Season Change

Here we go, the first few cool days are upon us and don't get me wrong, even though today is the last day of summer, I know it's not the last day of hot weather for sure. But here are some things to think about when you are out training and the weather is giving you somewhat of a break from what we are used to.

Hydration: we did a 4 hour ride and a 40 minute run yesterday and I constantly had to remind myself to hydrate. It took me an hour or so to really start sweating but that means nothing in the scheme of things when you’re training for your goal. You have to continue to hydrate no matter the temperature, no matter how you feel. Now you may not need as much, and you may not be tempted to take what you’re drinking and pour it over your head to cool off, but don't wait until you are so thirsty it's too late. Don't wait just because you're not sweating, or leaving sweat foot prints on the ground. Sip, take in water, and whatever energy you may need, it's just as important in hot weather as it is in cool weather.

Body Glide anyone? With the good comes the bad, so when it's hot you in most cases create your own body glide in what we call body sweat, and that's good. But when it cools off and you’re less sweaty, here comes friction and blisters. Feet, legs, under arms, toes… you probably have a chafing story of your own we have not heard of, but make sure you’re taking care of this before it happens. It's inevitable for some, the weather cools and you sweat less and then all of a sudden here come blisters and chafing. When the weather changes here, it's such a relief for some of us that we need to transition how we are training, and how we treat ourselves when we are training. I know it's not as complicated as heavy layers of clothing, covering your face, and wearing yak traks on your shoes so you don't slip on the ice. But our transition is just as important as any other runner in this country, it's just sometimes we get to run year around in shorts, not bad huh?

Robert Espinoza
"Keep Your Chin Up for Strength, and Down For Prayer"
Fleet Feet Sports Savannah