Summer Running Hacks for Women (AKA How Not to Melt Mid-Run) + Weekending in the mountains!

(tank, shorts, shoes)

When you finish a killer training run and feel like you couldn’t have climbed another foot than you just did, and then two seconds later you realize that your race in two months still involves an additional 3,300 ft of climbing on top of what you just did… At least when we finished, Andrew felt the same way about his mountain biking race in August. We are a bit scared. Misery loves company, and suffering is weirdly fun for us.

Five miles up (2,000 ft of climbing) with only one stop to tie my shoe (I knew if I stopped for any other reason, I would, in fact, quit) and five miles down. It burned.

It’s been a minute since I hydrated with snow. I should have brought my bottle because digging for the clean snow hurt my fingertips.

We then spent the day at the lake with one of Andrew’s good friends and his family.

The girls swam and paddle-boarded for hours.

And Beck fell in love with fishing.

We finished up with fries and milkshakes. I’ve known Andrew for 9 years, and he has always ordered a banana chocolate milkshake!

Two highlights from Sunday were a hike in way too hot of weather;)

AND BECK CAUGHT (and released) HIS FIRST FISH. Beck is 100% into fishing now.

Brooke and Skye did too but nobody was interested in touching them:)

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Has summer running ever personally victimized you? I feel like today is a good day to share my summer running hacks. I live in a desert, so I’m not much help with tips for humidity, but it does get pretty hot here. We also tend to go to St. George more often in the summer because what better time to go there than when it is 110°F?!

*Put on your sunscreen BEFORE you get dressed. This will make it easier to hit every spot and to get it on much faster.

*Doing a long run in the heat? Ever consider doing loops and grabbing an Otter Pop each time you return to your house to get in some calories and to cool down? They are pretty easy to eat while you run. The big otter pops have 80 calories, almost as much as a gel;). You could also mix it up with some frozen grapes straight out of the freezer.

*Run more trails. Our trails usually have way more shade, which means way more comfort.

*Have you ever tried dry shampoo BEFORE your run? It will help absorb the sweat as you go and keep it from dripping into your eyeballs.

*You know when you put your hair in a ponytail, and there is space between the rubber band and your skull? Squeeze in an ice cube or two before you head out. Also, a bag of ice in my sports bra has saved me more times than I can count.

*I know we all love black running gear with all of our hearts, and it hides our sweat so wonderfully, but now is not the time to care about the sweat leaving marks… Wear all of the light clothing. Also, be brave with what you wear. Care about how your body feels more than what some random person on the running path thinks of what you are wearing (and let’s be honest, nobody is actually paying attention to what we wear). Wear the shorts.

*Lower your standards, not your mileage (or both if you need). Give yourself a break on your pace. It doesn’t mean you’ve lost fitness or that your Garmin is right about you being unproductive if your pace slows down in the heat… It means that you are a human and that heat affects your performance like it does for every other runner on the planet. Heat makes your heart rate spike, it’s science.

*Take all jewelry off BEFORE you run. Nothing is worse than questioning if I need to cut my finger off to get my rings removed after a summer run when my fingers triple in size over the miles.

*Keep your palms COOL if possible. Even just getting your palms wet during water breaks will make a difference. The blood vessels in the palms help regulate body temps, which can help us perform better if we cool our palms. You can also hold onto a cold water bottle and switch hands every few minutes!

*Visor > hat in the summer. Let the top of your head breathe and shade your face at the same time.

*Also, try a bun! Nothing is worse than sweaty hair on my back/neck and a bun up top can keep that annoyance away.

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Who has a June birthday, race, or anniversary?

Fill me in with some of your summer running hacks?

Have a go-to milkshake? Order the same thing each time or vary it up?

Ever gone fishing?