When I was getting ready for the BYU Cross-Country tryouts last year I was running a lot. I had just discovered barefoot running by reading Born to Run and I started running as much if not more than I ever had before. I was getting faster and faster, and as I did that I was more and more confident that I was going to be able to make the team.
My Freshman year I tried out. The next fastest guy made the team and from me on back they cut. So this last year I was comparing my times to my Freshman year and they were significantly faster. I went out and did a 4 mile time-trial by myself and ran about as fast as my 4 mile race time my Freshman year. Man was I excited! I figured that if I was equaling my time on my own during a workout then the tryout race a couple months later would go VERY well.
Obviously it was getting hot during the day and I thought that because I was hydrating really well that I had nothing to worry about. As long as I was putting enough water into my body then I would be protected by the heat and its nasty effects. I avoided working out in the heat of the day, between noon and three-ish, because that's when I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to do hard workouts.
Then around August 22nd Utah had some of its hottest days. I made the mistake of working out around 4:30 and trying to do a long run. I can't remember why, but we had some obligation in the evening. I was working full-time and got off work around 4 so 4:30 was the best time to run. I remember it being really hot and running laps around the BYU intramural field. I remember downing a whole Nalgene 32 oz. water bottle and then wanting more. Each lap got slower and slower. I became more and more tired until I cut my run a couple mile short.
In the days that followed whenever I would run in the sun, no matter what time I felt very sluggish. My heart rate would go way up and I was craving more and more water. Some days I would drink about 160+ oz. of water and still be thirsty when I woke up the next morning.
Cross Country tryouts came and I wasn't excited at all. I was tired, weak, depressed. The week of tryouts there were some days that we were expected to run on our own if we couldn't make it to the workout. Those were the days that I went home and slept. I debated running the tryout race and in the end I did. I even ran 30 seconds faster than my Freshman year, but I felt like crud! (Excuse my word choice, but that's how I felt.) I went to the doctor a couple weeks later because even though I had stopped running I was still weak, depressed, fatigued and so tired.
He told me, after a series of tests (blood, urine, EKG) that I had gotten heat exhaustion. I should have run in the morning, even if I had to wake up early and I should have waited until after 6 p.m. He said that a lot of people get away with training during the heat of the day, but sooner or later it hit them if they keep it up. Don't make the same mistake I did. Avoid the heat and take care of yourself. Have a great day and run fearless!
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