PUBLISHED 05/03/2005
Heat Acclimatization
Warming to the Risk
As the temperatures rise in May and June, so does the number of heat-related illnesses experienced by runners. Fortunately, your body will acclimatize to heat and humidity--mostly in the first two weeks of exposure, and maximally after about two months. But there are ways to nudge this process along by judiciously increasing your exposure to heat. The payoff: safer, better, more comfortable running and racing.
On the first hot days of late spring, start prepping your body with a few daily walks during the heat of the day. For this week, only run during the cooler morning or evening hours.
The next week, try three of your easy, short runs at midday (30 to 35 minutes per run is plenty). Then gradually increase the distance of those midday runs.This buildup may seem too gradual. But in May, June, and July it's heating up, so you'll be acclimatizing in two ways--increasing your heat exposure at the same time that temperatures are increasing.
--William O. Roberts, M.D., is medical director of the Twin Cities Marathon.
Weather Wisdom
Training Forecast
Meteorologist Cecily Tynan of ABC's affiliate station WPVI-TV in Philadelphia knows how to handle the heat. The sub-three-hour marathoner was a top-10 age-group finisher at the blazing hot Hawaii Ironman Triathlon in 2003. Here are her hot-weather training tips.
"Clouds don't always mean it's going to be cooler than on clear days. Oftentimes the opposite is true. When it's hot, the sun heats the earth, the air rises, condensation occurs, and clouds form."
"It's hotter in cities than in surrounding areas because asphalt and concrete retain heat. If you must run in a city, look for shade, and try to go in the early morning or late evening."
"If possible, start your summer runs with a tailwind and run back with a headwind. Running into the wind has a cooling effect, and you'll need that more in the second half of a run."
"When you run on a hot, windy day, the wind cools you off, but you actually need to drink more because your body loses more water through evaporation."
"If a severe thunderstorm is moving toward you, get inside. You can tell one by the big, towering, dark clouds. If you see thin, wispy clouds, no worries."
--Amy Rushlow
