Beat the Summer Heat!

Like most of you, I am finding it harder and harder to get out and run with these temperatures climbing. With the coolest it gets in the morning being 78-80 degrees, it's hard to find a good time to run if you want to avoid the "dreadmill." But don't worry! I am here today to give you a few tips on how to beat the heat, but to also explain why it is so hard in the summer months compared to the rest of the year.

Let's first talk about why it is so difficult to run in 80-100 degree weather. Logically, anything under 98.6 degrees should feel cool to us because that's our internal temperature, right? WELL, technically 98.6 degrees isn't your skin temperature, it is actually much lower. Bear with me here, I'm about to get smart. All of your body's functions (metabolism, digestion, etc.) produce heat as a byproduct, so you have to constantly try to vent that heat to maintain a consistent internal temperature and avoid overheating. Now venting this heat does not actually make you feel cold, if you are venting at just the right rate, you should feel comfortable, not too hot, not too cold. When we are out in weather that is at or near our internal body temperature, even if we aren't running, it becomes difficult to vent efficiently, so your nerves in your skin send messages to your body telling you that it is uncomfortable and you need to find some shade or a cooler area until it can catch back up and let you bring your body temperature back down. To make matters worse, when you run, the energy you use to make your legs and body move turns into heat! This heat makes your internal body temperature rise even more, and when your body is already having a difficult time cooling down as is, running gets tough pretty quick. There is an unwritten running rule called "the 20 degree rule" that is usually applied to the cold, but is even worse in the heat. When running, always dress like it is 20 degrees warmer outside. So in the winter, if it is 35 degrees, dress as if it was 55, maybe shorts and a long sleeve. But when the temperature is already 100, how are you supposed to dress? Like it's 120? How do you dress for 120 degrees?
Well, in lieu of seeing a bunch of naked runners, let me give you a couple tips to help keep your body temperature down in the summer heat.

1. Dress appropriately. Get moisture wicking clothes, they will be a life saver. In case you don't know what moisture wicking clothes are, go over to your closet. Pull out that race shirt from a couple weeks ago. See all those little holes and meshy material? That's moisture wicking fabric. Moisture wicking fabrics work because they have two main properties about them, they are both hydrophilic and hydrophobic. Hydrophilic (water loving) properties of a shirt are usually obtained by adding a finish or treatment into the garment, which will allow the shirt to pull sweat away from your body and absorb it into the fibers. Hydrophobic (water hating) properties of a shirt are usually the materials themselves, like polyester, which speeds up the evaporation, making you cooler, faster.
2. Stay Hydrated! The amount of water or electrolyte drink you should take in per run varies from person to person, but there is a general guideline. Try to drink about 4-6 oz for every 20 minutes out in the heat if you are running slower than 8 min/mile and about 6-8 oz for every 20 minutes if you are going faster. Since it is extra hot here in Texas right now, I would suggest determining your sweat rate for a more personal guideline. To determine your sweat rate, weigh yourself before and after a run (this works best if you go for about an hour). For each pound you lost, you lost about 16 oz of water. So, if you lost 3 pounds in 1 hour of running, you would need to replace 48 oz of water, which is about 12 oz per 15 minutes during your run. VERY IMPORTANT! Don't forget that you're supposed to be drinking 8 glasses of water a day anyway, plus all the extra you need from running. For each pound lost, you need to drink between 20-24 oz of water/electrolyte drink post exercise. So from earlier, since we lost 3 pounds, we need to drink between 60 and 72 ounces to rehydrate. To avoid drinking this much afterward, we would have had to utilize our sweat rate knowledge and drink the 12 oz per 15 minutes. Staying hydrated on a day to day basis is critical when training for distance in the heat.
3. Don't expect to run the same pace you do in the winter. You will not run anywhere near the same speed you do in June than you did in December. As we talked about earlier, it's just harder to keep your body from overheating in the summer, so you just flat out won't be able to run as fast. The chart above is an adjusted pace chart for a 13 mile long run. These times are per mile, so if you normally average 9:30 per mile in your long run and it's 90 degrees outside, your expected speed would be about 25 seconds slower, or 9:55 per mile.
4. Do your best to get out there early. Or do your best to get out there after dark. This is going to give you the best chance to get the lowest temperatures possible on a hot summer day. Even if you wake up at 6 a.m. and it is 78 degrees outside, that is still better than running in the heat of the day when it can get upwards around 95 with a 102 degree heat index. The hottest time of the day is between noon and 4 p.m. That is when the sun is highest in the sky and will be beating down directly on you, so do your best to avoid those times.
5. Wear sunblock. Aside from the obvious, "I don't want to get sunburned" reason for wearing sunblock, a little known fact is that it actually helps keep your body temperature down. The reason sunblock keeps you cooler is because it literally does what the name says. It blocks the sun from directly heating your skin. So in a way, we can say we are almost tricking the body by applying sunblock into making it think it's cooler outside. In terms of which one to use, I myself have been using Mission SPF 30 Ultra-Sweatproof Sunscreen. Anything over 30 SPF is really a waste because unless you're training for ultras, you aren't going to be outside long enough to need anything else.

