I remember watching video coverage of the Ironman World Championship from a few years ago , and I noticed that Torbjorn had a very interesting way of dealing with the heat http://www.everymantri.com/.a/6a00d83451b18a69e2011571909701970b-320wi]. He would run in all white, and keep sponges/ice in his clothing.
Now my body size/type is VERY different than his , but I find that I overheat more quickly than other athletes. Do you think I could benefit from training using a similar technique as him? In races, I often find myself pouring water over my heat and on my body, though I only wear a typical triathlon jersey. It seems like I would be able to keep the cool water in more efficiently if I wore a tight-fitting shirt . Would I need to buy a special kind of shirt, or would a simple long-sleeve compression short work?
No. He made no mention of over heating in training, only racing. So he’s either not training properly, racing in hotter climates than he’s trained for (with can be fixed through training), or he’s racing too hard (for his level of training).
One other possibility is that he *feels *like he’s over heating and has a lower tolerance for discomfort than all the other people around him racing in the same conditions and needs to just suck it up.
Or he could just have some genetic over heating problem. The solution to that would be one or more of the following - slow down, train better, race in cooler climates.
If you’re “over heating” when racing but not so much when training then it’s an issue with not training properly and/or racing too hard.
**Maybe you just need a can of HTFU. **
Putting ice in your pockets might make you feel better but now you’re carrying around a bunch of ice.
Well this is just stupid. Whatever the reason for the OPs over-heating is, a can of HTFU isn’t the answer. There is all kinds of data showing that the cooler you keep, the faster you go, especially on the run. So, no, don’t HTFU, but get smart and figure out the best way to keep cool. Not only will you feel better, but you’ll race faster. Let all the tough guys “suck it up and deal with the heat” for the additional 10 minutes they spend on the course.
As for practical advice. Closed hat with ice in it. Ice in your shorts. Water over your head at every aid-station.
Also, training in the heat can help your body acclimate so the physiological response (e.g., raised HR) isn’t as drastic on race-day. You’ll basically teach your body to start sweating more and sweating faster, which works to cool you down.
If you’re “over heating” when racing but not so much when training then it’s an issue with not training properly and/or racing too hard.
**Maybe you just need a can of HTFU. **
Putting ice in your pockets might make you feel better but now you’re carrying around a bunch of ice.
Well this is just stupid. Whatever the reason for the OPs over-heating is, a can of HTFU isn’t the answer. There is all kinds of data showing that the cooler you keep, the faster you go, especially on the run. So, no, don’t HTFU, but get smart and figure out the best way to keep cool. Not only will you feel better, but you’ll race faster. Let all the tough guys “suck it up and deal with the heat” for the additional 10 minutes they spend on the course.
As for practical advice. Closed hat with ice in it. Ice in your shorts. Water over your head at every aid-station.
Also, training in the heat can help your body acclimate so the physiological response (e.g., raised HR) isn’t as drastic on race-day. You’ll basically teach your body to start sweating more and sweating faster, which works to cool you down.
Guess you only read one sentence of my post and completely ignored the one directly above yours.
It’s actually more of an issue in training. I find that quite a few of my runs have to be scheduled in the middle part of the day, though most of my races are over by noon. But even when I’m running at a relatively cool temperature, my body heats up quicker than most athletes . I’m looking for a solution that would benefit my training, and that could potentially be used for certain races .
Right now I’m training for a half-marathon in late-October , and a half-Ironman in early December , so I shouldn’t have too much of a problem with these races in terms of heat. However, I feel I’m losing a lot of the benefit of my run training because of my body overheating in the CURRENT heat . I know a solution could be to do all my runs in the early morning or the evening , but with my current schedule I simply cannot do that.
Essentially, I would like to find methods to reduce the amount of overheating I experience while training as a way to maximize improvement .
It’s actually more of an issue in training. I find that quite a few of my runs have to be scheduled in the middle part of the day, though most of my races are over by noon. But even when I’m running at a relatively cool temperature, my body heats up quicker than most athletes . I’m looking for a solution that would benefit my training, and that could potentially be used for certain races .
