WARNING, you shouldn't have looked at the image below if you are squeamish
I volunteered to run the Hood to Coast relay with my company a while back, but I was placed dead last in a long list of reserve runners. Thinking there was no way I'd get selected, I did zero training.
6 weeks ago, I'm told that someone was fired, and that I am now on the team. 5 weeks ago I injured my foot and could barely manage a hobble for 3 weeks. Now I'm 4 days away from the race, which consists of 3 legs of approximately 6 miles each.
Besides my lack of training and unmanaged diet, the biggest problem I have is hitting a heat wall. At some point in my run, I simply can't shed heat quickly enough to increase my pace. On Thursday, I hydrated and then ran in the sun when it was 96 degrees just to see how I would handle the heat. I did ok until about mile 5 and then got the chills. Despite the blistering heat, I felt cold and nauseous and had to walk the last 1.5 miles.
Besides hydration, what else can I do to keep cool during my run? Is it better to run with a wicking shirt, or no shirt at all? Should I drench myself in water before the run to minimize the amount I have to sweat?
Any other running tips to help me get the best time I can given the circumstances?
Here is my Strava in case anyone is interested and has some pointers for me.