Well, those are some things to consider before heading out on your next run. You know, I'm not 100% sure if it really does anything, but I have been going out about once or twice a week, during the hottest hours of the day and doing a normal workout. I feel like I'm getting stronger in the heat, but I can't tell for sure. So if you do try to acclimate yourself to the heat by diving right in, be safe and bring plenty of water. If I missed anything, let me know in the comments, because this is a blog by a runner, for a runner, and we like to help each other out. Take these tips wisely, and you will love living the Life of a Runner.

Shoe Review Tuesday #1 (New Balance 890)

This is a little segment I'm going to try to do every Tuesday called "Shoe Review Tuesday." Basically I'll give you the specs on the shoe and my personal experience with it and hopefully we can all learn a little bit about shoes in the process.
New Balance 890

Support Category: Neutral
Weight: 9.7 Ounces
Cost: $100
Available in Widths: Yes
Multiple Colors Available: Yes
Durability: 300-500 miles
Updates from Previous Model: Debut Shoe!
Upper: Light and Meshy
Arch Height: Medium

My Take on the Shoe
There was a lot of hype on this shoe before it came out. I heard radio commercials, saw online ads, and was given information on it from the New Balance reps way before the official release date. With all the hype, it had quite a name to live up to already. My thoughts? LOVE IT! Compared to other New Balance shoes I have had in the past, the 890 is much lighter and has a more prominent arch than any previous model. I have tried many times to explain this to my friends, coworkers, and loyal customers, but the way the 890 fits and feels is like nothing I have ever felt before. It feels secure in the arch and instep like a nice heavy duty training shoe, but it also has a light, minimal feeling upper like my lightweight trainers. I want to stress this fact: The 890 is not a lightweight trainer! Even though it feels so much lighter than the rest of the competition, like the Asics Cumulus or the Nike LunarGlide, it still has the same kind of durability those shoes have. This is due to the new cushioning New Balance has come out with and is starting to put in some of their newer models, RevLite. RevLite is a cushioning system that is as durable as it's competitors, but an amazing 30% lighter. With this being said, high school kids love this shoe, lightweight enthusiasts love this shoe, and even some ultramarathoners are starting to get in on this action.

A Little Personal

I run in this shoe between 1-2 times a week. It's not that I don't like it, it's that I like it so much I really don't want it to wear out! After my first run, it instantly became the new long run shoe, replacing my Nike LunarEclipse. A shoe with this kind of durability and weight, in my eyes, should be utilized by every neutral runner, and even some runners in need of light stability (for races and speedwork). If I had the budget for it, I would easily have about 3 or 4 of these in my closet, all in different colors, for all different kinds of workouts.

A few specific things I like about the New Balance 890:

1. Secure feeling in the shoe, even with the minimal upper.
2. Lots of different colors to choose from, 4 for each gender!
3. The cushion in the shoe is soft, but you can still feel the road under you.
4. The weight! I love light shoes!
5. The versatility, I can use it Sunday for my long run, Tuesday for my track workout, and Thursday for hill repeats!

Obviously I can't get enough of this shoe. If you use it, let me know what you think by leaving a comment. As much as I like giving my opinion, I also love to hear what you have to say. If you have an idea for which shoe I should review next, let me know and I might just spotlight your shoe next week! I hope you learned a little bit today and I am very glad you could experience The Life Of A Runner.

Hello!

This is going to be a blog about everything related to running. Everything includes workouts, tips and strategies, product reviews, product comparisons, race reviews and recaps, styles of running (minimalism, proper technique, etc..), types of shoes, common injuries and problems runners face, how to beat the heat in the summer, proper hydration and nutrition intakes for running, places to run, and anything else I can think of along the way.
But first, what gives me enough credibility for you to believe everything I say? That's a good question. I have been an employee at Run On! (a local running store based in the DFW area) for the past 2 years. Through my constant contact with new runners, elite runners, veteran runners, sports medicine doctors and chiropractors, and reps from companies like New Balance, Brooks, and Asics, I have taken in almost every angle imaginable on almost every subject imaginable pertaining to running. I love to listen to people telling me their stories about how their races went, or how they overcame an injury like Plantars Fasciitis, and take in exactly what went right and what went wrong for them. In addition, I am an active runner myself, I try to race between 12-20 times a year, ranging in distance from 5k all the way to marathon, so I have a few stories and experiences myself.
I figured I would start this blog off with running rule number 1: Get the right shoes!
Perhaps the part I enjoy most in my job is getting to fit people of all shapes, sizes, and skill levels for shoes. I have seen THOUSANDS of feet and gaits and bunions and fallen arches and let me tell you, your feet are not as messed up as you think. But I will tell you this, no matter the case, you have to get fit for the right pair of shoes, it makes the world of difference!
Before I dive right in and explain about the different kind of shoes, I want to go ahead and explain a few terms:
Gait- the motion your foot goes through when it is in contact with the ground
Pronate- (aka over-pronate) the inward rolling of your ankles/feet toward each other
Supinate- (aka under-pronate) the outward rolling of your ankles/feet away from each other
Neutral- the ability of your ankles/feet to stay straight without pronating throughout your gait cycle
Alright, now that we know some key terms, let me tell you what you need to know to get the right pair of shoes. If you don't have access to a running specialty store like Run On!, here are some tips you can use to diagnose your gait.

