Beat The Heat

It’s not an NBA Finals chant.  With all the 90 degree days Atlanta has been having, time to find some ways to beat the heat.  From Runner’s World online…

Beat The Heat

Most of us train through several weeks of hot weather. Our man went running with some heat-tested veterans--and took notes. Here's what he learned about training, dressing, drinking, and thriving in the hot spots

By John Hanc

Published 07/05/2007

Beep-beep-beep-beep.

The alarm clock jolted me into consciousness. I opened my eyes, looked around. Darkness. Stumbled out of bed, parted the curtains, and squinted out the window. More darkness.

There I stood, dazed and confused. I looked back at the clock. 3:00. Then I remembered. I was in Phoenix for a business trip; it was early...very early...on a Saturday in August, and I was going for a run.

I was training for a marathon, and my schedule called for a two-hour run. So before I left for Phoenix, I had contacted the Arizona Road Racers and asked if I could tag along with them that weekend. The club president, Mike Sheedy, e-mailed me back. "There are several training groups I can set you up with," he wrote. "Would you like to go out on Saturday morning?" You bet, I responded, envisioning an early morning long run starting at, oh, say, 7:30.

Shortly after I arrived in Phoenix and checked in at my hotel, the phone rang. "Mike sent us," said the voice on the other end. "We have a 14-mile run planned for tomorrow, and we heard you'd like to join us." Yes, definitely! "We run on trails in South Mountain Park. It's beautiful." Sounds great! "And we can pick you up at your hotel." Works for me! "Good, we'll be there at 3:30." Hmmm. "Three thirty?" I finally asked. "In the morning?" There was a chuckle on the other end of the line. "We try to start around 4 o'clock. That's the only time we can run out here."

It was my first lesson in heat training the way the pros--runners, like those in the Valley of the Sun, who have to deal with searing heat, choking humidity, or both for much of the year--do it. And considering what many scientists (to say nothing of Al Gore) are saying about the warming of the planet, we may all be joining these heat vets soon. So best to pay attention now.

Read on here.