Five Ways to Beat Summer Heat

Jun 21, 2012 by Greg Fowler

If you’ve ever subscribed to a hobby/interest magazine, like Men’s Health or Golf Digest, you eventually start to see repeat articles.   Sure, they’re not word-for-word reprints, but titles like Washboard Abs in 8 weeks (doesn’t work, by the way) or Fix Your Slice Now! (don’t know about this one, I hook the ball) inevitably reappear every so often.

So it is with the running magazine summer issues and the Beat the Heat articles.  I haven’t been reading my running magazines lately, so I don’t know if they’ve put out any new tips on beating the heat.  I do live near a city that uses the slogan “Famously Hot”, and I have been running in the heat,  so I feel more than qualified to rehash these suggestions for running in the heat:

1. Avoid the “heat of the day”.  Around here that pretty much means avoid 9am to 8pm.  If you go early it usually means a slightly lower temperature but higher humidity. If you go late in the day, the temperature is higher and the humidity is lower.  Still not a dry heat here, though.

2. Run slower.  A lot slower.  Even walk some.  Maybe it is an age thing, but the heat really hammers me.  In the past summers, I’ve pushed myself to run my cooler weather faster paces.  This year I’m doing two things differently to slow down. First, I’m doing heart rate training, not allowing my heart rate to exceed a certain limit.  This slows me down in cool weather and even more in the heat.  Second, I’m doing a lot of running with someone whose pace is much slower than mine.  I’ve learned to run at that pace, which has helped me in the heat – her, not so much, though.

3. Drink up.  Before, during, and after. I’ve really made a conscious effort on hydration over the last few months. I’ve realized it is best for me to make hydration part of the overall fitness routine, and most days I drink about 80 ounces of electrolyte fortified water.   Sometimes it is hard to drink that water instead of a Diet Dr. Pepper, but I make it most days.  During runs, especially those over 45 minutes, I make sure I have water with me or in the mailbox on a pass by.  To learn about the water program I adopted click here.

4. Clothing.  Not optional.  I think everyone over 30 should run with shirts on.  That being said, the standard lighter colors and moisture-wicking story applies here.  Avoid cotton – in socks, especially.  I almost always run with some kind of headwear, too.  I’ve been leaning toward visors lately, but I’m also a fan of the Original Buff from Buff Headwear.  This is an update on the old cotton do-rag.  It is moisture wicking and can be configured several ways to provide different varieties of head and neck protection.  Does a great job of keeping the sweat out of my eyes.

5.Find some shade.  Two options here. A. Stay Indoors.  If you have a treadmill in the house or access to a fitness center, sometimes this is the best option, especially as temperatures climb over 90.  B. Hit the trails.  I like this option better than staying indoors, but getting to trails can prove time consuming.

So, that’s it.  No big surprises here.  Just use some common sense and be safe.  Just think about how good it will feel in September when the humidity breaks.  What are some ways you’ve found to beat the heat? Leave a comment below.  Thanks!

POFIFOTO!

 

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Kiawah Island Marathon Change

Jun 8, 2012 by Greg Fowler

My first marathon was the 2009 Kiawah Island Marathon.  I don’t remember exactly why I choose that one, but it fit my main criteria – flat.

Overall, it was a good experience, but I was little underwhelmed with the route.   It was a two-loop run that frankly got a little boring during the second loop.  After that race, I decided I would not repeat marathon locations.   My thinking was that since I may only do one marathon per year, why not see somewhere new each time?  So, far I have followed that thinking for my three marathons – Kiawah Island, Myrtle Beach, and Columbia, SC.

After the Columbia marathon, I started pondering my next locale.  I really want to complete all the South Carolina road marathons, so that meant Greenville and Charleston were still left.  However, while looking around, I saw that Kiawah was changing their route to be a single loop.  This had me intrigued.  For the last two months or so, the Kiawah website has mentioned that the new route is going to be published soon. Well, they finally published the route this week. It can be found here:

http://www.kiawahresort.com/downloads/pdf/new-marathon-full-map.pdf

Calling it a ‘loop’ is a bit of a stretch – there are several out and back spokes and some overlap, but it definitely looks improved.  Wish I had downloaded the old map for a side by side comparison.   Still no hills. 🙂

So, right now, this is high on my list of next marathons.  I can technically say it is not a repeat since the route is new.

For more information on the marathon and the island, check out:

http://www.kiawahresort.com/recreation/kiawah-island-marathon/

POFIFOTO!

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Race Review: 2012 Jailbreak 5K

May 28, 2012 by Greg Fowler

Event Recap

Everyone knows that Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer.  Most everyone also knows that summer means hot in the midlands of South Carolina.  So, if you are planning a holiday weekend on the lake or at the beach, then bright, sunny and hot are what you want.  If you want to run a race, though, then these are not what you want.  Throw in some very high humidity, and you have the race conditions for last Saturday’s Jailbreak VI in Lexington, South Carolina.  The temperature at race time was 75 degrees, and the humidity was 75%, according to my weather app. Yuck.

The local elites didn’t seem to have too much trouble with the heat. What they did have trouble with was an outsider who rained on their parade. Scott Wietecha from Hendersonville, Tennessee showed up and threw a 14:47 on the field, besting perennial favorite Eric Ashton by an entire minute. Folks, that’s a butt-whippin in my limited 5K race knowledge book.  I could not have run a 14:47 if I’d have turned left at the intersection of Pond View and Gibson and cut 3/4 of a mile off the race.  Wow.

