Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Survival Guide: Houston Summer

Nearly three and a half years ago I moved from Central Pennsylvania to the quaint metropolis of Houston, Texas. It was during the month of March, the weather was perfect, blue skies, 70 degree weather, rarely a drop of rain, and I thought I had moved to paradise. Then March turned into April and April turned into May, and slowly my paradise became a sticky, oppressive, concrete broiler. My first taste of summer in Houston was a wet hot mess. Heat and humidity and relatively unpredictable storms make training for anything more physical than a chess tournament a tall task. This summer is no exception, with rain stealing weeks of training and the heat reaching record highs once the rain subsides, it's tough out there. I've been through 3 previous summers, training for various events, and I'm using lessons learned from those trials (by fire) to keep my training on track. The following is a short, but hopefully helpful, list of tips to survive the Houston summers.
  1. Stay Hydrated - This doesn't mean simply water, as you train you'll lose vital electrolytes such as sodium and potassium to sweat as well. Sports drinks can help you replenish those as well as many of your favorite beverages.


  2. Train Early in the Morning- And...


  3. Train Late at Night- Pretty much avoiding this part of the day is key..

  4. Train Indoors - Treadmills and Stationary bikes suck, but they are occasionally necessary, and sometimes fun.

  5. Swim - 71.11% of the Earth is covered in water, and if those dirty hippies are right that number is only going to increase. So stay cool and prep for the inevitable future.

  6. Use Common Sense - It's triple digits out there, but your mug is frosty. You can always run tomorrow...

Miles Covered So Far:


Swimming: 73.75


Biking: 1580.3


Running: 398.64


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