I think it depends. If it is year round, yeah I think it's a disadvantage because at some point you would need to do faster/higher volume workouts that just aren't feasible for most people when the dew point is high.
On the other, a warm and humid summer that only lasts 3-4 months isn't a hindrance if you approach it correctly, for example treating it as an opportunity for base training.
As another poster said, given the choice I'd take 12 months of Southern California without hesitation, but a place like the DC area where it only sucks for a few months of the year isn't really that bad.
I do my easy runs in the south Florida heat. It's slow going. Two or three times a week I'll run workouts on the treadmill at the gym. It's usually 15 or 20 degrees cooler inside in the summer, what a difference that makes. The workouts are the only runs that I time.
I think the answer is relative, just like training at altitude.
Both are harder than training under ideal conditions, but both can be beneficial when training smart and then reaping the benefits in better conditions.
But if you take racing somewhere else out of the picture, I would say, from a personal experience, yes, us runners in hot (and especially humid) climates are at a disadvantage.
But you train in conditions you are most likely to race in. With US champs in May/June you actually want to live & train in humidity. A humidity guy can do better in dry desert races than a dry desert guy can do in humidity races.
Also, altitude only helps you for when you RACE at altitude. It is the greatest urban myth floating around Flagstaff sub elites....that altitude actually helps them. Yes, it helps if racing George Kyte or Albuquerque (it helps a lot). 97% of Flagstaff sub elites would be better off moving to Austin, TX.
No, i live in a place where summers get ridiculously hot, is it hard to train then? Yeah and i lose weight too.
However, when September rolls around, you have an advantage over others bexause you got used to training in unbearable heat.
A lot of Austin runners have told me this when they run Chicago marathon. They just so much stronger.
I think you have to BELIEVE in humidity for it to work.
You guys just don’t get it. Yeah. It’s hot during the day into the night in Austin. Very hot. But the dewpoint drop into the 60’s at night and may climb as high as 73/74. I’ll take a 69 dewpoint any day between May and October. It’s forecast to be 72 tonight. Hahahhahahaha. 72? Yeah. I see 72 maybe twice during the summer. Come down to soflo. It’s crazy how out of touch you guys are. Even Chicago and Cleveland will have multiple strings of 70+ dewpoints at night. Austin? Yeah. Not often.
Living in the South I have to say that it is a big disadvantage. There's a reason distance runners flock to the West. The biggest enclaves of runners have always been, Eugene, Bolder, SD, Flagstaff... Sure you can the brief success of Shorter et al with the Florida Track Club in the 70's, but that's it.
Dealing with the Summer heat in the South isn't so much about one run, it's the constant every freakin day grind that wears you out. Sure you can hydrate hydrate hydrate, but that doesn't mean the run is cool, or enjoyable, it just means you don't die. Just doing a normal 6M run can you leave you so drained, so "done" that recovery is difficult.
Any time I vacation out West in the Summer and I get to run, I always think "Man, no wonder so many people talk about doing 100mpw like it's not that big of a deal." When you can knock out a morning 8M at 60 degrees with low low humidity you can finish that and still feel like a functional human.
I have to say that Gainesville/ocala area is plenty cool in the winter and stays that way into June. Early mornings during summer are still reasonable if you can get your run finished before the sun creeps over the trees. And speaking of, there’s lots of trees. Way easier to run in 90 when it’s shaded as opposed to running in blaring sun. It’s a huge contrast once you get past Vero/Stuart. And even then, it can still be 10 degrees cooler in the morning than Miami/ftl/wpb. The central part of the state into Okeechobee will be 10-15 degrees cooler in the morning during summer and will often hit freezing during winter. And those temps sustain into late morning because of… trees.
I run before sunrise in the Tampa area, but that is when humidity is highest. The temperature is always in the mid seventies but humidity is always in the 90s and often 97-98%. Pre-dawn dew point is always in the 70s throughout the summer.
I'm in week 14 of marathon training and hoping that when the temp and dew points drop I'll feel like the parachute is pulling me for a change. I was able to do a 16 mile run last week at GMP plus 25/mile with a 71 dew point. What I haven't been able to find is a good source to estimate how much heat and humidity slow runners down. Is it 2% pace reduction at a 70 dew point or 9%? The charts are all over the place.
i think ive read somewhere that heat benefits are maximized in something like 3 weeks. So 3 weeks of heat running will give you physiological benefits that carry into the fall. anything longer than that, and you are losing more from the lesser training than you are gaining from the heat.
if you need to, get on a treadmill to get better quality training during bad weather stretches.
i think ive read somewhere that heat benefits are maximized in something like 3 weeks. So 3 weeks of heat running will give you physiological benefits that carry into the fall. anything longer than that, and you are losing more from the lesser training than you are gaining from the heat.
if you need to, get on a treadmill to get better quality training during bad weather stretches.
That is interesting. I hate treadmill running (it feels more difficult to me usually) but I did a few tempo workouts on the really warm and rainy days. It does feel good to set and forget the pace.
just wondering. hotter weather means you can do less mileage, right? heat slows you down. let's say you average 13km an hour in your 30C country instead of 14 or 15km in a 15C place. It's 10% fewer km.
sweating more, more fluid intake, can't be as efficient also.
