Is it even worth doing long runs in the summer time?

Is it even worth doing long runs in the summer time wrote:

I'm going to limit my runs to no more than 75 minutes. Thoughts?

You'll be fine.

Always consider your training as a whole. If you skip a long run or cut it short for a while, your global fitness won't evapor.

Burying yourself for 2 hours+ in the heat and get too exhausted for quality days may be preferable?

People obsessed about skipping a long run only shows an incredible amount of insecurity in their training.

Is it even worth doing long runs in the summer time wrote:

I was thinking about this this morning. Has grinding out long runs during the summer negatively effecting me? With all the fluid loss and physiological effects. I think during the summer from now on I'll do a hard tempo instead. If it is over 80 degrees I'm going to limit my runs to no more than 75 minutes. Thoughts?

Discus.

I for one, hate running in the heat, but I also don't necessarily enjoy running in the frigid cold of the winter most days, some days it's do able, same going back to the heat. I just like to believe I am taking in the benefits, not just physically but mentally as well. There's something to be said about enduring a 2 hr+ long run in high humidity at the height of the morning's dew point. Your pace will be slower, but that's kinda the point too. Those heat runs come around full circle in the future, just as all of our runs do. It's all about immediate cooling and fueling post run. Hop in the cold shower, eat the right foods, and enjoy the process.

malmo wrote:

trevdog wrote:

I believe that long runs are quite helpful to the whole training process. If you wanna do one in the summer, just get up early before it's a million degrees outside and make sure to stay hydrated and replenish what you lose

Wrong. Do the long run in the evening if you insist.

Why is this wrong?

I was referring to how long a long run is for different style runners. I was not referring to workouts. If 10x400m is your staple miler workout, that might be why you are not racing that event well. 6 or 8 x 400m with the right recovery can predict our mile time well, but I would argue that it is the best workout for a miler. 10x400m at mile race pace is overkill for a 4:30 miler.

InsertNameHere wrote:

malmo wrote:

Wrong. Do the long run in the evening if you insist.

Why is this wrong?

I just about always did my long runs in the evening when it was beastly hot. The temperature went down as the run went on. On a morning run the reverse happens.

Holden wrote:

Prefontaine woke up EVERY sunday at 6:00 am for his long run. Didn't matter if he had been drinking all night, or slept 3 hours, or slept none. If you want to be great, you must have the self discipline.

He also drank and drive, so should I do that too?

HRE wrote:

InsertNameHere wrote:

Why is this wrong?

I just about always did my long runs in the evening when it was beastly hot. The temperature went down as the run went on. On a morning run the reverse happens.

Not hard to figure out.

And don't wear a seatbelt.

malmo wrote:

HRE wrote:

I just about always did my long runs in the evening when it was beastly hot. The temperature went down as the run went on. On a morning run the reverse happens.

Not hard to figure out.

Far more limited cardiac drift if running long in the evenings.

malmo wrote:

trevdog wrote:

I believe that long runs are quite helpful to the whole training process. If you wanna do one in the summer, just get up early before it's a million degrees outside and make sure to stay hydrated and replenish what you lose

Wrong. Do the long run in the evening if you insist.

It depends! In humid climates, the heat index remains oppressively high well into the night. So in those locales (like here in Missouri), morning runs are preferable. But in the Mountain West, the evenings cool off much quicker.

I'm guessing the poster is half my age and on a different sleep schedule.

Hotter Than Hot wrote:

On a side note, one day during the "winter" in Bangkok I didn't get up to go run. There was a very unseasonable cold front that had moved in and the temperatures had plummeted by Bangkok standards. It was 5:30am, my usual time to go run, and it was a "frigid" 56 degrees outside. I packed it in and went back inside.

I had to laugh because I easily get spoiled like that. Mostly I just whine about the heat or the cold for sport and then go running anyway, but this year karma really stuck it to me: I live in 2 states, in two completely opposite climates. I usually manage to spend the hottest summer months at home in the Mountain West and the coldest on the Gulf. This year though it was the opposite and on top of that work kept me inside during the best hours to run. So I ran in wind chill at 10F through snow in January and in triple digits humidity and heat in the summer. Jeezus it was brutal.

KCgeezer wrote:

malmo wrote:

Wrong. Do the long run in the evening if you insist.

It depends! In humid climates, the heat index remains oppressively high well into the night. So in those locales (like here in Missouri), morning runs are preferable. But in the Mountain West, the evenings cool off much quicker.

I'm guessing the poster is half my age and on a different sleep schedule.