Right now I’m training for a half-marathon in late-October , and a half-Ironman in early December , so I shouldn’t have too much of a problem with these races in terms of heat. However, I feel I’m losing a lot of the benefit of my run training because of my body overheating in the CURRENT heat . I know a solution could be to do all my runs in the early morning or the evening , but with my current schedule I simply cannot do that.
Essentially, I would like to find methods to reduce the amount of overheating I experience while training as a way to maximize improvement .
What others have said about ice may help a little but it doesn’t really lower your core body temp all that much. It may make you you feel better and I’m not trying to minimize the benefit of that.
You could try finding a gym with a good a/c and run on a treadmill. Bring a fan to blow on you. Are there shady trails in your area? Where are you in So Cal? I live by the coast and rarely goes over 75. Go to Ojai or Fontana and it’s rarely under 90.
If you are running in 90-100 degree temps you’re going to be hot.
No. He made no mention of over heating in training, only racing. So he’s either not training properly, racing in hotter climates than he’s trained for (with can be fixed through training), or he’s racing too hard (for his level of training).
One other possibility is that **he feels like he’s over heating and has a lower tolerance for discomfort than all the other people around him racing in the same conditions and needs to just suck it up.
Or he could just have some genetic over heating problem. The solution to that would be one or more of the following - slow down, train better, race in cooler climates.
Very well thought out answer, but it 's hard to monitor how someone feels, since it’s somewhat subjective.
Personally, I’ve done a lot of training in the heat, and I’m not sure how much it has improved my tolerance for it. I always notice major improvement in my running as the temperature goes down.
Ice in shorts for sure! During IMKY this year, I put ice down my shorts at every aid station (and down my lady top). It may have been slightly over the top, but I did NOT overheat AT ALL, and trust me, I have issues with heat. It was *only *91 degrees on the run, I know it can get hotter.
Personally, I’ve done a lot of training in the heat, and I’m not sure how much it has improved my tolerance for it.
There’s a simple protocol for increasing you heat tolerance. Occasionally running in the heat isn’t going to do it.
Basically (unless you live and train where it’s always hot) you have to exercise in the heat (I heat up my garage an wear my winter cycling gear) about an hour a day, every day, for about 10-14 days.
Your body will be ready after that. Apparently this acclimation goes away much faster (3-5 days).
In answer to your OP…I’m a big guy, and I have a high salt content in my sweat, so in my own interest of trying to keep cool, and avoiding heat meltdown, I found a range of “Skin Cooler” clothing by De Soto Sport.
I think this is the same stuff that Torbjorn wore in Kona…I have the L/S top (nice ice pockets), the arm coolers (really weird how frickin’ well they work on the bike), and the Bike beenie, which I found not to work so well, I think that becuase I have thick hair, and haven’t felt the need to skin that way down for a race (my wife would kill me if I shaved it off).
All the skin cooler stuff is on the De Soto website, and available at numerous retailers www.desotosport.com
…and as for the some of the other comments…suck it up, or a can of htfu, is a great way to meet some nice nurses in the ER, heat can kill !
You can improve tolerance for the heat…just find a copy of “Ferg Hawke” training for Badwater in his home made heat box…its on the dvd “the distance of truth”, parts of it are on youtube
Basically (unless you live and train where it’s always hot) you have to exercise in the heat (I heat up my garage an wear my winter cycling gear) about an hour a day, every day, for about 10-14 days.
Living in the southeast, there’s no getting away from the heat except during our relatively short winters. No need to heat up the garage-it’s like an oven already.
Move your trainer into your laundry room, do a couple of loads of wet towels in the dryer. Close the door to said laundry room, train. Wash, rinse, repeat until the problem goes away it sounds like your training is not too similar to what you are experiencing during a race, doing this occasionally may help…?
I’m the opposite. I sit here and train in mid-day florida sun with heat index in the low 100s yet hesitate to push it in the race where it counts. You know to save that energy for the last burst in the last mile, but all of a sudden that last mile comes and I finish full of energy and a low average heart rate. Inexperience I guess.
it sounds like your training is not too similar to what you are experiencing during a race, doing this occasionally may help…?