Welcome Back or Welcome
I can’t believe this is the 20th edition of the newsletter! I want to begin this week by quickly talking about my motivation and purpose behind writing the newsletter. Because ultimately, it’s all about you! There are just over 800 people reading the newsletter every week, and my goal is to reach 1000 people by the end of the summer.
So Why a Newsletter? Don’t you Have Enough Social Media?
The newsletter is a different direction than blogging. My personal blog is my training, race recaps, shoes, and diners. The newsletter is running and running industry content that benefits the reader.
Over the last year, I’ve felt stale in the social media world. Maybe it’s because I’ve blogged for over eight years now, and sometimes it feels less interactive than I’d like it to be. I’ve blogged before dating my husband. I blogged when I entered the military world. And I’m still blogging in my current in run specialty (which I love!). Heck, I blogged before Instagram and Twitter were “cool.” To be honest, blogs probably hit its peak a few years ago. I wrote about the rise and fall of blogging last April.
I like the newsletter format because it’s delivered directly to your inbox. I can provide content I have come across in the running industry. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not giving up blogging and social media anytime soon! But I hope the newsletter has a more authentic tone that is easier to connect with than a lot of the other stuff you can find online.
How will the Newsletter Benefit Me (the subscriber)?
I enjoy writing about what I’m passionate about, and I enjoy writing about what you’re passionate about (spoiler alert: they’re often the same things!).
The goal of the newsletter is to share things I’m loving, offer tips to help you improve your performance or just have more fun, highlight exciting news in the running world, and touch upon whatever other miscellaneous items that will benefit you.
As someone who works in the running industry, I have a big knowledge base of current running shoe trends and just industry trends in general. I'm not trying to be an “influencer” by promoting products that I get for free. But will I tell you if I've fit dozens of runners in a particular shoe and seen successful outcomes time and time again? You bet!
While the goal is to find sponsors that share my values, I will always keep this newsletter free for my readers. One of the most significant ways to help keep the newsletter free is to share it. Sharing gets the word out to people that usually wouldn’t see the newsletter and helps it grow. I value and appreciate every single share, even if it’s to your parents. (Thanks mom for sharing it to dad! Ha!)
Each week I ask what people would like to read about, and this week people wanted to learn about running in the summer. Like many people on the East Coast, our weather quickly went from okay to hot and humid. At my race on Saturday, it was already in the 80s and the dew point was 74. I was sweating before I started.
The Poor Man’s Altitude: Training in the Heat and Humidity:
One of the most asked questions on Instagram was how to run in the heat and humidity. The short answer is you just get out there and you do it. You might be slower, but that’s the fact of the changing season. You can’t compare your best time on an ideal day to training in the summer. If you are running an early marathon like me, then you’ll spend a lot of quality miles in the heat.
The Science of Slowing Down:
What is dew point? It’s the measure of the water saturation in the air. The water saturation is what causes the inability for runners to cool down and what makes running “more challenging” in the summer.
You’ll probably slow between 5%-15% depending on the dew point. With running, a dew point higher than 65° F will feel uncomfortable. A dew point higher than 70 can be dangerous if you don’t take appropriate action while running.
This post from Mark Hadley gathers all of the information about dew point and how to adjust accordingly.
How Can You Run Well in the Humidity?
Run Early or Late:
There is no right or wrong time to run. When you can run is when you can run. If you like running at 2 am, great. If you like running at 7 pm, also great.
Humidity is generally higher in the morning. So if you are part of the 5 am crowd, then you might have cooler temperatures and higher humidity. If you choose to run later, it might be hotter but less humid. Difficulty wise, they are usually about the same. Of course, there are better times to run than high noon.
The Treadmill is Ok:
I wrote a blog during the winter about the treadmill being ok. It might be mind-numbing to you, but running on the treadmill is a great tool. If you call the treadmill the “dreadmill,” chances are you will dread it. Change your attitude and make it a more enjoyable experience.
Try running with friends who aren’t usually your same pace. You can run next to anyone on a treadmill because every person can adjust their own pace accordingly.
You can also run at any time during the day, and it’s going to be the same temperature. If the lunch hour is the only time you have, it doesn’t matter. If you are looking for things to keep you entertained, I wrote a blog about podcasts.
Hydrate all of the Time:
In the summer heat, you might now need to bring water and electrolytes with you on a 5-mile run. That’s fine. Maybe pick somewhere you can stop for water, or run loops around your house.
Remember that hydration is not just about hydrating during a run. It’s about hydrating before, during, and after. When you feel thirsty, it is too late. And don’t forget your electrolytes – they are essential. Nuun, Gatorade, Powerade, Salt Tablets, Tailwind, whatever electrolytes you like, there are a thousand.
Why Electrolytes?
When you sweat, you lose minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
Determine Your Sweat Rate:
Do you sweat a lot or a little? Finding out is as simple as weighing yourself before your run and then again after a run where you didn’t drink anything. Every pound you lose is equal to about 16 ounces of fluids that should be replaced.
You Will Slow Down:
This point is worth repeating. It will take time to acclimate to the higher temperatures, and you cannot compare yourself to running in perfect weather. If you “can’t stand” to look at “such a slow pace,” then turn your watch off. Paces aren’t embarrassing, and no one cares more about your training than you.
If paces truly embarrass you, then run by time. I do most of my easy runs by time. I’ll run for 60 minutes and average it out to about 6.5 miles. Maybe it’s 6.1, or maybe it’s 7…I’ll never know.
Running in the summer can be fun and enjoyable, but it’s essential to take time to acclimate.
What is Keeping Me Entertained:
An Essay: Overcoming Burnout and Finding Passion In-Running:
Burnout happens to anyone and doesn’t discriminate. I enjoyed this personal essay by Maya Stovall.
CITIUS MAG Podcast with Chris Chavez: Remembering Gabe Grunewald:
Gabe was one of the most influential runners of our generation, who recently passed away from a rare form of cancer. I’ve listened to most Citius Mag episodes, and this was one of my favorites. It shares interviews from Gabe herself. I teared up a couple of times. It’s incredible how much of an impact Gabe had.
Many people asked when I would try the “Hoka Carbon X Shoe”. I’ve never been so often asked about a single shoe. Anyway, the shoe review is up on my blog.
Giveaway:
Finally, my favorite part of the newsletter because I love giving back to the readers and those who are kind enough to share!
This week’s giveaway is with my personal friend Ann from Runners Love Yoga. Ann is a 2:48 marathoner and has a lot of functional and cute apparel. She has been gracious enough to do an entire kit giveaway (top, sports bra, and shorts) for one lucky subscriber. (Guys you can still enter – it would be an excellent gift for any woman).
If you are looking to shop now, use the code LOLZ and you’ll get 20% off.
To enter:
Subscribe and share the newsletter on any platform (make sure to tag or email me, so I know you did!).
Follow and Tag Ann at @Runnersloveyoga
Finally, I appreciate every single email you send and try to respond to each message. Any feedback, good or bad, is always helpful! Is there a specific topic you want to see more about? Don’t be a stranger and let me know.
You can email me at FueledbyLOLZ@gmail.com.
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