Training outdoors

In light of recent events, running is on the mind. After the Chicago Marathon was stopped due the excessive heat, runners around the country have been worried about their own race. It would be awful to have been training for years to compete in a race and get stopped half way through. Having just completed my first half marathon, I was certainly dreading waking up that morning to a hot, humid day. Luckily October 13 in Hartford Connecticut was a crisp, cool beautiful fall morning.

While training, athletes should try to accommodate for any condition that they may face. If your event is outside training in the heat or the cold is very crucial. There are many effects heat could have on a person that range from dehydration, to heat exhaustion which could eventually lead to heat stroke. The cold, however, can be just as bad. If you are working hard and sweating, the water on your body could lead to pneumonia. Either way you can prevent your body from getting hurt by the weather just by training in different atmospheres. If you have an event that takes place outdoors where you can not predict what mother nature is going to bring that day, you have to prepare for anything.

The New York Times addresses this issue well with a list of other ways to prepare before a race as well.