Heat Stroke

It’s hot out here (and I’m sure it’s pretty hot where you are too, if you live in the US).  I’ve been bad and didn’t run for a few weeks.  I realized that I needed to get a few runs under my belt before I ran in this weekend’s Color Run here in Des Moines.  Well, I made the brilliant decision to just do an easy 5K for the hell of it a couple of days ago.  In the afternoon.  In the 90s.  In 100% humidity.

I’m sure you veteran runners would be able to take it, but my body has gotten soft and I learned that it wasn’t able to handle that kind of stress out of nowhere.  I’ve even run in worse conditions than this, but I was in shape at the time.  I had about 1K left before getting back home when I just felt my skin start flushing, almost like I was getting goosebumps.  And I had stopped sweating.  I knew that was a bad sign.  I was overheating, and these were the beginning signs of heat stroke.

So I stopped running and just took it easy the rest of the way home.  When I got inside, I drank water and Powerade and then took a cool shower.  My god that felt good.  It was a bit too close for comfort, though.  If I had been way out in the sticks when this hit, I might not have made it back alright.

The day after, though, I felt some of the lingering effects.  I was nauseated, dizzy, and weak.  I’m still sorta feeling it today.

It’s a very good idea to be aware of your body.  Your brain might be overzealous, but think about your current condition, the environmental conditions, and what your body is telling you.  And especially after too much time off, don’t push it.  Learn where your abilities lie.