I finished the 2006 IM Florida in just over 13 hrs. and I have signed up for more punishment for IM Louisville 09. I live near louisville so I know what to expect from the heat. However, Im getting conflicting opinions on whether a person should train “in the heat” or not. So, Im looking for more opinions. Should I do my long runs and bikes in the middle of the day, the hottest part? Your 2 cents will be greatly appreciated.
2c isn’t worth squat, but here goes anyway…
I’m currently in Kuala Lumpur preparing for IM Malaysia in just under three weeks. As I have nothing else to fill my time during the day, I’m trying to schedule my workouts to fit where I predict they will occur on raceday. So early morning rides and early afternoon running. Swimming is tricky as the pools here don’t open 'til 9am, but everything else seems manageable. It doesn’t seem to be effecting the quality of my workouts and I’m being very deliberate about my recovery routine and adequate spacing between long/hard workouts, but if I did feel I was going backwards I’d have no hesitation to amend the plan immediately.
But I’m tapering and doing very specific workouts in prep for a race which is just around the corner…I’m not in the middle of a big base phase with months to go 'til the big day. It might be worth a try if your schedule (work, family, other commitments) can handle it. If you find you’re struggling with the heat and it is directly effecting the quality of your workouts this early in your build then can the idea…its far more important to get through the base phase in strong physical & mental health than it is to start acclimatising to race-specific conditions. Maybe re-introduce the idea at taper. Remember the race is only one day…you don’t have to be “iron-fit” every day in your build up, you just have to prepare & peak for that one day.
I think it is better to train in the heat. That said, you should obviously not train in dangerous conditions, you should make certain to hydrate (potentially more than under race conditions at least at first), and you should at least make certain to finish your workouts hard. If you can’t finish workouts or have other heat-related difficulty, then just do a little bit at a time and work your way up to longer workouts in the heat. Eventually you will be able to do athletics in extreme heat if you work at it.
I am a firm believer that you can always race in cooler conditions but heat will absolutely kill some athletes. With IM you also have to get used to sweating into your shoes, etc. which can cause some skin problems.