Hot weather affecting distance performance

Just cause you dont pr doesnt make it a bas season

To start, it's completely normal to not PR every race, or sometimes not even for a whole season. But, the heat can still slow you down and probably is doing that to some extent. The best methods are, one, (obviously) hydrating well. I would say drink at least half of your body weight number in ounces (ex. you weigh 150lbs, drink 75oz). Make sure you're getting in electrolytes too; 200-400 every hour is a good number. Two, regulating your body temperature. Warm up in the shade if you can, putting a cold towel or bag of ice on your head/back before your race can help. If I can right before a shorter race (like the 1600), I like to cover my body down with cold water to cool off. So in conclusion: hydration, shade, cooling methods. Also heat training like the sauna or biking with lots of layers, but only do this if your training intensity isn't already high, because even if you only ride 45mins a week while heat training, it can wear you out a lot more than you think.

My favorite thing on a hot race day is soaking a hat in ice water and wear it during most of the day and In my race I've only been asked to remove it once highly recommend.

You will always running slower in hot conditions than milder conditions. Core temperature is a regulator to keep you from killing yourself (and it does not always work).

Acclimatize as best you can. When you warm up wear a cooling vest to allow for your legs to get warm but your core temp to remain low. Drink sugar slurries.

Omius headband

Does it actually help? I’m not allowed to race in hats

Yes it does. At least by my standards