Adjust For the Heat

If you are anything like me, you want to give 110% to every workout, every day- no matter the situation. Maybe you are on your recovery week, as you have just raced on Sunday, and Monday you want to hit it hard again and pick up where you left off. Or, perhaps you know you are fighting a bug, but you can't miss this "brick" workout because you have an important race coming up in 2 weeks and it might set you back- so, you do it anyway. Or, you only have time to workout in the heat of the day and you want to put in the same 10K time as you did, 3 days ago, when you ran at 8am and it was 20 degrees cooler. Trust me, I have been there- in each of these situations, and if you continue pushing yourself in this matter without ADJUSTING FOR THE SITUATION, you will find yourself overtrained, tired, injured, or unmotivated.

This specific rant is focused on ADJUSTING FOR HOT WEATHER. If you are focused on training smart and with purpose, you must drop it down a notch when the summer heat beats down on you. Here are 5 BEST hot weather training tips that you can abide to when training this summer.

1. HYDRATE WITH ELECTROLYTE DRINKS AS WELL AS WATER. Don't forget a fluid mix that contains not only calories from carbohydrates, but also sodium. This will replenish the salt that you are losing because of sweat to keep you going longer and harder.

2. FOR EVERY 5 DEGREES IT IS OVER 80 DEGREES, GO 30 SECS LESS ON YOUR 10k PACE. This might seem confusing, but if you normally run 7:00 mile pace on an 80 degree day, but it is 85 today, try running at 7:30 min/mile pace. This is simply a guideline, but when training, you must adjust your pace to the weather. Be smart.

3. GO INSIDE FOR YOUR CROSS TRAINING SESSIONS. I am not a huge proponent of working out indoors while training for a triathlon- after all, specificity takes precedence. However, if it gets too hot outdoors, take a spin class inside at you local gym, or run on the treadmill for a change. This is better than skipping a workout all together.

4. PLAN AHEAD. Weather.com is a great resource for checking the weather 5 days in advance. If you see a cooling front coming on, adjust your training schedule so that your bigger workouts are during those cooler days. If that is not possible, see #3.

5. RECOVER. After a tough summer workout, you may not feel very hungry after. But, you need to refuel. One of my favorite recovery drinks (make sure your drink is rich in carbohydrates and protein- at least 300 calories if you are 150 lbs) is Surge. Check it out here: http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459244. Make sure that you drink your recovery drink within 5-10 minutes of finishing your workout for maximum recovery. Surge is also "light" and refreshing- not heavy. So, you actually look forward to your workouts because you get to drink it after.

Enjoy your summer workouts and remember, adjust for the heat!