Here is the link to the results to see how the other 500-plus of us fared: http://www.strictlyrunning.com/results/12JailBreak.txt

I enjoy the Jailbreak event, but they can do two things to improve in the future.  First, move the race up to 7:30 or worst case 8:00.  8:30 is too late this time of  year.  Second, provide a technical T-shirt instead of a cotton shirt.  I like the designs of their shirts, but I personally dislike the Haynes cotton tee they include with the registration fee.  Just doesn’t fit well.

Personal Recap

I had two goals for the race.  The first was to break 22 minutes.  I figured that was out the window when I saw the weather.  I kept a dim hope alive for a PR, which would be to break 22:37.  I came up just short of this with a 22:45.  My mile splits were 6:50, 7:21, and 8:03.    I was hurting by mile one, and you can see the crashing progression.  It was painful.  Not even great live ’80’s music on the playlist could help me.

My other goal was to beat my teenage son.  I did that, but he had such a bad race, there was no fun in that.  I never saw him once the gun went off, so I honestly wasn’t sure if he was ahead of or behind me.  I guess the epic neck and neck battle at the finish will have to wait until fall sometime.  He’ll be starting his summer cross county running in earnest this week, so by September, he should be well ahead of me.  Probably for good this time.

That is supposed to wrap it up for my spring racing season.  However, right now next Saturday’s weather forecast looks a little cooler.  Maybe I’ll find one last race, so I can end with a PR before summer!

POFIFOTO!

 

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Race Preview: Jailbreak 5K 2012

May 16, 2012 by Greg Fowler

This year is Jailbreak VI and will be held on May 26, 2012 in Lexington, South Carolina.  The race supports the Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation and has become quite popular, with over 400 participants last year. The usual Columbia area superstars normally show up and take the overall prizes, but the Lexington High School cross country/track long distance guys are gaining ground quickly (4A State champs in both cross country and track this year!).  Don’t be surprised if one of these young guns  comes out on top.

The Course

The course starts and ends in front of the  Lexington County Sheriff’s Department on Gibson Road in Lexington.  The first two miles are very flat to slightly downhill.  The course bottoms out early in the third mile and there is about 200 feet worth of climb in the last mile to make it back to the finish.   Here are the course and elevation maps:

To register go here: http://www.strictlyrunning.com/gpscrlgnReg-9f.asp

Personal Notes

This will be my 4th time running in this event.   I believe I have set a 5K PR each year in this race.  I hope this year is no different. My current 5K best is 22:37.  Last Jailbreak, I broke 23:00 in a 5K for the first time, with a 22:49.  This year, I’m gunning to break 22:00.  As a bonus to me, it is one of the closest races to my house, and the two non-racers in the family will come out to watch the finish.

And the finish should be a close one – at least in the Battle of Fowler Running Supremacy.  See, I probably only have this one last chance to beat my son in a 5K.  I’ve never lost to him, but those first couple of years of us “competing” really weren’t a fair competition.  He was a little kid, and I was  a grown man.  But things have changed.  Lately, he has not been training as much, but physically he has grown a good bit since we last raced in December 2011 and can almost look me in the eye.  If I don’t get him this go round, I seriously doubt I’ll ever come close to him in a 5K again*.  That’s one of the reasons my target song for the end of my playlist is going to be It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by R.E.M.  If you have any suggestions for the first 18 minutes of my playlist, let me know!

POFIFOTO!

* My son’s 5K PR is lower than mine, thanks to cross country team training, but the times we have run head to head, though, he has not been in the middle of cross country season and in his peak fitness, so I have been able to beat him.

 

 

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Random Running Ramblings

Apr 27, 2012 by Greg Fowler

If you’ve poked around my site here, you probably know I have been a runner a relatively short period of time – since December of 2008.  Here are some random (and mostly useless) facts about my journey since then. Enjoy!

Most unusual find on a run: Smashed iPhone.  It had been run over by a car. I was tempted to take it with me to try to locate the owner.  It did seem to power on.  I had many more miles to run, though, and did not want to carry it.

Weirdest roadkill encounter: Raccoon.  OK, not really all that weird.  Encountering roadkill is one of the bummers in running, though.

Strangest live animal encounter: I startled a turkey vulture as he had a big deer breakfast in a ditch.   He came up out of there fast and returned the favor, startling me.

Strangest smell: There are many farm fields on my usual run routes, so at various times, I am hit with fertilizer or onion harvest smells.  However, the other week, on a new route, I passed a house that sits very close to the road, and I swear I caught a whiff of some stuff that was prevalent in concerts I attended in the ’80’s at Greenville Memorial Auditorium.  Hmmm.

Races run: 25 (2009: 10, 2010: 5, 2011:7, 2012 YTD: 3)

Race Distance Breakdown:

• 5K: 7
• 10K: 6
• 12K: 1
• 15K: 1
• Half Marathon: 7
• Full Marathon: 3

Age group medals won: 2 – a 1st and a 3rd in a couple of small 5K’s.  Both in 2009.  In my second ever race, a 5K, I was pretty excited about winning first place in my age group (yes, there was more than one in the group) until I saw the overall winner was my age.  He beat me by about 8 minutes.  My first encounter with local running phenom and ageless wonder Eric Ashton.

Miles run: Almost 3300

Pairs of shoes I’ve used: 13 (not including the two pairs from the Merrell Barefoot line that I use for casual wear and work.)

Books purchased about running: At least 11. That’s all I could find in 2 minutes of searching my bookshelf.  I’m sure others are scattered about.

Current running magazine subscriptions: 3 –Runner’s World, Running Times, Trail Runner

Pounds lost: 20

Waistline inches lost: 3

POFIFOTO!

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