Photo: Alisa Harvey breaks the tape as the first woman, fifth overall, at the 2006 CapitalOne Celebrate Children & Youth 5K in 18:23. She had won the prestigous Lawyers Have Heart 10K the previous day in 36:50.

I suffered from heat stroke when I was sixteen. After competing in a track meet with 90 degree temperatures and high humidity, I recall just having a mild headache as I left the track, but I became progressively more ill after returning home with my family that summer evening. My attempt to shower concluded with me waking up on the bathroom floor and crawling over to the toilet to vomit. I dragged myself to my bedroom, climbed the ladder to my bunk bed, and lay down. My head was throbbing and my stomach ached as I shook with chills. I awoke from repeat sessions of convulsions seeing the horror on my twelve-year-old sister's face peeking up from below. When my parents returned home, I was quickly taken to the hospital.

For a week after my heat stroke I stayed inside on the couch waiting for the pain in my abdomen to subside. Apparently, from what I learned years later, my internal organs incurred damage from my high body temperature during the heat stroke. My recovery was slow, but I eventually returned to running that summer.

Twenty-four years later I am left with sensitivity to high temperatures and humidity. I have experienced many bouts of heat illness throughout my years of running. A doctor explained to me that once you suffer a heat stroke you become more susceptible to heat illness. I now have a low tolerance for prolonged activity in warm weather.

After racing in the 1998 Falmouth Road Race where the temperature was 80-plus and the humidity was high, I became ill on the post-race shuttle bus. I remember sitting next to a Kenyan runner who gave me his bottle of water. I was very sleepy and must have been convulsing because when I awoke he looked at me as horrified as my sister did years before during my heat stroke. I managed to recover from the heat illness at the home of my host with fluids and air-conditioning before traveling home.

Thirty minutes after finishing the 2005 Annapolis Ten Miler my husband frantically went in search of ice as I began to feel the telltale signs of heat illness: I was light-headed with stomach distress, chills, and headache. The weather was in the low 80s with a thick overcast, but the humidity was at least 95 percent. My husband and I immediately began to apply ice to my neck, arms, and torso while I drank water and a sports drink. I have learned that my body temperature must be lowered immediately once I get the first hint of heat illness. After thirty minutes of ice-bathing, I was fine and on my way to the hotel.

Running and racing in warm weather is something that I don't want to give up, though I will not run or race outside if the temperature is 90 degrees or above and humid. I came very close to death as a result of my heat stroke and I do not plan to suffer that way ever again. The following guidelines help me get through the hot/humid days of spring, summer, and fall:

Hydrate

Read about proper hydration. Experiment with different types of sports drinks. Focus on hydrating well the day before a warm weather race or run.

Training/racing gear

Use common sense when dressing for warm weather runs. Unless you are a sprinter, leave the leg-wear at home. Save the layers of warm-up gear for cool weather. Choose running shorts and synthetic tanks as opposed to tight-fitting spandex bottoms and tops.

Pre-race/run ice

Take an ice chest to a hot weather competition. During your warm- up, apply ice cubes to your wrists and the back of your neck intermittently. Ideally, supply yourself with an ice vest to put on during warm-up and after the race.

Shorten your warm-up

If the temperature is hot, you are already warm. Look for shaded areas to jog in. Cut your warm-up to approximately half the cool weather distance.

Pass on the warm-down

If you have just finished a hot weather race and you are feeling overwhelmed or exhausted, walk it off and warm down the next morning. Do not overdo! An ice bath is a great recovery tool.

Alisa Harvey last wrote for the Washington Running Report about her hopes and aspirations for setting new American records on the track after turning 40 (Jan-Feb '06 issue). She was successful; setting the U.S. masters indoor record for the 800 meter run at 2:07.23. The previous mark of 2:16.01 was set by Rose Monday in 2001. Alisa set the U.S. masters indoor record for the mile at 4:50.95. The previous mark of 4:53.91 was set by Joan Nesbit in 2003. Alisa set the U.S. masters outdoor record for the mile at 4:46.29. The previous mark of 4:54.0 was set by Laurie Binder in 1991. She also set the U.S. masters record for the 1500 meter event, with a 4:26.49 time en route. The previous mark of 4:32.73 was set by Joan Nesbit in 2002. Alisa reports that the ice vest has horizontal compartments that hold a gel that stays cold after submerging the vest in ice "slush" water or putting it in the freezer. The vest zips in front and comes in different sizes. She found it on the Internet.