Read This Before Running In The Heat

We get it: You were born to run, and you're not going to let temperatures in the 80s, 90s, and beyond stop you. Of course, once you're out there and sweating like you just got caught in a lie, you might feel like the air itself is fighting your every step. Don't feel bad — it's not just you. Running outside in the heat has been proven to be harder and require more energy than your average jog. Related: What's The Best Temperature For A Run? In fact, only about 30% of the energy you're generating while running is actually going toward moving your muscles. That remaining 70% is going toward cooling you off. This means more blood flows to your skin than to your muscles when you run in the heat, so, as exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Stacy Sims, PhD, explains, "You’ll find your heart rate is higher and the intensity feels harder.” While this accounts for the effect that the heat itself has on your run, there are a few other factors that can intensify your summer workout. Related: Your Brain On: Warm Weather As all East Coasters know, with heat comes humidity, and with humidity comes, if it's possible, even more sweat. The additional moisture in the air makes it more difficult for your sweat to evaporate, preventing you from cooling off as quickly as you could in dry heat. UV rays can also play a role. Getting a sunburn will divert even more blood flow away from your muscles and toward your skin, which, according to Dr. Sims, is not optimal to exercise: “Recent research has shown that the skin temperature has a bigger effect on performance than actual core temperature. If you can keep your skin cool, you will keep more blood in central circulation, allowing for better exercise performance even if your core temperature is elevated more than exercise-normal.” Luckily, with time, practice, and, of course, hydration, you'll start to feel the benefits of your heat wave run in no time. Click through to Shape for more tips on beating the heat while running. (Shape) Related: 11 Heat-Related Workout Inflictions To Watch Out For