Compression wear was the topic of an interview of me three months ago by a track and cross-country coach for a U.S. high school.

Interviewing everyone from an exercise physiologist and a big-city newspaper writer to me, he wanted to know our advice on training and racing in summer heat.

He approached me because of what I had written about compression wear and because I live in the warm climate of Houston, Texas.

The article just got published in a U.S. running magazine, but none of the material from his interview of me made it into the article, apparently due to space restrictions.

What I said in the interview is valuable, especially for any endurance runner or walker who lives in a warm climate and is considering buying compression wear.

So here is the transcript of that unpublished interview:

Compression Wear in Summer

What pushed you to start running in compression wear during the hot, humid summer months of Texas? What, if any, scientific basis was there at the onset?

I started running in compression wear when I got a pair of compression tights as a Christmas gift. My sister-in-law, who is not a runner, bought them as a cool-weather item for me to wear the following month in the Chevron Houston Marathon. I wore them in that race and found that they seemed to reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). So I kept wearing them during my long runs on Saturday mornings with my group training program — all the way into July and August, which tend to give us the highest temperatures and humidity here in Houston, even at five in the morning!

The Benefits of Compression Wear

How do you feel training in such clothing benefits you as an athlete?

Since I got that first pair of compression tights, I switched to a different brand that seems to give me even stronger compression, even less DOMS, and better stabilization of my knees. I’m 6’3″ tall, so that last benefit is especially important to me. I also train with a short-sleeve compression top from that same, second brand. And I like how it tends to pull my shoulders back, which seems to help with respiration.

Concerns and Cautions

Any concerns or cautions related to running in compression tops and tights during the warmer months of the year?

I would say that anyone can replace a non-compression top with a compression top without much trouble, no matter whether the weather is hot or cold. But I have two suggestions for runners who are new to wearing compression tights. If you want to wear them in the summer, then you may want to begin with shorter-distance runs — because they will be warmer than shorts. If you want to wear them in the winter, then expect that you may have to wear an extra set of tights or that you may want to get a pair of compression tights that are designed for cold weather. After once going on a 25-degree-Fahrenheit training run with a lighter pair of compression tights and nothing on top of them, I returned home and peeled off those tights, only to discover that I had gotten the cold-weather equivalent of a sun burn on my legs!

Final Thoughts

Anything compression-related you’d like to add?

Hospitals regularly put compression socks on patients to help with blood-flow return from the legs. So you have to know that compression wear works. Put simply, compression tights help to reduce DOMS and to improve stability, and compression tops help with posture and respiration. I would add that compression wear does an even better job at pulling perspiration away from the skin than does wicking, non-compression wear, apparently because the fabric is always in contact with the skin. I recommend that any runner who is curious about compression wear perhaps start with compression shorts or socks … and then go from there!

What Say You?

Wearing the right clothing in hot weather is crucial to your happiness as an endurance runner or walker. What do YOU wear in the summer to stay happy? What is the oddest clothing that you have seen an endurance runner or walker wear in summer heat? Are you still trying to find the perfect clothing for a run or walk in the heat of summer? I would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below!

photo credit: Scott Ableman

“Hydrate for happiness.”

When it comes to your endurance training and racing, does this advice make sense to you?

I talked in my last article about how gratitude helps you to be happy with your endurance running or walking.

Now I’m talking about hydrating for happiness.

And you — reasonably — may be wondering…

“Which is it: gratitude, or hydration?”

Well, it’s both. You need gratitude and hydration, if you want to be happy as an endurance runner or walker.

You see, I don’t care who you are, but if you don’t take care of your body, then you can practice being grateful every day for all aspects of your endurance running or walking … and still not be happy.

Why? Because gratitude is necessary but not sufficient.

Everybody Needs This

You also must take care of your body.

Your body includes your mind, from my perspective, in a “body-mind” sort of way, but that’s a topic for another article.

And proper hydration is one of the core ways in which you take care of your body … and your happiness.

