Subject: RE: heat acclimation When I did Kona in 2011 I did ten days of heat acclimation before going to Hawaii. It involved doing trainer rides in the basement with two layers of tights, two to three long sleeve tops, a wool hat and no fans. I got hot as hades and would sweat a puddle that was at least eight feet across. I was drinking four to five 20 oz water bottles per hour to keep up with my fluid losses. Same thing with running. Did multiple treadmill runs with layers and no fans. It was miserable. My coach warned my that I would not hit my power numbers or running paces but to just suck it up and do it.
On race day it was reported that it was 135 degrees on the pavement and almost everyone commented on the heat but I didn't think it was that bad. The acclimation definitely worked and was totally worth the suffering in training.
I do pour water over my head and jersey while racing on the bike and pour as much ice as I can get in to my jersey and shorts on the run. You need to have a keeping cool strategy and stick to it. Heat is a part of racing that can make or break your race depending on how you manage it. |