Can't train in the heat anymore

Yeah, heat scews with my pace badly. I believe it messes up my training too. After a series of hot weeks then going into the gym the extra discomfort from heat did not translate to maintained speed on the cool comfortable treadmill. Just this week I hit the trails before sunrise and it felt so easy it was kind of boring. I just accept it for what it is. It will drop my pace. It's better to survive than suffer a heat stroke and have permanent hypothalamus damage . Sure there are tips you can use. I've read dumping water and ice or stuffing it in a hat on here.

This has been an incredibly hot summer. I rode my mountain bike in a local park. At the end of the ride one of the park rangers came up to me and asked me where I had ridden, who I had seen, and how did they look.



I was doing well to last about 45 minutes in the 107 degree heat.

My strategy was to make sure I kept really cool earlier in the day. I kept well hydrated. Your urine should be pretty darn light in color right before the ride. I had all my equipment ready. I have red hair so I have to stay reasonably covered, but not with heavy cotton T shirts. I'd get to the start from a well air conditioned car. I knew I had a max of 45 minutes in the heat. I'd hammer for the 45 minutes and then dive into the air conditioned car right after the ride.

Unfortunately you have the humidity to deal with. With 107 degree dry air, on the bike you do get a little drop in air resistance, so it makes you go a little faster.

I think you can still train in the heat Blastman. You need to pace yourself easier so you can manage your long runs in that kind of heat. Perhaps you can try wearing one of those hats with a neck flap. When I'm running in 90°F+ I always make sure I drop my pace to compensate so I can complete the time/distance without falling apart. I also recommend a run/walk ratio that fits you to help prevent you from falling apart in the conditions you described.

Edited by kloofyroland 2016-08-28 10:29 PM

Welcome to my world! That is pretty much what I am dealing with ten months of the year(the the username), especially in the spring, which is not only our hottest time of year but usually when I'm doing some kind of build for a late spring or summer race. Not sure how much this will help, but my thoughts:

*Think of heat/humidity as a chronic stress on your system, the same as volume, intensity, stress at work, etc. When a workout involves some of those other things, it's going to be that much harder because of the heat, and will take you longer to recover. Try doing things to reduce the total "system stress" of a workout without compromising quality (if possible). Maybe move some of the speedwork inside to a treadmill, for example?

*If you can get in long or hard stuff before first light or after dark, it's cooler then. On the minus side (at least here) humidity is usually higher, but at least there's no sun beating down on your head. Sad--for me, there is a real qualitative difference between starting at 5:20 and 6 AM.

*Try alternating days/workouts where you get really hot with ones where you don't. (swimming, indoor trainer) Otherwise I really think you can work yourself into a state of chronic, low-grade heat exhaustion and dehydration, especially if your job or other activities also take you out in the heat a lot.

*Modify workouts to include a break between intense stuff or periodic breaks in a long run/ride to cool off. I find that tempo and acceleration runs here are very difficult and at times flirt the edge of being dangerous--I usually end them nauseous and exhausted, and sometimes have actually puked. It works much better to take even a minimal break, such as 60-90 seconds, between repeats, when I can jog very slowly, get a good drink, maybe throw some water over my head, and cool down a bit before starting up again. I think the gain in fitness from hitting faster paces more consistently, and recovering from the workout more quickly, is probably worth the "cost" of throwing in the extra breaks..

*Really pay attention to cooling off properly after long/hard workouts. I find that if I don't, it can negatively affect appetite and sleep. It's not uncommon for me to take a nap after really hot bricks or long runs. I almost never need to do that in cooler places. Try to stay cool and hydrated for the rest of the day and on recovery days. I don't have a car here and seriously, I have become almost sick from the heat just paying my phone bill or going to the ATM. Try to plan "cool" activities for the rest of the day after a hard workout.

*You probably need to drink more. Don't rely on thirst--weigh yourself before and after. If you're a guy, you almost certainly outweigh me (about 115-117 pounds) and need more fluids. With a heat index of 100, I need 36, sometimes even 40 oz of fluid an hour to come close to breaking even! Don't know if that is "normal" or not but that is reality. It takes practice to get and keep that much down. What helps is drinking frequently and in small doses. In very hot conditions, I drink every 5 minutes on the bike and run, usually two swallows. Even on relatively cool days here, every 10 minutes. (Outside of the tropics, usually every 15 minutes.) Experiment with products and concentrations until you find something that goes down well. I do best with sugar-free electrolyte drinks with a lemon flavor--tends to go down better than sweet stuff.

