Training in hot weather? Here's what you need to know.

TRAINING BREAKDOWN

“It’s not as simple as setting the alarm earlier.”

By Emma O’Toole

Hello and happy Sunday!

It’s no secret that it has been HOT! And whilst that is lovely when you’ve got your feet up overlooking a pool, trying to carry on with your normal life in this weather presents new challenges, especially with regards to your training.

You may have already noticed that your legs feel sluggish, that hill feels steeper than usual or that your heart rate is higher than usual when you’re out running/cycling. These aren’t signs that you’re suddenly “not as fit”, they’re signs that your body is responding to the challenges from the heat.

Typically I see runners and cyclists fall into one of 2 categories:

1. Change nothing with their training.

2. Stop training because of the heat.

Neither of these approaches is particularly helpful; sticking to your usual routine ignores the added stress your body experiences in heat, and completely halting training can set you back weeks.

Often we see that the best advice is to shift your schedule: train during the coolest hours, aka early morning or late evening when it’s cooler. However, this is easier said than done. For many of you reading this with family and work commitments, it’s not as simple as setting the alarm earlier.

And this is why so many runners and cyclists fall into the first category: Change noting with their training. But because they change nothing, they end up being despondent in their training; the self-doubt creeps in that they are losing fitness and then the negative self-talk and sabotage begins: “What have I done wrong?”, “I’ll never hit X goal in this race” etc. We tie so much to what the numbers tell us: average pace, weekly volume, heart rate, that it’s no wonder we feel this way.

If, however, we opt for a a more productive strategy of adapting rather than stubbornly persisting we can maintain consistent progress, help protect yourself from heat-related illness, and be in prime form when the cooler inevitably weather returns and here are 3 ways you can adapt your training in the heat that won’t affect your already busy schedule.

3 ways to adapt your training in the heat:

1. Hydrate, but not only with water!

I remember being sat on a British Cycling camp a few years back and we were discussing heat training and the importance of electrolytes and monitoring sodium loss. Water alone isn’t enough and how much you should drink per hour when training will differ wildly depending on who you are, your training experience and the conditions you're training in. A given though is that in this heat is that you’ll be sweating more.

When we sweat, we lose sodium. Everyone loses different amounts from as little as 200mg per litre of sweat right up to 2,000mg/l. An electrolyte imbalance can show up in daily life in a whole host of different ways from muscle cramps to excessive fatigue.

Electrolytes have been circulating in endurance sports for years now, if you’d like help with an estimate of how much you should drink and how much sodium you lose, please reply to this email and I’ll help you out. Also, many endurance athletes I work with make up their own electrolyte mix which can be a cheaper way than buying electrolytes.

2. Monitor your body

I am a huge fan of using both subjective and objective measuring scores to help you gauge your training, I wrote a whole article diving into the benefits and drawbacks of each which you can access here.

However in these soaring temperatures, I really encourage you to dial in on the rate of perceived exertion score. Training is a stress and our bodies respond and adapt to stress. Too much stress can swing the pendulum too far and affect your ability to recover and adapt, you’ll also feel pretty rubbish in your next session.

Last week, Sam a cyclist training for a 25 mile time trial at the end of August had 4× 8 threshold intervals set. Last week Sam did the 3 of the 4 intervals and completely blew up on the 4th, he couldn’t hold it and felt the power zap away from his legs. When we looked at the data, Sam’s average heart rate was roughly 8 beats per minute higher than what his heart rate typically is at this intensity. Sam felt pretty cooked for the rest of the week and we had to adjust his sessions.

Roll onto this week just gone and and we used RPE as the tool to guide Sam’s session. This week I wanted him to hit 4 × 8 minute intervals at an 8-8.5/10 effort, no power number targets or heart rate targets given. Sam completed all 4 eight minute intervals, his heart rate was back at the normal range for that intensity and he wasn’t too far off the power target that would typically have been set.

The key here is that it doesn’t matter that Sam was 10-15 watts off his threshold power, Sam achieved the physiological response we wanted through his heart rate response. Sam also accumulated a higher training load by completing all 4 intervals and on top of this, Sam was able to hit his other workout this week.

Stepping away from the “objective” numbers and focusing on the “subjective” how it feels, especially in this heat, is a powerful tool.

3. Cross train!

If you can’t stomach the idea of heading out for a run/ride in this heat then cross training is a great supplementation to your training. Pool running is a great run-specific training that will help keep you cool and give your body a break from the impact of running. And of course if you’ve been putting off strength training, there’s no better time to begin than right now! You can either set up your own shady, fan-dosed home space or head to a nice air-conditioned cool gym!

If you’d like a free strength training plan for runners and cyclists please click the option below and I’ll send it across 🙂 

Don’t forget to reply to this email if you’d like me to help you estimate how much you should drink and how much sodium you lose in your training.

Also, don’t forget to also check out our fantastic free community for ongoing support and help with your training.

Have a great Sunday!

Emma x

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