Fitting Remarks: Knowing when to stop

By: LL

Given the stagnant heat wave that has plagued the Midwest and most of the US the last few months, I have been in conversations with other runners who are training for fall races about knowing when to stop. When is it too much to continue running in certain conditions?

Today, I got up early to run my long run. Since it was predicted to be the hottest day of the 2012, I knew that it would be grueling, but I thought that I had prepared with adequate water and gatorade staged along the route and choosing the coolest time to run - before the sun came up. Unfortunately, it was too hot and I was running so slow that the sun was out by the midway point. I pushed through, but then the last 1/4 mile I came down with goosebumps and shivers - a sure sign of the start of heat exhaustion. I know a few other people that had similar experiences over the last two weeks.

And then my coworker discussed running in the extreme humidity the other day - so humid that it felt that she was running through a pool, but it wasn't the refreshing water. She came out with bad chafing and blisters and was extremely dehydrated all day - she just couldn't get back the water she lost.

So, how do you know when you just need to stop? When it is more important to feel good the rest of the day instead of getting in those last two miles?

This is the question that was underlying the Fitting Debates series from last summer when Cool J and I debated whether it was worse to run in heat or cold. I think that Cool J has since joined on the heat bandwagon. It is so much more dangerous to run in the heat.

That being said, here are a few tips for knowing when you really should stop and forgo those last few miles.

- You feel dizzy or confused.
- You are very hot and sweaty, but you have goosebumps and/or are shivering.
- You are nauseous or vomit.
- You have serious stomach cramping and/or diarrhea.
- You stop sweating.
- You get tunnel vision.

I've been there and tried to push myself through bad conditions, but it is important to learn when your body is telling you to stop, or at least really slow down.

Good luck out there!