HRE got it right. Temperature isn't a fungible number. Ground temperature in direct sunlight is much greater than than the recorded temperature that the Weather Service gives you, because that number is always recorded "in the shade". In the evening the direct ambient ground temperature is dropping as the heat dissipation and fluid loss variable becomes a problem. The exact opposite occurs in the morning.

You want to be running when the Suns altitude is low and getting lower.

2:18 wrote:

be realistic wrote:

[quote]overrated wrote:

Long runs are overrated. If you’re already doing decent mileage, you’re getting plenty of aerobic stimulus just from your regular runs. If I’m doing 30 minutes in the am and 60-90 minutes in the pm every day, the idea that I’m going to be aerobically underdeveloped because I never do a 2 hour run is moronic.

I highly doubt the majority of runners are doing 30 minutes in the am and then another 60-90 minutes in the pm.

This is what most of us that train serious call an easy day.

And by "most of you," you mean less than 1 percent of the running population.

malmo wrote:

KCgeezer wrote:

It depends! In humid climates, the heat index remains oppressively high well into the night. So in those locales (like here in Missouri), morning runs are preferable. But in the Mountain West, the evenings cool off much quicker.

I'm guessing the poster is half my age and on a different sleep schedule.

HRE got it right. Temperature isn't a fungible number. Ground temperature in direct sunlight is much greater than than the recorded temperature that the Weather Service gives you, because that number is always recorded "in the shade". In the evening the direct ambient ground temperature is dropping as the heat dissipation and fluid loss variable becomes a problem. The exact opposite occurs in the morning.

You want to be running when the Suns altitude is low and getting lower.

Context is important. If you live in the Midwest like KCgeezer and I do, it's preferable to run in the mornings around 6:00-8:00 when where temperature rise (if any) is negligible and where "ground temperature" is the most even since the sun's been down the whole night. You're correct if you're running when the sun is in the middle of rising like 9:00-10:00, but I would say incorrect if referring to most who run before that happens anyways, especially in the summer. Hence the whole point of "getting up early" to beat the sun, not a little early so it's starting to heat up in the middle of a long run.

Yes, it's worth it. Heat training isn't exactly altitude training, but it makes your body stronger if you do it right. Some of the fastest college cross-country teams come from Alabama, North Carolina, and Texas, where they have very brutal summers. But they did it and got top NCAA rankings.

Remember this mantra: August miles, December smiles.

I currently run where it's over 80 degrees and over 80% humidity every single day, even at night. It's like having a high fever every single time you go out to run.

- I have to stop every 1-2 miles in order to avoid overheating. I feel like my head is about to explode after about 15 minutes of non-stop running. So do intervals instead. Non-stop long runs are for the wintertime.

- I pour water over my head every 10-15 minutes.

- Take a cold shower or put cold towels on your face before heading out for a run.

- Eat some salty snacks before going out.

Keep combining these little things, and find out what works for you. In the end it's doable, and it will make you a stronger person.

Adjust non-stop long runs to be long runs with interspersed hydration breaks. Sure, you'll have to stop unless someone's handing you water from a bike or car, but it's absolutely crucial to cool down your body and remain hydrated in such conditions.

I know I can't even do a 30 minute workout if its above 105F and dew point 58 or higher. It was a funny feeling overheating and getting heart palpitations a few times and not realizing what was happening. I find if the dew point is in the low 50's or better, I can go up to the 108F no problem. I haven't tested above that temperature since I haven't been out at higher temps. Above 100, hour workouts are way too long for me, I start getting dizzy afterwards and realize I overdid it that's why I switched to 30 minute workouts.

I live in the south and I try to do all of my runs either very early or after dark, but every once in awhile I have to run in the afternoon. I'm always confused about how I should classify these runs, because they are extremely slow, but the HR is pretty high. For example, last week I was up near Chicago for work and ran 6 miles in the morning when it was 52 degrees. Average pace was 7:55 and HR was in the 150's pretty much the whole time (max around 210 for me, so this was a very easy effort). Today, back in MS, I ran 5 miles around lunch time when it was 88 with dew point at 73. By the last 2 miles, I literally couldn't run slow enough (I was slogging at 10ish pace) to keep my HR out of the 180's, which is like tempo pace for me.

So how should I classify runs like this in my training? Do I treat it as though it was a tempo run because the HR was so high? Like an easy run because it was so slow? Is it its own thing?

be realistic wrote:

2:18 wrote:

I highly doubt the majority of runners are doing 30 minutes in the am and then another 60-90 minutes in the pm.

This is what most of us that train serious call an easy day.

And by "most of you," you mean less than 1 percent of the running population.

hahaha this^^^