Summer Running + Fall Marathons on the horizon
Hello runners!
Happy Juneteenth!! We hope you’ve spent the day in celebration and commemoration of Black liberation. If you haven’t yet wished Coffey a very happy b’earth day, go shower him in love. Of course our fearless leader made his first appearance on Juneteenth.
Running in the heat
This will be the hottest summer on record. NYC is not ready for this, and our institutionally neglected neighborhoods will be disproportionally impacted. Carry extra water when possible when both running and not, know the signs of dehydration and heat stroke, and look out for anyone who may be in distress.
Get used to looking at the Temperature, the Humidity, and the Air Quality Index in your weather app. Typically, all three numbers will be lowest in the early morning and late in the evening. Make every effort run when the numbers are low. Try to stay inside during the hottest times of day.
Take advantage of the best conditions of the week. It’s 100% fine to move a planned run to avoid extreme heat. Many new runners assume it’s a sign of poor discipline to deviate from the plan as written on the calendar. Athletes, no. Look to your calendar as a guide, then shift those boxes around to give your body its best chance to perform at a high level.
If you have access to a treadmill, use it. Make sure to set the incline to at least 1%, which will move your body into its natural running posture. There are slight differences to the tread and the road, but as long as you’re doing at least half your runs outside, there will be no detriment to your training.
Plan a route that includes a plan b. That means know the subway lines, stay reasonably close to home or another safe space, or carry cash or a phone to contact a ride service.
Bookmark this map of NYC Cooling Centers. These are public places you can always duck inside to cool down and get a drink.
When at all possible, run with friends. We keep each other safe. Keep an eye on each other for signs of distress. Thirst, dizziness, headaches, nausea, inability to focus or enunciate, skin that is cool to the touch or dry when previously you’ve been sweating, cramping, or sudden extreme fatigue are all signs to look out for in yourself, your teammates, and passersby. If you are notice these signs, you might be spotting dehydration, heatstroke, or an electrolyte imbalance, which all share similar symptoms. Find an air conditioned place to rest, drink water and eat something salty. When in doubt, call 911.
Plan your runs through shady areas. Stay on the shady side of the street, or in parks with good tree coverage.
Stay hydrated. Let’s pause here to think about how important this is. Your blood is 80% water. Your body’s primary method of cooling itself is taking a little bit of water from that blood and pushing it out through your pores in the form of sweat. When you don’t replace that loss, your blood volume goes down. It gets thicker, like sludge, and your heart has to work harder to keep it circulating. When that blood volume goes down your body will also direct less blood flow to your muscles, and your whole body will feel like a dried out old husk. You’ll interpret all of the above as just feeling bleh. You’ll blame yourself and get down on your fitness or your willpower. You’re just thirsty!
Your body is generally good at keeping you safe, but it’s entirely dependent on water. So…
Drink! Keep a water bottle on hand and sip at your leisure. Gulping is fine, but a good percentage of that water will run right through you. We want all your tissues plump and healthy and thoroughly saturated, which takes constant hydration, not “cramming” before runs.
Vary the liquid. When you sweat, you lose more than just water. By taking in a variety of liquids—juice, sports drinks, teas, electrolyte drinks, and water—you’ll replace the essential minerals you lose along with water. This doesn’t have to be branded—a glass of water with lemon, a pinch of Sea Salt or Celtic Salt and a teaspoon of honey will do the trick. Alternately, eat fruit and salty snacks, which will check the same box. Melons and kiwis are especially good choices, but anything that sounds refreshing probably is—your body is really good at knowing what it needs.
Plan water stops and don’t rely exclusively on any one option. Know where the fountains and bodegas are and be prepared for the fountains to be turned off and the store to be closed. Don’t let it get dire.
Carry water. If the above isn’t possible or if you’d just rather be self-reliant, a quality water vest is an excellent investment.
Disregard pace. As the conditions change, so should your pace. This applies to all new variables: in heat, in cold, on hills, at altitude, on grass, in mud, when you’ve been sick, when you haven’t gotten enough sleep, etc. Your body does not understand the minutes and seconds on your watch. Instead, it understands effort levels and adapts to stress as applied by force and repetition. Always assume the time on your plan is a “perfect conditions” pace. By changing your paces to reflect the conditions, you’re taking your training and your body seriously.
Wear sun block! Wear a hat! Wear light colors! Douse your hat and shirt with water when you can. Stay safe, runners!
For Fall Marathoners not yet in training:
Ok. You’re following a 16 week plan. It’s not yet time to start. But you want to get going! It’s a marathon and you’ve got work to do! Should you go ahead and get a jump on training?
First of all, I’m glad you’re excited! That’s exactly the right energy at the start of a season—looking forward to training, excited to get started, maybe a little nervous. The short answer to what to do now? is stay active without yet feeling like you’re *training* for anything. Move, but be unserious about it. Both your body and your mind can only stay focused for so long. This applies to every athlete—Olympian to first-time 5ker. Long term success requires periods of rest and de-training. It’s important to get out of shape, and it’s important to keep a time constraint on your training season.
This pre- pre- season should be made up of casual movement that will help the first few weeks of organized practice feel more approachable. Physiologically, this low-intensity get-out-the-door playful activity will help stimulate bone density, increase blood volume, and boost base metabolic rate. On day 1 of focused marathon training, you’ll be able to work hard without being overwhelmed by the effort.
So, what to do?
Figure out how many days a week you’ll be training during marathon training. Use our training manual from last year to help you decide. This week, get out the door for some sort of activity that many times. That can be in the form of a short run, a walk, pickup basketball, soccer, dance, a bike, a swim, etc. Let it be fun, and don’t pay attention to how long you’re out there. Frequency and building up a pattern of activity is what’s important here.
Use the training manual to figure out about how many miles you’ll run in your first week of training. You don’t need to know exactly, just get a loose idea. Then, use the weeks between now and then to build to that number progressively. Ideally, this will include no big jumps, just small, progressive steps.
If you’re planning on incorporating strength training or cross training into your regimen this year, start now. (Everyone in noname will have access to one weekly strength training class, which will start Week 1.) These shouldn’t be heavy sessions, just introductions to movement so no week has too many new elements.
Give yourself a tune-up. In whatever ways you like—foam rolling, massage, stretching yoga, etc—get yourself feeling recovered and ready before the training begins.
Get a check-up. If you haven’t been to the doctor in a while, it’s time. Before the start of a season it’s a good idea to be tested for possible deficiencies that you can address through diet or supplementation.
Anything else? What do you need outside of your daily runs to feel taken care of? Have your figured out your schedule? Are you meal prepping? Is your support network on board? Will a partner, roommate, family member, or friend group be impacted by your training? How can you bring them into the excitement?
Next week we’ll start Chicago coaching, continue Berlin coaching, and start our first Wednesday Q + A, so send in your questions!
LFG
Coach + Coffey