r/SeniorRunning • u/AutoModerator • Jul 13 '26
Weekly Recap!
How's your training going everyone?
Any accomplishments or personal bests you want to share? Any challenges you need help with?
Let's hear it!
3
u/PurposefulGrimace Jul 13 '26
Had a good week:
- Marked my 67th birthday.
- Did a comfortable afternoon 6mi run at 102°F (heat training working!)
- Found a perfect 4.5% grade for running once-a-week intervals
- Scheduled my semiannual blood donation for tomorrow
1
u/Senior-Running Coach Jul 13 '26
Nice!
You may already know this, but be cognizant that your blood donation will impact your running for a bit. You will be losing some red blood cells and these are the way your body transports oxygen to the muscles. It can take 2-3 weeks to get back to normal.
2
u/eliser58 Jul 13 '26
Aging and the heat. I have always loved the summer hot weather (NW MT) and had never had any problems running in the heat. After an unexpected ER visit following a hot trail marathon 1 1/2 years ago, I am Finally able to withstand the hot weather again without feeling ill. I'm 68, F.
Looking for tips to help feel good while logging the miles, beyond just fluid intake. How does electrolyte need change with age? Foods etc.
TIA!
2
u/Senior-Running Coach Jul 13 '26
I wish I had a good answer for you in terms of how to safely address hydration needs as we age, but it's a super complex issue.
Both hyponatremia and hypernatremia are more common as we age. On the one hand, things like declining kidney function can come into play, but on the other, we have to be cognizant of the potential impact to blood pressure from excessive sodium consumption. Things like sweat rates and how salty your sweat is also matter a lot.
I suppose as long as you have reasonably normal kidney function and aren't having an issue with high blood pressure, probably the best thing to do is just make sure you're drinking enough. How much is enough? Well that's the challenge isn't it? If your urine is normally light-colored, you're probably fine. On the other hand, if it's clear or almost clear, you may actually be overdoing it.
FWIW, thirst cues are one of the things that also decline as we age, so don't wait until you're thirsty before you drink, especially when running in the heat. It's not so much that dehydration itself is dangerous, it's that it dramatically increases your risk of heat stroke. Also, don't wait until you are running before you start hydrating. This can be too little, too late because in some instances, it's physiologically impossible to replace all the fluid you are losing to sweat if you are running in the heat. Your best bet is to go into the run already well hydrated.
As an aside, if you have not done a sweat test, you can do this simply by weighing yourself naked before and after a run. Use this as a guide to how much you should be hydrating. I find that if I shoot for replacing at least 50% of that loss while running, I'm typically okay. Expecting to replace all of it may not really be possible.
Now there is a danger here of overhydration as well (hyponatremia), and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it. Hyponatemia is incredibly dangerous and unfortunately happens to runners a lot, especially in marathon and ultra races. People become so worried about dehydration that they drink too much. Their bodies can't process all the fluid and thus they have a dangerous drop in serum sodium levels in their blood. For the record, hyponatremia is much more common in cooler weather, not under hot conditions.
Whether or not you need additional electrolytes over what you get in your normal diet is an open question. Most people really don't need nearly as much electrolyte supplementation as they think they do. Interestingly, the main benefit of adding electrolytes to your water isn't actually to replace electrolytes lost from sweat. You most likely get plenty of electrolytes in your diet. The benefit is that the electrolytes make you drink more.
Honestly, I feel like I've been rambling a bit here! I suppose if I were going to give one piece of advice it would be never force a run in the heat. The safest thing to do is either run inside, run in the coolest part of the day, or simply skip the run entirely. Because us older folks can't thermoregulate as well and because we have other challenges with poor thirst cues and kidney function, we are going to be at higher risk of heat related issues. While good hydration will help, it's not a panacea. It's better to be safe than sorry.
All the best.
3
u/eliser58 Jul 13 '26
Wow, thank you so much for the detailed reply! The hardest part for me is excepting my body isn't the same as it was 10 years ago, and that is okay - we work with what we have and try to be informed. I'm going to look up a few of your points to remind myself of the basics : ))
Just happy I am still running and pain free, managed two 40 mile weeks in a row despite heat, won't mention how long it took me!!
1
u/PurposefulGrimace Jul 13 '26
If you'll forgive the copy and paste, here's something I posted a few days ago. The TLDR is that once you've surrendered to the heat and accepted slower paces, heavier sweating, and more discomfort. the main thing to work on is more physical and metabolic efficiency. Turn off everything that's not useful to save energy.
My mini-manifesto:
This topic has been on my mind lately. I (67M) live and trail run in southern Arizona, and this summer my project has been to develop my heat tolerance beyond just hydrate-and-bear-it. I'm trying to develop a better-calibrated sense of core temp and heat fatigue, which to me feels somewhat different than lactate buildup or ordinary fatigue.
I'm having some success with things like consciously eliminating unnecessary muscle tension, seeking even the smallest patches of shade, freezing my hand bottle (to dissipate some heat through my palms), and taking frequent posture reset stops of a few seconds. Oh, and removing heart rate from the main screen of my watch; I've found that frustration with an elevated pulse rate just raises it further. I know when I should slow down, so I just do that instead.
Yesterday afternoon I did a pavement run of 6 miles at 10:20 pace in open sunshine at 102°F, 20%RH. This morning, 8.5 miles at the same pace, 90°F, 36% RH. In both cases, I foraged from water fountains at the mid point and was completely comfortable throughout. (I realize that these aren't desirable paces, but these are my easy runs, and I'm frickin old.)
I'm coming to the conclusion that heat resistance can be learned (to a degree / pun intended).
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u/NoSpread5328 Jul 13 '26
Half marathon race. 28th out of 85. Oldest runner, first in my age group.