Well tonight I have learnt the importance of keeping your mouth closed when running past farm animals on a sultry evening - flies yuk. I mastered the art of sieving the air through my teeth 😬.
Interesting... I found myself out in the heat yesterday (the car said 29 when I got back and if anything it was in a less exposed spot) I'd dropped precious firstborn off to be examined in Geography A level and, having, at his request, tested him not long before I really needed a run to keep the anxiety at bay!
I do cotton! (Although my bottoms weren't on this occasion, because it was hot enough even for me to run capri and in a short sleeved t shirt)
I never normally take drinks with me but I did on this occasion (I always keep water in the car - it's an Onya bottle with a neoprene cover which keeps it pleasantly cool)
I always carry an Onyabackpack in my bag - so I could lob the water bottle in there. To make annoying sloshing noises. And I took the fold flat dog bowl.
I had a small bottle of sunblock (labelled immediate protection) in my bag which I used before setting out. My usual moisturiser does have some SPF which is some help if it isn't too long since I applied it.
Planned a shorter route than the 10k I had in mind and planned a stop at the turn point where I knew there was somewhere to sit in shade.
Tipped the water in the bowl that she didn't drink over the dog before starting again "What do you mean looking at me like that? You're a spaniel, you love water!"
What did I regret? Not taking a buff with me to keep the sun off my head and/or the sweat out of my eyes. Not having bought a Peak Park Authority parking pass (as soon as I got home I rang up for one)
Hat, suncream, run on the shady side of the road, take water even if you don't usually need it, sometimes it helps just to have a sip and I also pour some on my wrists to cool down.
Hmm. Clothes in the freezer. Haven't tried that yet. But there have been days (non-running related) when I've opened the fridge and thought it would be rather nice to just get in for a moment...or just stand in front of it with it open!
I'm definitely going to do the clothes in the fridge/freezer thing - hadn't thought of that at all! My tip is be mentally prepared to go slower/cut the run short. It's easy to underestimate how you'll feel in the heat, especially if you think you've done everything right and gone out early a.m. etc., it can be hard to take the decision to cut short but you may need to.
Thanks GoogleMe for reminding us about suncream too. Forgot that one the other day...
Carry a wet cloth for wiping your face/shoulders, I sometimes tuck it between the straps of my vest so it keeps my chest cool - just don't drop it in the mud like I did once...
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