Brownsville, TX is worse with heat and humidity than Houston. I'm from Houston and went down to all these little towns down in South Texas for business and I dying.
Brownsville, TX is worse with heat and humidity than Houston. I'm from Houston and went down to all these little towns down in South Texas for business and I dying.
MAYEROFF wrote:
I am what I am, a runner who cares about other runners.
I am just like you, I train hard, I get hurt and I try my best.
I am just saying that there might be better strategic options out there than Houston.
Tool.......Houston is about as humid as it gets. How many times do you need to be told that.....Tool.
as of 1:30 pm
3 hottest spots in texas
1. McAllen, TX
91 Degrees (Feels Like 100 Degrees)
55% Humidity
10 UV Index (Extreme)
73% Degree Dew Point
2. Brownsville, TX
88 Degrees (Feels Like 96 Degrees)
61% Humidity
9 UV Index (Very High)
73% Degree Dew Point
3. Houston, TX
91 Degrees (Feels Like 97 Degrees)
50% Humidity
9 UV Index (Very High)
70 Degree Dew Point
So to a previous poster...NO Houston is NOT as humid as it gets.
I was in Houston a week ago for the USATF Level II school. It was very hot and somewhat humid. I am back in New England now and I find it to be more humid here than it was in Houston.
Great news, I think Sell will be very well prepared for the conditions. As for Ritz, I'm not so sure...he should be in the heat like Sell preparing to run race pace in the heat. I have read Ritz's plan and I think leaving heat training until the last three weeks is too late. Not sure what Hall is doing but his camp had great success with Meb and Deena in 2004 so I believe he will be prepared.
Bottom line is....who cares wherever Rupp does his training, it's not gonna matter when the Ethiopians are lapping him...leaving Rup to battle over 20th place. He's not even close to be a medal contender!!! Train wherever.
Houston is reaches a peak of high temperature and very high humidity twice a day--about 7-8 AM and 8-9 PM. Salazar knows this, and that's when his athletes will be training. The advantage of Houston over other cities in Texas and New Orleans is that it is more polluted. The advantage of Houston over places in Asia is the sheer familiarity of remaining in America, which reduces stress and will allow Salazar's three runners to concentrate exclusively on acclimatization. Moreover, they will already be spending two to three weeks in Asia getting use to the time change and the specific climate.
1 thirty pm wrote:
as of 1:30 pm
3 hottest spots in texas
1. McAllen, TX
91 Degrees (Feels Like 100 Degrees)
55% Humidity
10 UV Index (Extreme)
73% Degree Dew Point
2. Brownsville, TX
88 Degrees (Feels Like 96 Degrees)
61% Humidity
9 UV Index (Very High)
73% Degree Dew Point
3. Houston, TX
91 Degrees (Feels Like 97 Degrees)
50% Humidity
9 UV Index (Very High)
70 Degree Dew Point
So to a previous poster...NO Houston is NOT as humid as it gets.
Where did you read Rupp was in Houston?
Montesquieu wrote:
Houston is reaches a peak of high temperature and very high humidity twice a day--about 7-8 AM and 8-9 PM. Salazar knows this, and that's when his athletes will be training. The advantage of Houston over other cities in Texas and New Orleans is that it is more polluted. The advantage of Houston over places in Asia is the sheer familiarity of remaining in America, which reduces stress and will allow Salazar's three runners to concentrate exclusively on acclimatization. Moreover, they will already be spending two to three weeks in Asia getting use to the time change and the specific climate.]
So do these South Texas towns. They consistently stay higher on the temperature and humidity scale than every other region in Texas. Like the other poster you make statements based on one side of your assessment. You said Houston peaks twice but I doubt you even bothered to check on the South Texas region to see their peaking patterns as well. Like most letsrunners, you talk about something you don't know anything about.
You are right about the pollution factor though. But ultimately, because of their length stay in Beijing the pollution factor well be sort of a one extreme over the other situation. Either it won't necessarily effect them or it will drastically effect them. When it comes to pollution a factor does play into the individual, i.e. why some people can smoke cigarettes everyday and never develop lung cancer or end up out-living healthier people. Going somewhere like Houston, exposing them to all that pollution may be more of a bad thing. That's like going into a beer mile and downing a 12-pack before hand so you can be "acclimated". It would do more harm than good.
MAYEROFF wrote:
Bangkok.
Kuala Lumpur.
Singapore.
Shanghai.
Okayama or Fukuoka. (The Dutch team is going to Fukuoka).
How are any of those better than Houston for a young American trying to acclimate to expected weather conditions in Beijing in August? What advantages does each embody over Houston for that person?
1 thirty pm wrote:
So to a previous poster...NO Houston is NOT as humid as it gets.
Except he said that it's "about" as humid as it gets, not that it is "as humid as it gets." It's close enough and Houston has the amenities of a major city, unlike those scummy border towns you listed.
This thread is a joke. The heat and humidity here in Houston is brutal and depending what part of Houston you are on (East side) the pollution is too.
Everyone is so used to Rupp getting what Rupp wants in terms of money and perks. The first assumption is that he has the means to travel to Asia to acclimate and train there. Still no contract, remember.
But, whether Asia is better for simulation or not, I think it is a goode decision to stay in the states. Taking and extended stay in a place/country you are not familiar with can be quite expensive, mentally draining, stressful, and even more so impractical when conditions here are similar to those found in the alternative, somewhere in Asia.
True, as Mayeroff said, conditions may be better for Bejing simulation, but I think its a better idea for someone with Rupp's limited international experience (not to mention all the coddling and sheltering he has had in P-town) to stay domestic and not take the risk of a mental or physical blow up.
Safe decision IMO
I used to live in Houston before I moved to Arizona. The pollution is a problem. I used to think the somewhat dark sky meant it was going to rain only to find out it was pollution. The humidity is terrible too. I can understand why Rupp would go there but I hope the air quality is better the week he is there
I agree with you completely. I think a lot of these folks are deficient in Omega 3. If they are runners they are probably lacking trace minerals as well.
You can train for heat and high humidity anywhere. Follow these simple steps:
1. Put on extra clothes. In cooler temps, add more clothing.
2. Go run.
All that high humidity does is reduce or eliminate evaporative cooling. Trapping heat and preventing evaporative cooling with clothing is all you need. I've heat trained for a spring marathon in below freezing temps. About three weeks is all it takes, and you don't need to (nor should you) heat train every day during that time.
Training for changing time zones is easy as well, especially for a pro athlete with a totally flexible schedule.
Lets be honest here... A few weeks in hot weather is not going to make a difference. You need to live in that crap (and yes, without AC!)
I am all for shocking the system. In this case you are either a heat runner or you are not. As someone who trained in 100 degree heat throughout the summer it made no difference in hot races...I wasn't a heat runner.
Since when is Rupp a pro athlete? If he is then he must not be returning to U. of O. after Beijing.
Nut Doctor wrote:
Mayeroff, do you live in an air conditioned apartment?
One thing that bothers me is all this talk of running in heavy clothing. Heat acclimatization is something that should go on 24 hours per day. So you need to be in a warm and humid climate *and* turn off the AC, or at a minimum, keep the AC at a warm setting.
I'm a Ritz fan, but I think he'll tank. He's not doing enough adjustment to the heat.
False. In adults passive heat does nothing to acclimate. You need to exercise in the heat. Larry Armstrong and crew have done a lot of research through the Army lab in Natick.