Runners in Texas know that summer weather gets warm, and sometimes hot. This past week hot has reached an uncomfortable hot. With temperatures over 100 degrees, running outdoors becomes a dangerous activity. There is the danger of heat related problems, and to a lesser degree, there is the possibility of getting sunburned. The sun burn problem can be helped with a good sun screen application before a run. The only advice I can give is be careful when you put it on your face. From experience I can tell you that when you start to sweat, and beads of sweat starts to run down your face, it brings along with it the sun screen. When sun screen gets in your eyes it is one painful experience.
When it gets extremely hot and weather reports in the media mention the temperatures as “dangerously hot” it is time to take alternative ways to get some exercise. One alternative is to head indoors where there is air conditioning. There are a large number of alternative methods to get a run type of a workout. There are various types of indoor tracks that can be used. It is not the scenic benefit of running outdoors but you can still run. Some schools and gyms have an indoor track that can be used. If you are fortunate to find a track around a football practice field that is about the best as it is usually about a quarter of a mile in distance. If it is around a basketball court things get a little more complicated. I ran on one indoor track that took 12.5 laps to make one mile. That means that if I wanted to run five miles I would need to run 62.5 laps around the track. When I run there is a tendency to get lost in thought at times. Trying to stay focused counting over 62 laps is almost impossible. Can you imagine training for a marathon and wanting to get in a 10 mile run?
The most common form of running indoors is the treadmill. A good treadmill has programs for interval training, various levels of inclines, and several selections of workouts to follow. Running on a treadmill is easier than running on the road. This is because the contact with the treadmill is moving when your foot hits the surface and the effort you usually use to propel yourself forward is not required. The best part of running on a treadmill is that it is the same as actual running. It helps if there is a video, or television, to watch while you pound out the miles.
