Jogging in summer time: the little annoyances

Earlier this year, I shared with you some of the problems I’ve encountered when jogging in the winter time. Nowadays, the weather is more inviting so that you don’t have to drag yourself to go for a jog, run or walk. Still, jogging in spring/summer also does have its problems, albeit little ones, which I present below.

Sun

The sun is your best friend and worst enemy. It provides life-essential vitamin D but its UV rays can also cause damage to the eyes and skin. As a jogger, I try to do my runs in the summertime early in the morning or late in the evening when the sun’s UV rays are not so intense. However, there are days when a lunch break jog is the only thing possible. For this, I use physical as well as chemical sun protection. Physical protection is in the form of a cap and sunglasses. For chemical protection, I use sunscreen. Check these links for more information about how to choose the right sunglasses and the right sunscreen.

Dehydration

Dehydration is a big risk when running in the summer heat especially if you are running for long stretches. It is advisable that you carry a water bottle. In my case, I don’t carry one when jogging basically because I run on familiar stretches where I know the location of water fountains. That is the great thing about living in Switzerland. Whether you are walking in the city or hiking/cycling up in the mountains, there are always free-flowing water fountains with potable water where you can drink and have a refill

Pollen

This one is my biggest problem yet. Just when the spring blossoms are gone, the fields have turned yellow with rape seed flowers and everything – especially the air – is covered with yellow dust – rape seed pollen. I am not asthmatic but I am a bit sensitive to certain types of pollen. So what do I do? I try to avoid running in the vicinity of the rape seed fields. If I have to, then I do when it’s raining or immediately after it has rained. If the worse come to worst, I can always wear a surgical mask.

Blisters

Last summer, it was so warm that I decided to run without socks. This turned out to be a big mistake because my very comfortable running shoes became a blister monster. In the end, it all depends on the shoes, the sensitivity of your feet, the surface you are running on, and well – your running style. I’ve learned my lesson. Running with socks are best – at least for me.

Insects

There I was running, taking deep breaths through my mouth – and got a foul-tasting insect in my throat. Insects are one of the annoyances of running in the summer time. You simply have to put up with them. I know that in some places where flies as especially numerous, joggers/runners run with surgical masks on. So you see, masks are not just for swine flu protection.

Sweat

My MP3 player conked out again today but I can’t blame the temperature. To be more precise, the MP3 player was OK but the earphones weren’t because they got wet from my sweat. However, they worked again once they dried. I wonder, are there waterproof earphones available?

So these are just some of the little annoyances I’ve experience during my regular jogging runs. Why don’t you share yours with us?

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