it’s a nice break from the “conditions,” and I can work that run in any time (meaning: I can sleep in on these days). Those inside runs are almost like a reward for making it through the outdoor ones.
4. Follow a Training Schedule. When my work-outs are entirely up to me, I start talking myself out of activities. “Skip today but work out tomorrow!” or “Go ahead and cut this run short because you’re pretty tired.” When I have a rigid training program, there’s no bargaining with myself. I have to run a certain distance to stick to my plan, no way around it. So, between now and race day, I have nearly every day scheduled. (Even if it’s a rest day. Those days are just as important to schedule so you can really enjoy them!)
5. Get involved with an online community. My blog readers aren’t all runners, but they are incredible motivation for my fitness goals. When I’m slacking during a training run, I visualize all of their encouraging words and comments, and it pushes me on. It’s one of the many reasons I love blogging so much — my community holds me accountable even when they don’t mean to.
I wish every run could be in simply perfect weather, with a cool breeze and the sun shining, but that’s just not possible (unless I move to San Diego and never leave). I’d rather meet all my goals than skip the uncomfortable runs, so I keep all these things in mind as I train.
Happy running (and stay hydrated!).
Jennie blogs at She Likes Purple.
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I live in Texas too and it was been a brutal summer. I have been doing long runs before the sun rises on Saturdays. I cycle as early as the sun comes up. I avoid the outdoors as much as possible. It is sad, though because I just want a nice hike on a recovery day. Fall, come soon! What part of TX are you in? I’m in Dallas.
what is your facebook or twitter?