Please Help! Summer Training in Miami

It's the humidity. When your body can't cool itself through evaporative sweating it becomes a runaway train of heat. Keep tabs on the dew point. It's best to run when the dew point is lower, or run inside.

Hhhjjju wrote:

It's the humidity. When your body can't cool itself through evaporative sweating it becomes a runaway train of heat. Keep tabs on the dew point. It's best to run when the dew point is lower, or run inside.

So, would I get more benefit from the treadmill inside or from jogging slower and walking outside?

If you ran on the treadmill, you would certainly run more in line with your expectations.

I live in Orlando, so I am dealing with pretty similar conditions, and I really prefer running outside, so my advice would be to simply slow down and deal with it.

One thing to keep in mind is that the dew point is typically lower in the evening hours than the morning hours. The tradeoff for that is that the temp is higher in the evening. Sort of a coin flip there, because I think you will be dealing with dew points in the low to mid 70s either way.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the third leg on the Florida summer suffering stool is direct sun. My rule in the summer is that shade is more important than tangents, so if I have to keep crossing back and forth across the street to steal some moments in the shade, I do it. You should also try to plan routes that take advantage of the shade. If you are a pre-dawn runner, this is obviously a moot point.

Lastly, if I see some clouds rolling in, I try to get out for my run and take advantage of the rain. Obviously, you need to be cautious about lightning. But trying to time your run with a rain storm is about the best thing you can do in the summer.

A final consideration is to consider shorter loops from where you live. Run 2-3 mile loops and stop back at your place for liquids, salt tablets (these can really help), and, if you have access to a pool, for a quick dip. That 2-3 minute break won't impact the overall effect of the run much, if at all, but it can really help to keep you going.

I agree that Florida can be a beast to run in the summer when the air is so hot and thick in the mornings, but that is the best time to do it (For reference I live in Tampa). I am a Florida native and acclimating to the heat is not a problem so my experience is probably not going to mirror yours going from DC to Miami. Spend more time outside overall and you will get better dealing with the hot and steamy weather. Slow down your runs, make time to take some extended walks in the afternoon if possible. Avoid direct sun in the afternoon where possible. Build your tolerance up and you will start doing better with your runs outside. If you are near a body of water in Miami try to do your morning runs along the water to take advantage of any breeze off the water. Also consider ditching the HRM and run by effort.

Otherwise there is always the treadmill if you can tolerate being bored out of your mind.

Smoove wrote:

Lastly, if I see some clouds rolling in, I try to get out for my run and take advantage of the rain. Obviously, you need to be cautious about lightning. But trying to time your run with a rain storm is about the best thing you can do in the summer.

This is also some good advice. A downpour can be a godsend as long as it doesn't turn into a zap fest.

Take a cold shower before your run as well.

I second what Smoove said and will add this. When you're slogging it out slowly in the heat/humidity, keep in mind that some scientists believe heat training is more effective than training at high altitude. Slow down, stay at it, and when that first cold-snap hits, you'll be flying.

This article from Outside goes more in-depth on the subject of heat training adaptation, and how to do it safely and effectively.

https://www.outsideonline.com/2098556/surprising-benefits-training-heat

The humidity is what is getting to you. It's hard to get your body accustomed to the weather change if you are only in Miami for the summer. You can switch to treadmill running, but you want to make sure that the room you are in is properly ventilated so that your body can stay cool. Treadmill running is definitely an adjustment to running outdoors. Here is an article that touches on switching between the two

https://www.proformpromocodes.com/articles/transitioning-between-running-outdoors-to-running-on-a-treadmill/

I, personally, enjoy treadmill running but it has taken some time getting used to it. Even with running on a treadmill, you have to make sure you stay hydrated. Especially in Maimi where the humidity can be brutal.

I also live in the south with similar wheather conditions as you. Just slow down and take your easy mileage super easy.

I agree with many of the points made above. I am a northeastern transplant and a convert. I would contend that training in Miami in the summer is not a punishment, but a delight.

Running in a Miami summer can initially feel frustrating. Your body doesn’t work quite the same way — everything seens more challenging. I cursed my luck when I found out I’d be spending summer down there, thinking it would be impossible to meet my training goals.

Once you accept, however, that running will feel fundamentally different in the heat, you can begin to appreciate the joys of training in South Florida. Here are a few of my favorites:

- Novel training locations. The neighborhood roads of Coral Gables, the peripheries of various golf courses, the Coconut Grove waterfront, and Old Cutler Road were my regular haunts.

- The sensory experience of heat training. Early morning mists; streetlamp-illuminated runs after dark. The satisfaction of guzzling cool water after a scorching session. Running shirtless and in split short feels extremely primal and gratifying, provided you are fit.

- The physiological benefits of heat training. Heat is truly the poor man’s altitude. If you can adapt and run fast in Miami, you’ll be turbo-charged when you return to a climate that is hospitable to human life. I plodded through long runs barely faster than seven min. pace in Miami, but knocked out an effortless long run of equal length at 6:20 pace the very day I returned to New England. I’ve trained in Kenya as well; the performance boost I received from training at altitude paled in comparison to the boost offered by heat adaptation. If I were concerned solely with performance, I would take a training stint in Miami over a camp in Iten any day.