Running in hot temperatures is difficult enough with the dangers of heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke without any other problems. Working outside or running, a person has to be aware of signs of heat problems. Heat cramps are the least of the worries. Heat exhaustion has excessive sweating and skin feels cool to the touch. One sign I feel is the hair on the back of the neck starts to stand up when heat exhaustion is in beginning stages. Heat stroke has a high temperature on the skin, no sweating, and loss of the ability to think clearly. Stroke problems call for immediate attention to cool the body down. Get in an air conditioned building, under shade, and cool water on the body are a few examples. Be aware that heat problems can be accumulative and can build up over several days. Yard work the day before may shorten the time of heat problems the next day on a run.
The minor problems deal with the sweating on the body. Men think running without a shirt will be cooler when it is actually not a good idea. The sweat accumulates on the body and acts as a barrier for evaporation. A mesh shirt or high tech shirt that wicks the moisture away from the body is better. Sweat on the shirt takes the moisture away from the skin and allows outside conditions to evaporate the sweat and cool the body down.
The one annoying thing that runners find during a hot run is sweat running into the eyes. Sweat has a salty composition and stings when it gets in the eye. And just the part of running with sweat dripping off the eyelids and eye lashes is a problem. There are several methods to help correct the sweat in the eyes condition. The easiest one is to wear a head band of cotton fibers like a towel and let it absorb the sweat before it reaches the eye. The head bands are inexpensive and come in several varieties that claim to be the best. This is a matter of trial and error for the person to find which brand works best for them. If the head band is a fashion thing for the hard core runner the bandanna handkerchief is a good substitute. The runner can roll it up or neatly fold it into a narrow width and tie it around the head. This method works and is the fashion for the runner that wants to look like they are in the groove. It works best if you get a large bandanna that can absorb a lot of sweat. The minor problem with the bandanna versus a headband is when the bandanna gets soaked with sweat it gets heavy and unless it is tied very tight will start to slip down over the eyes and face. An elastic headband does not do that. The advantage of a bandanna is that after the run it can act as a small towel to wipe the sweat off the face and neck. It will also feel cool because of the evaporation process in the material.
A third method is to use a product like petroleum jelly, such as Vasoline, to put on the eye brows to direct the sweat away from the eyes and down the side of the face. It works quite well and the key to putting it over the eye brows is to make sure the direction of the sweat is toward the cheeks and not toward the nose. It is a minor problem, but if not done correctly, it becomes a problem. Since some runners use Vasoline for skin surfaces that rub and cause an irritation it is usually one of the elements in the runner’s kit. Some runners put it between the inner thighs, under the armpits, in between the toes, and even on the nipples and on the chest, and now the eyebrows. It is a useful product for runners. There are some runners that have excessive sweating from the feet. I ran with one friend that made a ‘swishing sound’ with every step from his wet shoes. You could see the sweat fly off the shoe like he was running in shallow water. The only thing I can think that might help is to wear an absorbent ankle band just above the shoe to prevent the sweat from the legs running into the shoes. If the feet sweat a pair of socks that can absorb some of the sweat might help. For a “cool run” some runners wear a ball cap, or a runner’s cap, and put a zip lock bag of ice on top of the head under the cap. That ice bag keeps the head cool and will last for most of the run as well as stopping the sweat. The top of the cap should be close to the ice to keep it from sliding around the head. Another “cool” method is to wear a bandanna around the neck that is filled with ice. This feels great on a hot day. The ice is usually on the back of the neck and not under the chin, but anything goes with this method. Running in hot weather is a problem for a runner. Sweat is minor one, exhaustion is major one.
Moe Johnson Running with Moe
