Lunch time running is a good way to "steal" time to run. I do that myself because I cannot find any other time to run. Lunch time running is not, however, as ideal as running in the cooler hours of the day. The hot afternoon weather may affect your performance, you, may not enjoy your run as much, and worse of all, you run the risk of getting heat stroke. But, if you are "timetight" like me, here are some pointers that you may find helpful in your next lunch time run.

Re-adjusting Your Meal Time : Have a heavy breakfast before going to work, and a moderate meal at late morning(1000hr-1030hrs ). These should last you until dinner. Have some healthy snacks available in case you get real hungry in the late afternoon.

Clothing : Wear light coloured, loose fitting clothing (singlet preferred), a cap and your sunglasses.

Drink, drink, drink : You should drink as much plain water before and after the un as you can, Drink beyond your feeling of thirst. Based on a 30-min run, you should consume at least 1/2 litre of water before  and after the run , as a guide.

Acclimatization : Allow your body some regular running session to adapt to exercising under the heat . Start at a lower pace and shorter distances, and gradually increase to your regular running pace and distance over 10 or so sessions.

Warming up and cooling down : Remember to warm up before and cool down after the run. They may take up some extra time , but the benefits you get from them will definitely be worth the time .

Here are ten simple stretching exercises.

Use them everytime you are going to exercise.BEFORE exercise to 'warm up', and AFTER the exercise to 'cool down'. REMEMBER : Hold each stretch for 5 seconds, stretch both sides of the body,  and don't stretch beyond the point of pain.

Chest Stretch	Inner Thigh Stretch	Shoulder Stretch
Hamstring Stretch	Abodominal Stretch	Gluteal Stretch
Trunk Side Stretch	Quadriceps Stretch	Hip Flexor Stretch
Calf Stretch

Know The Dangers Signs : Slow down and cease running if you experience any of the following : Dizziness, Chest Pain, Very ,very heavy breathing, headache and cramps.

Listen to your body : If your runs are geting to be painful, gruelling, and over-exhaustive, then clearly you are doing too much, too soon. You should be slightly to moderately uncomfortable when you run, but never more than that. From a scale of 1 to 10, your discomfort zone should be between 3 to 6, if you are a beginner and 4 to 8 if you are a seasoned runner. As a guide, you should be able to carry out a conversation while you run- but, try not to talk about work. Finally like all other exercise programmes, you should be enjoying the run as much as you can, Run on scenic routes, have a partner to run with, vary your runnning distances and routes, alternate your run with other lunch time exercise activities and the list goes on and on. Be creative and find other means of making your runs more enjoyable. It will help you look forward to the next one. I am sure you will work with these tips, and I look forward to seeing you on the road.