Summer Marathon Training for the Mature, Recreational Runner
Please follow me on Instagram @ICallItRunning Thank you!
Please follow me on Instagram @ICallItRunning Thank you!
Or, in other words, for the old, slow runner. I love seeing everyone getting excited about
their fall marathons. Around here,
everyone is getting super excited about this year’s Chicago Marathon. When you live in the Chicago area, the
October marathon is a goal almost all distance runners target annually, or at
least once. But summers in Chicagoland
can be brutal. This week temperatures
are well into the 90’s with high humidity.
Dew points have been absolutely tropical in the mid 70’s. NOAA says that dew points above 65 degrees
are oppressive; boy, are they right!
Right now the Dew Point is 77F. Yikes!!! |
As marathon training season progresses, the heat and
humidity really ramp up. My younger
friends just suck it up and get out there and run lots of fast miles and sweat
a lot. But as any older person knows,
the heat gets to us more. It just
does. So what is a more mature,
recreational runner who has a goal to finish the marathon before the cutoff supposed
to do when the heat is red hot and the air is full of water? Here are a few tips to carry us through:
1. Don’t Obsess – Missing one or two training runs
will not cause you to fail at the marathon.
If it is too hot, don’t run or run indoors. Try not to skip long runs but the other runs,
don’t obsess.
2. It is NOT a Dreadmill –Don’t be bullied by other runners to avoid the treadmill. When temps and humidity are high, take it inside. For us flatlanders, it is a great place to do some hill training. Try this workout:
Progressive Hills – Starting at 0%
incline, run 2 minutes and then walk 1 minute.
After you complete each cycle, raise the treadmill up .5% and repeat the
2/1 interval. Slow down if you need to
when the elevation gets high. I usually
stop at about 6 or 7% incline and then work down in the same manner.
3 3. Bring a Sweat Cloth – It is almost impossible to
cool down if the sweat on your body cannot evaporate. Help it along by carrying a cloth to wipe
down your arms and face during the run.
It helps a lot.
4 4. Carry and Drink Water – don’t be a martyr, it’s
hot, drink! Plan your route so you will
pass a bathroom or be prepared to pee in a bush but don’t not drink. Your heart suffers when you run without
water.
5 5. Slow Down – Seriously, are you going to win the
marathon? Probably not. So don’t get caught up in everyone’s PR
talk. Go out and enjoy your runs and
stay health and injury free. If you’re
an elite runner, you won’t be reading this anyway. Don’t Take Yourself so Seriously.
6. Use Intervals – Walking doesn’t slow you down that
much. Get an interval timer, read up on
the Galloway method and don’t let the run bullies convince you there is
something wrong with intervals. You WILL
be faster overall with intervals (read Galloway) and you will feel better and
be less likely to get injured.
7 7. Smile – Research shows you will be faster (if
that’s important to you) and enjoy the experience more if you just smile.
2016 Marathon Training Look at all those smiles! |
This old runner is going to follow her own advice. See you at the 2019 Chicago Marathon!
Hoping to smile through the marathon this year too. |