Respect The Run

And you’ll end up respecting the runner

Suddenly it was hot. No warning. No progression. Just wham bam thank you m’am and it was hot here in Oregon. Yesterday it was cloudy and damp and cool and today it was sunny and dry and hot. Nirvana! Finally! The great ball of fire in the sky returns! We have been forgiven… or chosen… or saved? Not exactly sure what the right vibe is when the Sun returns to the Pacific Northwest after month after month after month of drizzle dripping down from the dreary sky. Doesn’t matter. The point here is that it was hot. Real hot. And I was on a run.

It wasn’t an especially long run. It wasn’t an especially fast run. It was for all intents and purposes (not intensive purposes) just a run. It was a recovery run. It was an easy run. But I respected the hell out of this run. Because it was hot. Damn hot. Unexpectedly hot. Don’t get me wrong… I respect all my runs. But this one demanded a little more respect. And it’s that respect I gave the run that gave me the best chance to have the best run I could.

Here’s the deal. I wanted to run for 40 minutes. The mercury was showing me that the temperature was hitting low 90 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s over 32 degrees Celsius. This is the beginning of May in Oregon. It’s not supposed to be this hot this early in the year. Needless to say… I was not calloused to running in heat like this. But that doesn’t mean I can’t run in this heat. I can. I just need to start respecting the run before I start the run. That means being honest about the conditions I’m going to run in and what that means for my run. It’s really hot. Okay. I have some choices to make. I can run less distance than originally planned and try to maintain the pace I normally would run or I could run around the same distance but back off the pace. If it was any hotter… I’d probably need to back off both the distance and pace. Why are these my options? Because I respect a 40 minute run and I respect a 40 minute run in 90 degree heat.

Disrespecting the run would be disregarding the reality of the situation. And that’s not just disrespectful… it’s utterly moronic. The facts of the matter are simple. It’s hot. And excessive heat has an effect on the run. You cannot maintain the distance and pace and maintain the same effort when it’s HOT compared to when it’s mild or cool. The excessive heat that day in Oregon meant I would be working way harder to run the distance and pace that I normally would be able to do (with less effort) on one of those more typical cloudy and cool Portland days.

So, I respected the run by taking into consideration the environment. I ran a little before sunset when the heat starts to back off a little bit. I stayed on trails that offered shade too. The temperature doesn’t change there in the shade but I am kept out of those powerful rays of sunshine that pummel me with radiation. I made sure that I was hydrated before I started the run.

(Quick tip: The best way to stay hydrated on a run is to be hydrated before you start the run! No amount of hydration on the run is going to help you as much as that little tip if you’re starting your runs dehydrated!)

I ran less a little less duration - 30 minutes instead of 40 minutes - and I ran a much slower pace - x:xx pace instead of x:x… you know what? Don’t worry about my pace. My pace was fine. Anyway, I wore a light colored shirt because a dark one would basically be taunting the Sun and the Sun can kick my ass. My shorts were black though. Why? Because it seems that all mens running shorts are black. Ugh. Come on! We like colors! Running shorts don’t need to be so serious!

I digress.

I had a good run. I got a little sweaty… okay I got a lot sweaty by the end. I could tell that I was getting close to my max duration in that heat. I probably could have run 15 to 20 more minutes before I would have become too flipping hot to keep running easy. I know what you’re thinking - Coach, aren’t you always too hot to keep running? You’re not wrong. But this is the wrong time to talk about my stunning and adonis-like looks.

Back to my run.

As I was saying… I was getting close to a duration where I would no longer be able to run easy no matter how easy I tried to run. Heat can do that to you. And this was supposed to be an easy run. Oh yeah… respecting the run also means respecting the purpose of the run. And that’s why I pay attention to the environment I’m running in… maybe it’s hot… or really cold… or humid… or windy and then I adjust the numbers associated with the run accordingly so I can nail the purpose of the run. Distance. Duration. Pace. I respect the purpose of the run by making sure those numbers match the effort. (Remember, easy is an effort and not a pace.)

I also pay attention to those environments that have nothing to do with weather. The environments I’m in or coming from. Maybe I had a bad night of sleep or a stressful day at work or a hard day at school or a busy day of meetings and events. Maybe I’m heading to the starting line of my run after some arguments or disagreements with loved ones or anxious moments with friends or family.

I know that the best way to have my best run is to acknowledge that I have a life before and after my run and that that life demands I take into account how tired, or excited, fatigued, exhausted, motivated, inspired, confused, disillusioned, happy, sad, mad or rad I am when I start running. And by taking into account how I feel, what I’ve been through, what the weather is, when I’m running, where I’m running, what the purpose of the run is… I’m respecting the run. I’m setting myself up to have the best possible run I can. That may mean a shorter run. It may mean a slower run. It may mean both. It may mean neither. It may mean that I’m free to let it rip and rock and roll. But no matter what kind of run I end up running… respecting the run means a better run. And yes, respecting the run may mean no run at all.

And the best part about learning to respect the run isn’t even the better runs! It’s not the smarter running that comes from respecting your runs either. It’s not the progress you’ll see or the more joy you’ll experience. Even though all those things will happen if you start respecting your runs more.

The best part is that what you’re really doing is respecting the runner. What you are doing is respecting yourself. It’s hot? Don’t disrespect yourself by ignoring that heat. Respect yourself by setting yourself up to have the best run you can. And you do that by respecting the run. You’ve had a really stressful day and you’re mentally and physically exhausted? Don’t disrespect yourself by trying to do a run you shouldn’t be doing. You’re lacking the fitness to run 10K or 20K or 30K? Don’t disrespect yourself by disrespecting the run and thinking you can just wing it and setting yourself up to fail. Respect the run. Respect the runner. And build the fitness the right way… the smart way… the respectful way.

One last thing… when you respect the run… respect running… respect the runner… respect yourself… you realize that you don’t ever need to fear the run… running…. the runner… or yourself. Disrespecting a hot run can lead to a scary situation. Disrespecting the exhaustion you’re feeling or the fitness you have or don’t have can lead to at best an ill-advised run or at worst a physical or mindful injury.

Why am I telling you all this. Because I respect this sport. Because I respect you. You should respect you too. And one way you can do that is by respecting your runs.