Although temperatures are generally cooler in the Catskill region compared to neighboring areas, runners need to be prepared for warm weather when temperatures are 59 F or above.

Good rules of thumb to follow in unusually warm weather are as follows:

1. When it is warmer than usual, bring more water than usual.

2. Drink before you are thirsty. One's sense of thirst kicks in only after significant loss of fluids.

3. Keep yourself as cool as possible for as long as possible. Going slower, taking breaks in the plentiful shade, and pacing yourself are all helpful ways of doing this.

4. Start earlier in the day to beat the heat.

5. Dress appropriately. Compared to white clothing, even yellow converts significantly more sunlight into heat. Wear white in sun.

6. Allow yourself 6-10 days to begin to adapt to exercising in the heat. A heat adapted body produces a more dilute (less salty) sweat sooner, so cooling is not delayed and fewer electrolytes (salts) are lost. Salads and bananas sufficiently replace lost electrolytes. Additional dietary salt is unwarranted, and even makes adaptation more difficult. Proportionately more water than salt is lost during sweating.

7. Drink before, during your run, and after. For a normal, healthy person, clear, frequent urination is one sign that a person is drinking enough.

8. Limit or avoid use of diuretics such as caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and diet/allergy medicines, since these can all affect the body's ability to respond to hot weather.

9. Weigh yourself before and after workouts. Weight losses of three or more per cent cause reductions in strength and endurance.

Further information:
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