I coach in the north east and we have been having some really miserable days. 90 degree with really high humidity.
Just curious if any ever thought of postponing a meet due to high heat and humidity?
I coach in the north east and we have been having some really miserable days. 90 degree with really high humidity.
Just curious if any ever thought of postponing a meet due to high heat and humidity?
Some of the later races at Lehigh's Paul Short run were canceled due to heat and humidity a few years back. The start of fall in the NE is brutal.
I hear you. I live in PA and running has been rough for me the last week.
Try to hold the meet as late as possible. Like run the girls race around an hour before sunset and the boys 30 mins before sunset. If you are running multiple races, ie jv and varsity, just combine them. If you still feel its unsafe, shorten the race distance to 2 miles and/or provide a water stop. I wouldn't cancel unless the heat index is over 100 and these options aren't possible.
ugh.. Humidity is going to effect everyone, alter your race strategy accordingly.. but cancel? idk
Cancel. Kids in the north just aren't acclimated well enough to race in the heat and are too young and dumb to be trusted to adjust their race pace. Remember that the majority of kids at your average XC meet are really beginners who have only run for a year or two. They are not in very good shape at the beginning of the season and will be vulnerable to heat related issues at a race. Best approach is to just skip it or move it to a date when the weather breaks.
Otherwise, have some extra help on hand for dealing with heat related health issues. Most are never serious, but are very scary when they hit (passing out, puking, dizzy, heat rashes, etc.).
You know how northerners like to laugh at southerners for our inability to handle ice/snow? Now the shoe's on the other foot. 90 degrees? That's called a refreshing cool front.
What time of the day are these races being held? Is it possible to change it to the early morning?
We opened our season this year on 8/28 in Lodi, ca. I'm not sure of the temps at the park, but it was 106 in my hometown (about 40 miles away, but in the same valley) according to weather.com. As far as I know, there were no heat injuries from any of the 30+ teams competing.
Granted, the humidity was fairly low and temps at the meet were a little lower than in Hughson, but I was wondering if the meet might be cancelled as I was riding the school bus that doubled as a convection oven that day.
The world has lost its mind. Put everyone in bike helmets and elbow pads while you're at it. Give me a f'ing break, man.
curiouscoach wrote:
I coach in the north east and we have been having some really miserable days. 90 degree with really high humidity.
Just curious if any ever thought of postponing a meet due to high heat and humidity?
Not while I was running XC.
While I no longer live in Texas, these were the normal conditions...at 11:00pm. So no, you should not postpone the meet.
Why are varsity meets not held in the morning... 7 am is better than 3-4 pm.
Running in the humidity is the best. I personally love it. Can't stand this dry heat crap in CA.
90 degrees is nothing. What does the heat index say? You're postponing a meet because North Easterners aren't acclimated to running in these sorts of conditions? Why not just change the time?
I'd suggest training in the weather you're going to be racing in. Athletes, especially freshmen girls, seem to go down like flies when the heat gets turned up. Because this is newer weather for ya'll, you could always start earlier or run in the evenings.
Why do you think early season under-the-lights racing is so popular in Southern California?
Cool Breeze Invitational
Woodbridge Invitational
Rosemead Invite
Lol at these southerners saying that's not hot. The temperature isn't the problem stupids.
We ran no problems. Caught a break not quite as hot and it was overcast.
We've had plenty of experience with these kinds of conditions and this issue in the mid Atlantic region. The key is the heat index, but as soon as the temp hits 90 you have to be very careful. It's not about how tough the kids are. That's totally the wrong way to look at it. Freshmen especially, and in many cases sophomores as well, are just not ready/able to handle it. That goes double for the girls. Almost all coaches in this area have made more trips to the hospital with kids than we care to remember. There have also been a couple deaths over the last few years. It's nothing to mess around with. Racing earlier or later in the day is good, but not always possible. Bottom line is very simple. Don't take unnecessary chances with your kids' health and lives.
Too hot for xc meet:
curiouscoach wrote:
I coach in the north east and we have been having some really miserable days. 90 degree with really high humidity.
Just curious if any ever thought of postponing a meet due to high heat and humidity?
No but xc should be run in winter
The sport is a farce in America its supposed to be cross country not cross a golf course
Heat is a part of the sport just like hills and grass. Cancelling a cross country meet because of hot weather would be like cancelling a hockey game because you could slip and fall on the ice. I don't mean to sound harsh but that is just the reality of the sport.