Kicking the 'Summer Slump'

I have it. I'll admit it. I find myself dreaming of my winter/spring races and training days where I felt like a million bucks. I even find myself daydreaming during my runs of 'a life less heated' as I truck through the hot sun and humidity that drench my summer training sessions where my mileage is sometimes cut in half and the minutes just keep getting tacked on as the heat climbs.

I found myself trying to research what was wrong with my body. I wanted to make sure that my fitness level wasn't dropping to an all time low; that I wasn't doing something wrong. I wanted to make sure that once racing season came around in the fall I would be ready to go and not trailing the pack in front of me. It's nothing with fitness level, and sometimes even though we all try to make our runs/training days less painful (see blog on "Keeping Cool..." below) sometimes it just isn't possible. So that's where I learned one word within my research: consistency.

As runners/athletes we are trained towards another word: progress . If we're not making it, then we're not doing our bodies justice. During the summer months that is not necessarily the case. When it's 80 degrees with 90% humidity at 6 am, you can't help the fact that your run will feel the same as a run in say 70 degree weather with little humidity. Although the progress is slower, the key is maintaining . One foot in front of the other out the door will ensure you make your way past your summer slump.

Another critical component is to carefully set your goals. If you're looking at getting up early to catch that semi-cool morning air, don't set your alarm for 4:30 if you regularly wake up at 8:00am. Try setting your alarm for 7am and go for a 20 minute run. Do that for a week and then by the next week, set it for 6:30am, and increase your workout from 30-40min. You get the point. Not only will this ensure that you are gradually getting up earlier but it will also adapt your body to wanting to get some shut eye earlier at night. Gradually increasing your workout time and waking up earlier is a surefire way to help you reach your goals and work on maintaining consistency in your workouts over the hot summer months.

So kick off your pj's, lace up your running shoes and remember this if you ever get discouraged out there beating the summer heat:

You have a choice. You can either throw in the towel or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face.
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