Well, it depends. If you're training for a race that will be held in hot conditions, then yes, training in the heat can give you an edge. But if you're not used to running in the heat, then working out in steamy weather can actually make you slower and more susceptible to injury.
I think the answer is relative, just like training at altitude.
Both are harder than training under ideal conditions, but both can be beneficial when training smart and then reaping the benefits in better conditions.
But if you take racing somewhere else out of the picture, I would say, from a personal experience, yes, us runners in hot (and especially humid) climates are at a disadvantage.
But you train in conditions you are most likely to race in. With US champs in May/June you actually want to live & train in humidity. A humidity guy can do better in dry desert races than a dry desert guy can do in humidity races.
Also, altitude only helps you for when you RACE at altitude. It is the greatest urban myth floating around Flagstaff sub elites....that altitude actually helps them. Yes, it helps if racing George Kyte or Albuquerque (it helps a lot). 97% of Flagstaff sub elites would be better off moving to Austin, TX.
For the most part, you can't control the conditions of where you live at. Not everyone is a pro who can move to ideal locations for running.
My garmin watch had me 100% acclimatised to the heat in about 3 weeks, so that fits. it didn't know that I had already lived in those conditions for years before I bought the watch, I suppose.
i think ive read somewhere that heat benefits are maximized in something like 3 weeks. So 3 weeks of heat running will give you physiological benefits that carry into the fall. anything longer than that, and you are losing more from the lesser training than you are gaining from the heat.
if you need to, get on a treadmill to get better quality training during bad weather stretches.
Reversing the situation, I felt like including some treadmill workout days during a winter training cycle helped acclimate for a potentially unusually warm day for a spring goal marathon.
I'd guess "optimum training" would have most training volume in "optimum climate conditions" for maximizing volume (moderately low dew point) with a period of acclimatization to race day conditions. Of course, as a "hobby jogger" we typically have a limited range of options beyond dealing with our home climate.
Nobody, no distance runner, no xc coach sees hot weather as optimal racing/running conditions. You'll never hear a RD hope for temps over 90.
IF hot weather were ever seen as something good, then all the elites would be training in Houston, Miami, Austin, and Death Valley. But no, that is NOT what they do, at all.
I've been living and training in north Mississippi (same weather as Memphis) for the past 20 years, ages 44 to 64. Like other posters who've dealt with the heart, I found myself whining this summer. Standard AM temps around here, until recently, have been 70-77 with a dewpoint of 70-73. When the sun is superadded to that, it's just no damn fun. Avoiding that hot sun in the AM is crucial; less so as temps and humidity moderate.
I'm quite sure that I'm handling the heat less well as I age. Not sure why that is. By this point I've learned a lot about hot-weather training. Maybe it has something to do with loss of muscle mass as we age, and a corresponding incremental decrease in the ability to shed heat through the skin. (If muscle mass decreases, you can't shed heat through what's left: bone and fat. Much less blood flow.) I just know that I'm feeling it more.
This morning I ran a hilly 8-miler that I'd done two weeks ago. Then is was 64 and dryer; this morning it was 70 at the start, 78 by the end, and more humid. Two weeks ago: 9:21 pace, HR 149. Today: 9:43 pace, HR 150. Today my subjective impression was just: the heat is wearing me down.
But of course the moment the heat subsides and you get those cool fall mornings, the subjective sense of relief AND the data make clear that it's all been worth it. My own favorite running temp: 59, dry, calm, with some sun, in a singlet. Mwah! Run for miles on a morning like that.
I have to say that Gainesville/ocala area is plenty cool in the winter and stays that way into June. Early mornings during summer are still reasonable if you can get your run finished before the sun creeps over the trees. And speaking of, there’s lots of trees. Way easier to run in 90 when it’s shaded as opposed to running in blaring sun. It’s a huge contrast once you get past Vero/Stuart. And even then, it can still be 10 degrees cooler in the morning than Miami/ftl/wpb. The central part of the state into Okeechobee will be 10-15 degrees cooler in the morning during summer and will often hit freezing during winter. And those temps sustain into late morning because of… trees.
I run before sunrise in the Tampa area, but that is when humidity is highest. The temperature is always in the mid seventies but humidity is always in the 90s and often 97-98%. Pre-dawn dew point is always in the 70s throughout the summer.
I'm in week 14 of marathon training and hoping that when the temp and dew points drop I'll feel like the parachute is pulling me for a change. I was able to do a 16 mile run last week at GMP plus 25/mile with a 71 dew point. What I haven't been able to find is a good source to estimate how much heat and humidity slow runners down. Is it 2% pace reduction at a 70 dew point or 9%? The charts are all over the place.
Why would there be an accurate chart when every responds differently? Combined temp and dewpoint above 150 and I can see a 15-20% increase in pace. Btw, humidity is always higher in the morning. Everywhere. On earth. 50/55 is much different than 80/75 though.