I usually train after 7pm when the temperature has dropped to about 85 degree with 95% humidity…lately I have been running at 4:30pm and its about 92 degrees with 100% humidity and I can barely finish a 5 mile run.
So my question is, is it better to run later in the day and be able to complete my required workout or run at 4:30 which may mimic race conditions in October and not finish the required workout? I did the research the other day and weighed myself before the run and weighed in at 163lbs and after I ran 4 miles i weighed in at 158.5 so I lose about a lb of water per mile I run at 4:30…
Well, I am no coach and I did not stay @ an Holiday Inn Express but:
a) When you train you need to ready to handle the conditions you will face on race day (heat, rain, wind, etc…) so I would recommend you run @ 4:30 so you will be ready to handle the heat and humidity and if it is not that hot/humid on race day then you will “cruise”
b) It seems that you are loosing a lot of weight on a very short period of time. do you hydrate properly?
Fred.
yea i drink a bottle of water or accelerade during class, then a soda and a water with lunch and then 2 hrs later go run…I have always sweat this much though and it forces me to stop because when I begin to dehydrate I get small migraines that go away about 20 min after… but damn can those headaches hurt sometimes
I too have the dehydration headaches when training in the middle of the day. The southern summer sure is a tough one this year. It was 103 the other day with the heat index.
102 when I took off today on the Heat Index lol…never again
.
I recommend running in the heat once every 7-10 days or so, and plan the route so that you have adequate water stops along the way (or run with a fuel belt), and finish the workout. The rest of your runs should be done when it’s cooler so you can cover the distance and get a decent run effort sans heat induced fatigue. The issue with hot/humid runs is not just the effect it has on the quality of the run itself but the recovery time required, which will affect future training sessions. If you’re training for Hawaii then a few 45 minute runs off your long bike at midday are going to be pretty specific.