*If all else fails, the Chinese swear by watermelons and cucumbers. Supposed to cool your blood. I eat a lot of those--lots of fluid if nothing else!

Edited by Hot Runner 2016-08-29 7:14 AM

I live in similar conditions. I swear by cold water over the head and torso every few minutes ( may not actually drop core temperature, but feels invigorating). Other than that, slow down. How has your HR been during the runs?

I did 12 mi., yesterday afternoon in our NC heat.

If you're training by HR.....I'm curious......what was different between the run you describe at the first of your post.....and the one you fell out on? Isn't that the whole basis for HR training (conditions dictate the effort)? I run ridiculously slow on hot days.

Me too.

So my first run was about 176-178 on the intervals before it my HR went out. On Sunday I was at about 150-155 (Z2 for me). Normally my HR tells me if I'm going too hard on hot days so I trusted it. The run effort itself wasn't bad it was just the feeling of being so hot and sweating so much. I realize now that I should have swallowed my pride and maybe just planned to cool off for 2 minutes or so every 2 miles with a full stop and plenty of water.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I just need to keep at it and I guess slow way down. I remember doing treadmill work last year on really hot days but the idea of getting back on one sounds horrible. I'm a winter treadmill queen though so I guess I should just accept that sometimes I'll need to do that. I did do a group run tonight of a mile warm up, 40ish minutes strait tempo, and a mile cool down. I managed to get in a good run. It was only 84 or so. It was humid but cloudy and was very comfortable compared to before. Guess I'll just need to hope for good weather the next month as I have 2 HIMs and an Oly coming up.

Salttabs.

Naturally you are going to sweat more in hot/humid weather and normal sports drink does not replenish your sodium levels fast enough. Also, you may want to consider a stronger sports drink than Gatorade. Try the powder EFS sports drink. You can make it pretty potent. As a word of caution, make sure you have a bottle of water to rinse it down.

Good luck.

"So my first run was about 176-178 on the intervals before it my HR went out. On Sunday I was at about 150-155 (Z2 for me). Normally my HR tells me if I'm going too hard on hot days so I trusted it. The run effort itself wasn't bad it was just the feeling of being so hot and sweating so much."

So, you were working the same intervals......and your HR was over 20 bpm lower.......and you fell out?

I'm just not understanding how your HR wasn't elevated to reflect the heat and humidity.

I was doing no intervals on my long run. Friday I was doing intervals with a HR of high 170's and then 130-155 on warmup, recovery, and cool down parts. My long run was just steady state @ Z2 HR/pace (150-155). I don't know why my HR wasn't higher. It was slightly higher than normal but not by much.

Thanks so much for starting this topic. I moved from Chicago to Orlando mid June. For me the change has been brutal, frustrating and down right depressing. It took me literally 2 1/2 months to be able to run 3 miles with out walking during the run. I did 4 miles for the first time yesterday without walking. To clarify, in Chicago I could run 6 to 8 miles without walking and my pass was acceptable for me. The heat just beats you down amd I am learning how much more the mental game of triathlon is so critical when dealing with exercising in the heat.

Thanks again for bringing this up as it's nice to know I am not a freak for struggling in these conditions..... Not that I wish you to struggle with it either

I don't do well in heat either and have just come to accept heat is going to kill my goal paces. Hitting my temp run on a 90+ degree day with 50% plus humidity, I just do the best I can. There are a couple charts on the internet that have heat related paces and the general consensus is what you already know... your performance goes south as heat/humidity increase. I find that if weather stays warm/hot I do adjust to it a little but I'm a heavy sweater and my when I get hot.. I get really hot!

In fact sometimes I get home from a hard run or long run on a hot day and can stand in a cold shower... only to get out and still start sweating. I keep cold cut up watermelon in the fridge this time of year, delicious, full of water, lycopene/other good stuff and seems to help cool my core down.

Hydration and replenishment are very important... currently using e-Fuel with some success on my longer bikes/runs/races. I've had some bad Olympic distance races and have essentially discovered I'm under-hydrating and not getting enough calories for hot races. You come off the bike short... not going to have a great run guaranteed.

http://www.cranksports.com/default.asp?rid=493380

Johnny Kay...if you thought I was implying to only to use Salttabs and no other fluids, you have me confused with some other idiot. Of course you need to take in fluids...I was simply suggesting that adding Salttabs to your nutrition plan in hotter/humid climates can aid in replenishing your sodium more efficiently. I have unfortunately cramped horribly during a handful of races in in hot weather and I was unaware of my sweat rate. Gatorade didn't cut it for me which is why I suggested EFS.

Good luck.