It’s Friday so I’m also linking up with Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five linkup! Join in! Don’t forget to link back to your hostess and visit some other bloggers.

My Topic for this week is: Running during the Hot/Humid Summer Months

I’m not going to list the obvious because we all know about these tips:

• Carry Water
• Wear Moisture-Wicking Clothing
• Run early or late when the temps are cooler
• Wear Bug Repellent and sunscreen
• Wear a cap to protect your scalp and face from the sun
• Choose a shady route

It may be August but those hot temps are still around. So what else can we do to enjoy our runs at this time of year?

1.Embrace the Suck

Stop whining about how the heat and humidity are sucking the life out of your runs.

GUILTY AS CHARGED!!

Soon we’ll be complaining that it is too cold and icy and we have to resort to a treadmill.

Either just Run or Don’t run.

Walking, hiking and biking are great ways to move if it is too uncomfortable for you to run.

2.Use Intervals

I’m not one to use intervals when I run but this summer, I wanted to do more walking and hiking during the week and run longer on the weekend.

The only way to get this done for me was to run using intervals.

If you do already and you find that the run parts are too long and the walk parts too short, just shorter the run and lengthen the walk.  The only person who cares about your pace is YOU!

3.Provide Rewards

That is for post run.  Rewards are always an incentive.  But in the summer they are necessary (at least for me) and they should be cold ones.

Mine seem to be either ice cream or a thick shake or iced coffee – it depends on the time of day.

Just choose something to motivate you to get out there and get it done!

BTW: It doesn’t have to be food. LOL

4.Distract Yourself

Runs are hard and they are even harder in the heat.

I prefer chatting with a friend or friends.

But if this is not possible, you can listen to music, a podcast, focus on nature or even your own thoughts.

Whatever works for you.

Sometimes I do wear my After Shokz and listen to a podcast or Hamilton soundtrack

But if you read my blog, you know that flowers are my preferred distraction.

5.Avoid Comparison

Maybe this means avoiding social media or not uploading your runs to Strava or Garmin.

In other words, run for yourself and don’t compare the distance or your pace to others.  The heat may not affect other runners in the same way it affects you.

I don’t wear watch but most runners could not do this and still run.  (My runs still count!! I record only the distance and on my blog.)

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I’m also linking up here:

Formerly the Running Coaches’ Corner, it’s back with new co-hosts Coach Debbie Runs, Running on Happy, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, Runs with Pugs, and Fauxrunner.

Happy Running! Have you found ways to survive the hot humid summer runs? Please share.