Grab your current running shoe, we are going to analyze the wear pattern on the bottom. The picture on the right shows where we are going to be looking on our shoes to determine if we pronate, supinate, or have neutral gait. The reason I point out to not look at your outside heel is because EVERYBODY has wear right there. In general, most people are heel strikers and when you strike on your heel, you land on the outside, not centered like most would believe. Time and time again I have had people tell me they supinate because they saw wear on the outside heel. When I break it to them that everybody wears right there and the real spot to look is on the forefoot, they tend to not believe me at first, but then I show them what I mean.

When looking at the forefoot of a used running shoe, you want to pay attention to where the outsole looks particularly lower than the rest. If most of the wear is on the medial (inside) side of the shoe, then you need to get a shoe with more support. If most of your wear is in the center, congratulations! You are already in a great shoe! You don't need to change anything! Lastly, if you see most of the outsole worn on the lateral (outside) side of the shoe, you have too much support and you need to change shoes ASAP. Too much support in a shoe pushes you to the outside of your foot which causes increased strain on the lateral side of your leg and knee. As a note, it is worse to have too much support than to have too little, so when in doubt, go with less support.
Now you might be asking yourself, "this information is useful and all, but how do I know what shoes have more support and which ones have less?" That is a very good question, and I'm glad you asked. Below is a table to help you know what to do next with your new found information.

After looking at this chart, a few questions might pop into your head. "So if I need less support and I'm already in a neutral shoe am I just out of luck?" Yes, honestly. You have almost too efficient of a gait. Now that's not a bad thing, but for the most part, if you supinate a neutral shoe will do just fine. "If I need more support and I'm in a motion control already do I just stay with what I have?" There are a couple  of motion control shoes that have more support than others, so if you find you are in this scenario, try the Brooks Beast, it has that name for a reason. "If I'm in a neutral shoe and I need more support, how do I know if I need to go all the way to motion control or vice versa?" If you have been in the exact opposite category that you need, you don't want to take that jump all at once, that kind of new correction will make you sore in places you didn't know could even be sore. So you need a middle ground to let you get adjusted to the new kind of support before you make the switch.  
"How do I know what shoe to get if I need a stability (or neutral, or motion control)?"
A good way to tell if a shoe is stability or not is if it has a gray posting on the medial side of the shoe. In almost all running brands, this posting is a dual-density foam to keep you from pronating. It is denser than the rest of the shoe, making it impossible for your foot to roll across it. Generally the amount of gray determines how much correction the shoe offers. So if a shoe has no gray at all on the medial side, then it is neutral. If it has some, but not an overwhelming amount, that is a stability shoe. If the medial side of a shoe looks really built up or runs almost the length of the shoe, that is a motion control shoe.
So what is the next step after we know what kind of shoe we need and what the shoe looks like? Now we just have to go to the store and try some on! Once you know what kind of shoe you need, you're golden. At this point everything in that category is pretty much the same shoe structurally, so the fun part is going to the store and deciding which one is most comfortable. I have consolidated the performance running shoes from several brands so you can have a place to start and know what to look for.
One thing people often forget is to size their feet. This is especially important with running shoes. When you run, your feet swell, so you need to have a little bit of room for your feet to grow. With that being said, you want to go up about a full size from what you measure in the store. So if you measure a size 9, go with a size 10. If you already ran that day, only go up about a half size because chances are your feet are still swollen from your workout. That is why it is good to go get shoes at the beginning of the day, so your feet aren't already swollen from the day's activities. When it comes to size, one thing people generally just look over is width. Every shoe brand makes running shoes in wide and narrow, so if your foot measures 10 EE don't be afraid to walk out if they only have 10 D. Ask if they can either order it, or have one transferred from another location.
I think I have told you enough to get you started. Now I want everyone who reads this to go grab your running shoes and look at the bottom, analyze the wear, check the size, and see if you are in the proper shoe for your foot. If you are, that's great! If you aren't, don't worry, you're not alone.
Well, that's it for me, I hope you had a good time learning about The Life of a Runner.