If you don’t hydrate well,

1. Your blood goes into sodium imbalance.
2. You run out of energy.
3. You become irritable with fellow runners or walkers.
4. You finish endurance events hunched over.
5. You wake up crankier.

… and on and on it goes — all leading to unhappiness.

“Your Mileage May Vary”

How can you hydrate well?

You can overhydrate, by blindly following advice to drink X glasses of water a day.

Or you can listen to your body, learn more, and drink different volumes each day until you get it right for your situation.

But here’s the deal: Your “situation” depends not only on you but also on how much you are exercising on any given day, on what you wear, on what you are eating, on your stress level, and on the weather — as in the temperature and humidity.

In other words, your situation can change every day.

So I cannot give you any hard and fast rule about drinking X glasses per day.

A Simple Approach

Instead, what you should try is something extremely simple.

1. Weigh yourself immediately before training or racing. Weigh yourself afterward. For every pound you lost during your race or training session, and assuming that liquids, not solids, were your primary intake, you underhydrated by sixteen fluid ounces. (Or, if you gained weight and did not overeat, then you overhydrated by sixteen fluid ounces for every pound that you gained.)
2. Away from training or racing, keep a journal of how much water you drink and your energy levels throughout the day as well as when you were getting out of bed the next morning. After a few weeks, you should start to see some correlation.

I guarantee that by following these two simple suggestions you can hydrate for happiness!

Simple, But Not Necessarily Easy

Simple, though, is not the same as easy.

For example, if I ask you to run fifty miles in a westward direction from where you are now, then it’s as simple as giving you a compass. But this does not mean that running fifty miles will be easy for you.

Similarly, the approach that I outlined above is simple but not necessarily easy.

So here’s a question for you:

What tool or technique do you use
to make it EASY to stay properly hydrated?

I have my own technique, but I would love to hear about yours first.

Please answer this question in your comment below, to start the dialogue!

photo credit: RLHyde

There are some 800 marathons held annually around the world, with some 250 marathons held annually in the USA alone. And only some 1 to 2% of the population has ever run a marathon.

If you have decided to run a marathon but do not know where to begin, then here are seven marathon running tips for you.

Tip #1 – Expect to train for several months for your first marathon.

Here is a secret unknown to most non-marathoners: The marathon is not the marathon. In other words, the true marathon is the months and months of training that go into preparing for a single morning of running. If you have never run the distance of a marathon, you must build your endurance, and you do this through several months of training.

Tip #2 – Join a group training program.

There is nothing like a group training program to teach you how to train for a marathon, to give you opportunities for long training runs with hydration and nutrition support beyond what your hydration belt can hold, and to stimulate a sense of accountability to others that will motivate you to persist through months of training.

Tip #3 – Register as soon as possible for your marathon.

Many marathon websites make it look as if you have a several-month time window during which to register. The reality is that many marathons now fill so quickly that you should register as soon as possible for yours. To be sure, plan to register within a couple of hours of the opening of online registration. Yes, registration can be that competitive!

Tip #4 – Follow advice from experienced marathoners.

Listen to experienced marathoners for advice. One of the best pieces of advice is simple: Do not change anything on race day from what you were doing, using, wearing, or eating in the weeks leading up to race day.

Tip #5 – Take care of yourself.

Be good to yourself. If a pain persists, then get medical attention. If advised to rest, then rest. Watch your weight so that you know that you are staying hydrated. Find foods that nourish you — both on the road and after long runs.

Tip #6 – Get inspiration.

Read books such as 50/50, which was written by ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes about his completing 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. Watch DVDs about marathons and ultramarathons. Ask coaches what inspires them to run marathon after marathon.

Tip #7 – Expect that your first marathon will be a success.

The word “success” is very subjective. No matter what success means to you, daily visualize the end-result that you desire. For example, if success to you means a 5:30:00 chip-time, then take a few minutes daily to visualize yourself crossing the finish line with 5:30:00 displayed on your chronograph.

What tips do you have? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!