Lynn running assistant Abelon discusses effects of heat on running

With the recent hot weather causing North Shore residents to turn up the air conditioning, you might think local runners would turn down a trip to the local track.Think again.The trick to running in the heat is in knowing when to run and how to do it, says local running assistant Joseph Abelon.”With weather like this, it’s advisable not to run in mid-day,” Abelon said Sunday night, after another sweltering summer afternoon. “On extremely hot days, the best time to run is in the mornings, between 6 and 7, when it’s coolest.”With both the Lynn Woods Reservation and Lynn Beach, the City of Lynn offers two promising spots for summer running.”The woods cools down,” Abelon said, adding that the best time to run in Lynn Woods was in the morning before 8, while “at Lynn Beach the breeze is cooler. Last week, a week and a half ago, one day it was 95 degrees and at the beach it was 85 because of a particular wind off the ocean.”Abelon also offered some safety tips for people who run during the summer.”Hydrate during the day, and get more potassium, such as with one banana a day,” he said.Abelon, who is involved with many running activities throughout the city, pointed to one recent event that showed runners’ resilience. Two Wednesdays ago, the Lynn Woods races that day drew their biggest crowd to date, 184 people.”Road runners are a special breed,” Abelon said. “They’re conditioned to run races on a consistent basis.”