Sullivan Striders
Hot Weather
Adaptation
by Brian Cavanagh
USATF Certified Coach
NYS Certified Health Educator
Although temperatures are generally cooler in the Neversink Gorge,
trail users need to be prepared for unusually warm weather.
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. Use DEET insect repellent or
bug netting if insects are a problem. Campmor in Paramus, NJ has good
prices on mesh pants and hooded jacket to put over shorts and t-shirt.
They send orders within a day or two (vs. a week for REI).
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 going out on the trail, during your
trail activity, 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 going out on the
trail. Weight losses of three or more per cent cause reductions in
strength and endurance.
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