Today's walk was all about "earning" a little extra
holiday BBQ, potato salad, and a cold beer.
Sometimes that's as noble as it gets.
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Let's talk heat, shall we? I know some really physically fit, long time outdoor exercisers don't find this to be much of an issue, but I am not one of those people. It's important for each person to find a way to decide when to take some extra precautions, or maybe even to opt out of outdoor activities. Suffering heat related illness -- or death -- doesn't just happen to out-of-shape folks. Recently, in fact, Chicago's marathon had to be stopped because of the sheer numbers of participants who were in dire medical need, and one young man who was a trained, experienced runner, died from the effects of the heat. (Read about this HERE.)
Never be embarrassed to take whatever precautionary measures you need, or which make you more confident out there. Note the temperature, humidity, dewpoint, when you head out and listen to your body. Keep notes for a while about how you feel under different conditions. A guide I've taken to using this summer is one I call the "misery index." I ran across this formula at this WEBSITE, and I have found it to be really helpful. My rule for myself, thus far, is that I will not start a walk if the Misery Index is 150 or above. For the entire month of June I had as my sole intention to not worry about pace or distance. I just wanted to get my body used to the demands our heat and humidity might place on me. I think my plan has paid off.
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Misery Index at start of walk: 147
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It is critically important to stay hydrated in this heat. The best investment I have made this summer was for a couple of these.....
This holds 10 oz of liquid. If I am going to be out for an hour or less, I fill it with water. It fits in the hand comfortably, and even has a tiny little pocket for a key or something, and another little pocket on the back if energy gels are something you want to have. (I can't stand them, and frankly, don't really need them for what I am doing.) When I knew it was time to begin to bump up the mileage to prepare for the half in October, I bought a second one, which I fill with an electrolyte-replacing beverage. My big distance walk Saturday provided an opportunity to test the first way of managing the two -- I simply left the Gatorade-filled bottle in the beer fridge on our back porch, and when I had depleted the water out of bottle #1 (about 4 miles in) I made my way back home and made the switch. I'm going to try a couple other approaches in the coming weeks to see what works best.
One very important thing I learned about a hydration bottle was this: see the top of this one? You just pull the cap up, tilt the bottle, and drink. I've tried bottles that you had to squeeze, and those with built in straws. These were horrible for this purpose, although they'd be better than nothing, obviously.
Anyway... today's walk accomplished, and now it's on to good food, and good times!
***
Today's Walk:
Total miles: 4.63
Total Time: 1:08:49
Average Pace: 14:50 per mile
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