A runner's fight with the sun

The summer's here and nobody is being spared from the sun's fury! The weather presents a different kind of challenge to a runner and if the necessary precautions are not taken then the outcome can be fatal. I have a story to share with you of how I once picked a fight with the sun...It didn't end well; zuba inani menya kuipa!

This is my story:
I woke up one day feeling very strong and fit but I was late for an early morning run and house chores were waiting on me. I made my bed, cleaned up my room and made breakfast. I gobbled the 5 star breakfast I had made and proceeded to wash the dishes. I had clearly overeaten so I took a nap. Shortly after that, I was back to feeling invincible. I decided to make use of this energy so I geared up, strapped on a heart rate monitor to my chest, drank a cup of coffee as a pre-workout and took off for a mid-morning run outside with the blazing hot weather. I was still naive and ignorant back then on matters concerning running in the heat so when the run felt hard I decided to run harder. It was a daft attempt at proving to myself that ndine wo kosa. After 3 kilometers my bravado was failing me and I knew that something was very wrong. I felt like collapsing. I halted my run and belatedly decided to check my heart rate data for any correlation between what I was feeling and the heart rate readings. Hmm. It was over 200 beats per minute! How could this be? I was running at a comfortable pace...okay maybe I slightly pushed it but something was not right and such high heart rate readings were very scary. I interpreted various outcomes from heat stroke to a heart attack. I halted my run, sought shelter under a nearby tree and when I felt better proceeded to purchase water from the nearest kantemba. I drank some and bathed in the rest of it. I walked back home defeated but learnt a very important lesson which I will share with you - 'don't pick a fight with the sun, you will lose.' The combination of caffeine and running in the sun nearly killed me. I don't want other runners to make the same mistake I did. Knowledge is progress. Run smart.

Here are my top tips for running in the heat:

• Hydrate adequately and monitor your urine color. I encourage all runners to target fluid intake of 30-40mls per kilogram of body weight per day. For example, if you weigh 80kgs then you should target a fluid intake of 2.4 to 3.2 liters per day. When it comes to urine color you must note that urine that is dark gold in color indicates dehydration whereas urine similar in color to pale lemonade is a sign of a hydrated runner
• Avoid excessive intake of alcohol and caffeinated beverages such as energy drinks and coffee especially during the summer. Caffeinated beverages act as stimulants and may give rise to adverse variations in your heart rate. Alcohol is a diuretic and what this means is that the more you consume of it, the more dehydrated you will become. A diuretic by function pushes your body to release sodium and water. For those that drink, this explains the frequent urges to urinate during your drinking activity and the hangover experienced the next day. When stimulants and diuretics combine with the heat, the effects are compounded and negatively impact running performance
• Wear moisture and sweat wicking material. Be very strategic about the clothing you put on your body during the summer as the wrong piece of clothing can make running a very unpleasant and foul smelling activity
• Avoid direct contact with the sun for a long duration. Ensure that you have a cap on and sunglasses and apply sunscreen to prevent skin damage should you insist on running in the sun
• Try to run in the mornings and evenings before sun rise and after the sun has set if you don't already do so when it's summer time
• If you can afford it, invest in a heart rate monitor and utilize it on every run during the summer. It will provide feedback how hard things really are on your heart. You will be able to establish whether you can keep going or if you're headed for a disaster

Pick your battles and live to run another day.