Ok, so I absolutely suck at running in the heat. 70 degees or higher and my times suffer dramatically. 80 degees or higher and I'm done even before I start. I know most people slow down in the heat, but it seems to affect me more than others. I generally try to avoid hot races, but sometimes I have to run them. Does anyone have any tips for managing the heat better in races? I've tried training during the hot parts of the day, but my workouts suffer so much that it almost doesn't seem worth it.
Continue to train in the heat, just not speedy stuff that takes a while to recover from...keep telling yourself you suck in the heat and you will.
what distances are we talking about?
Don't race in the heat. I know you said sometimes you have to, but really, you don't.
Predictably, as the distance increases my performances in the heat suffer more. I usually race 5k-10k races, but even my mile/1500m is worse in the heat.
Move to SF...almost never hot there.
Do your runs in the heat.
I lived 2 years in the south, after being a northerner all my life. I suffered/stopped and was pathetic in hot runs. But I kept at it. The beginning of my 2nd summer, my body got used to the heat, and I had zero problems doing my long runs, tempos, thresholds, whatever. 100F felt like 80F.
Maybe get one of those propellor/helicopter hats? They may cool you off some
You guys are morons.
Carry one of those bags of ice while running your race. When everyone else is dying in the heat, just put the 5 pound bag around your neck and shoulders.
Geez, how hard is that to figure out??
accept that your times will be slower and take on a 'cross country' mentality. You race for place, not necessarily for time.
If it's 80 or above, try going out slower (5 to 10 sec/mile). Watch everybody run a blazing first mile and then pick them off.
get smaller. smaller runners can deal with heat better
Race when it's cool.
Train in the heat and race in cooler weather equates to ideal performance.
Don't run with panties. Best to just use bun huggers or shorts. Only a jog bra on top. Stay cool.
suck it up
road horror wrote:
Ok, so I absolutely suck at running in the heat. 70 degees or higher and my times suffer dramatically. 80 degees or higher and I'm done even before I start. I know most people slow down in the heat, but it seems to affect me more than others. I generally try to avoid hot races, but sometimes I have to run them. Does anyone have any tips for managing the heat better in races? I've tried training during the hot parts of the day, but my workouts suffer so much that it almost doesn't seem worth it.
reverse splits and HTFU.
Drinkin and stinkin
I can tell you what a doctor would say, and then charge you $200 for an office visit: "don't run in the heat"
keep it on the mill
When it is really hot, I'll run with a running hat and throw a couple ice cubes under it.
My trick wrote:
When it is really hot, I'll run with a running hat and throw a couple ice cubes under it.
That should help for about 600 meters.
I had the same problem. I have found two things that seem to work - overdressing on recovery runs (easy) and calorie restriction (this one's not for everyone). The first one's no problem and mainly works to lower one's aversion to the heat. The second one, while more difficult and requiring more care in implementing, will really help with racing in the heat in two ways. First, after a period of adjustment (usually a couple of weeks of feeling hungry and fatigued), a lower metabolism will result in less heat generated. Second, the resulting weight loss will result in less heat retained. Again, that one's not for everyone.