A milder season
These months are usually kinder for the long run in the UAE, and the weather still changes day to day. Check the day's heat before the session, and let sleep and fatigue set the effort.
Running libraryA note that helps you train,
A note that helps you train,
without promising a result
Practical basics for everyone, a UAE heat note for the current month and links to public running research. It refreshes every week. It is general guidance, not a medical assessment, and it does not change your plan.
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This month's weather
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Basics for everyone
Short, practical advice for anyone who exercises, with its source.
How much activity do you need each week?
- Adults: 150–300 minutes of moderate or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity a week.
- Add muscle-strengthening work on two or more days a week.
- Some activity is better than none; start small and build up.
Source: WHO
The talk test: the easiest way to pace yourself
- On an easy run you can speak in full sentences.
- If you can only say a few words before breathing, the effort is vigorous.
- Keep most of your weekly running easy, even if it feels slow.
Source: CDC
Starting to run? Start with run–walk
- Alternate a few minutes of easy running with minutes of walking.
- Three sessions a week with a rest day between them is a great start.
- Add running time gradually; consistency matters more than speed.
From the attia.run method
Build your load gently
- Avoid sudden jumps in weekly distance; small steps are safer.
- Keep any single run close to your longest run of the past month.
- After a few build weeks, a lighter week helps the body adapt.
From the attia.run method
Running in UAE heat
- Run early morning or after sunset; avoid midday.
- Slow down in the heat: the same effort means a slower pace.
- Wear light, pale clothing and carry water on longer runs.
- Stop and get somewhere cool if you feel dizzy, sick or a strong headache.
Source: WHO
Water and fluids
- Start training well hydrated.
- Heat and long runs need more fluid, and sometimes electrolytes.
- Do not drink far beyond your needs; thirst and urine colour are simple guides.
Source: ACSM
Sleep is part of training
- Adults need at least 7 hours of sleep.
- After a short night, keep the day's session easier.
- Rest days give your body time to absorb training.
Source: CDC
How to choose running shoes
- Comfort while running is the most useful guide.
- Try several pairs and pick the one that feels natural.
- Switch gradually, especially to a very different shoe.
Source: BJSM
A five-minute warm-up before you run
- Begin with brisk walking or very easy jogging.
- Add moves such as leg swings and hip circles.
- Before faster work, add short drills such as A-Skip.
From the attia.run method
How many days a week should you run, and why you choose your rest days
- New runners need more rest days while tendons and bones adapt; experienced runners can handle more, shorter runs.
- More days do not mean more load: the same kilometres are spread over more days.
- Choose your rest days around your life and work, and training goes on the other days.
- Rest days offer optional active recovery: light movement, mobility and stretching.
How we estimate your race time
- We start from your best recent race or test time and convert it to the new distance with the Riegel formula.
- Predicting a marathon from a short race needs a correction for recreational runners, who slow more than the original formula says.
- Without a result we estimate from your level, current running and age; adding a result makes it more accurate.
- The time improves with consistent training; it is an estimate, not a promise.
Source: Vickers & Vertosick, BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 2016
Why strength work matters for runners
- Strength training improves running economy (less effort for the same pace) in most studies.
- Two to three sessions a week, with varied exercises for calves, hips and core.
- Exercises alternate between sessions and the dose changes with the phase; lighter in race week.
- Strength is outside your running kilometres; stop if new pain starts.
Source: Blagrove et al., Sports Med 2018
The taper: why we cut training before a race
- The best result in the research: a taper of about two weeks, with volume reduced 41–60% progressively.
- We keep the intensity and the number of days and reduce the kilometres.
- Feeling restless with extra energy is normal; do not make up for it with extra running.
- Sleep well and eat enough carbohydrate in the last two days.
Active recovery: what to do on a rest day
- Optional and never counted as load: about 20 minutes.
- A 5-minute light warm-up (brisk walk or easy stationary bike).
- Ankle and hip mobility, calf and hip-flexor stretches, and light bodyweight strength.
- No running on a rest day; if you feel tired, full rest is better.
From the attia.run method
When to stop at once
- Chest pain or pressure, or unusual breathlessness.
- Strong dizziness, fainting or an odd heartbeat.
- Pain that grows as you run or changes how you run.
- In these cases stop and seek appropriate medical help.
From the attia.run method
03
From public research
Title, link and publication details only. The paper itself stays on its own site.
No new titles are saved this week. The seasonal note stays on the page.
Pain or illness still goes to the coach. The library does not diagnose, and it does not promise a result or injury prevention.
Race season