{"id":10957,"date":"2025-07-15T06:19:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T06:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/10957\/"},"modified":"2025-07-15T06:19:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T06:19:15","slug":"should-you-run-in-a-heatwave-heres-what-the-experts-have-to-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/10957\/","title":{"rendered":"Should you run in a heatwave? Here\u2019s what the experts have to say"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Ireland’s heatwave continues, runners are once again confronted with a tough choice: brave the sweltering temperatures or take a break and stay indoors.<\/p>\n

To shed light on the potential health risks, the key precautions to take, and smart ways to stay active in extreme heat, we spoke to two experts who shared their insights and advice on this topic.<\/p>\n

What happens to our body when we run in extreme heat? What can the health risks be?<\/p>\n

\"CroppedDehydration and heatstroke are the main health risk factors to be aware of<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happens first of all is that your body does what it\u2019s designed to do \u2013 it sweats to try and keep your body cool,\u201d explains running coach Kris King. \u201cWhat happens quite quickly in extreme heat is that the core temperature rises, and that\u2019s when things can go a bit awry. So, you can start to get things like headaches, sickness and dizziness and, at the severe end of that, vomiting and strokes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam Quinn, a personal trainer, agrees and adds: \u201cIf you\u2019re finding that it\u2019s so hot you can\u2019t run, you\u2019re having to slow down, you\u2019re feeling exhausted, faint or dizzy, I think that\u2019s probably a big indicator that actually you\u2019re not going to maximise your assets by running in that type of environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

What precautions should runners take if they choose to run during a heatwave?<\/p>\n

\"WomanRun when it is cooler, such as early morning or later on in the evening<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are running in the heat, make sure that you\u2019re running safely, that you\u2019re listening to your body and giving yourself the right sort of tools to have a successful training run and that you are not putting yourself at any unnecessary risk,\u201d says Quinn.<\/p>\n

Here are their top tips for a successful run this summer\u2026<\/p>\n

Run during the cooler periods of the day<\/p>\n

\u201cConsider running at more suitable times during the day, such as early morning or later in the evening where it\u2019s slightly cooler,\u201d recommends Quinn.<\/p>\n

Fuel your body<\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure that your nutritional intake is appropriate for the distances and things you\u2019re doing,\u201d says Quinn. \u201cMake sure that you\u2019re having enough protein and carbohydrates pre-workout so that you\u2019ve got energy during the workout.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adjust your route<\/p>\n

\u201cTry not to run too far from home, think about smaller loops, rather than big out and backs,\u201d advises King. \u201cConsider somewhere shady, so it might be the woods or a forest, rather than out on exposed plains.\u201d<\/p>\n

Protect your skin<\/p>\n

\u201cSun cream and covering your skin is really important, because if you\u2019ve got burnt skin it\u2019s not going to be as effective at sweating and cooling you down,\u201d highlights King.<\/p>\n

Drink water before, during and after your run<\/p>\n

\"Sip on water throughout the day<\/p>\n

\u201cEven with slight dehydration, performance can be decreased by up to 20%, so you need to make sure you\u2019re hydrated before your run,\u201d says Quinn. \u201cAlso, if you\u2019re dehydrated, you\u2019ve got much more risk of adverse health effects or higher risk of injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the run, you\u2019re going to be sweating and losing salt from your body, and electrolyte drinks and water can help you replenish any depleted stores. Then post-exercise, if it\u2019s a hot day, you could lose quite a lot of water and sweat, so it\u2019s important that you again really replenish your stores, so that you\u2019re going to be able to recover afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Run with a friend or in a group<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re running and it\u2019s a really hot day, it\u2019s great to run with a friend for additional safety,\u201d says Quinn, \u201cSo, if there is an incident or you feel unwell, you\u2019ve got some support there.<\/p>\n

\u201cRunning in groups is also really good. The organisers of parkruns and running clubs tend to implement lots of precautions, offer advice and make sure that everybody\u2019s had a drink, warmed up and had an appropriate cool-down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adjust your pace<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother thing you can do is manage your pace,\u201d recommends King. \u201cYour body\u2019s going be working hard to cool you down, your heart rate\u2019s going be higher, so you\u2019ll need to run slower.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wear cooler clothing<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just need something that\u2019s breathable and wicking so the sweat comes away from your body,\u201d advises King. \u201cLoose-fitting clothing is good. You can also pre-douse your clothes in water before a run.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is an indoor alternative if people don\u2019t want to run outside in the heat?<\/p>\n

\"SideGet on the treadmill<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the treadmill is a fantastic option,\u201d says Quinn. \u201cThere\u2019s so many different varieties of a treadmill now.\u201d<\/p>\n

What should you do straight after a run in the hot weather?<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a run make sure that you cool down effectively and are monitoring your heart rate to make sure it\u2019s coming back down to a stable, normal, resting heart rate,\u201d advises Quinn. \u201cAlso, make sure that you\u2019re doing stretching mobility post-run.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, King recommends sitting in the shade with a cold compress.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy in large if your body temperature is coming down, there\u2019s a cold compress on your neck and your head and you\u2019ve got the appetite to drink, then you should be fine,\u201d says King.<\/p>\n

Refuelling is also very important.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure that you\u2019re taking on some protein to be able to recover and some carbohydrates as well, to replace any depleted energy stores, and drink plenty of water as well,\u201d recommends Quinn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Ireland’s heatwave continues, runners are once again confronted with a tough choice: brave the sweltering temperatures or…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10958,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[337,97],"class_list":["post-10957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}