This is a complete newbie question… sorry in advance for my lack of knowledge
I’m doing an IM in August… It’s going to be hot… Do I wear nothing on my head to stop something from trapping heat? Wear a bandana (what I do now) to stop sweat from pouring down my face? Or get a visor to block sun even though I’m already wearing sunglasses… Are there advantages to wearing a visor? I see a lot of top guys doing it?
Kind of a insignificant question… but every little detail is going to be crucial in my IM. Thanks
because every thread on ST lately needs to reference THE LANCE… i will point out his latest comments about this subject
in Florida he chose to wear a full hat to put ice and cold water on/under in an attempt at regulating body temp a little better than just the visor.
I wear a visor and at my last race this year i fried my (bald) head pretty bad. i think it might have been part of the reason i cracked on the run… i’m sure there were other reasons though
My running hat. Protects my neck. And gets nice and wet when I dump water in it from aid stations. Plus makes me look like a dork. Guess I need some compression socks also.
I hate visors. Pretty much hate hats, too unless dictated by climate. A cotton bandana is going to be sweat soaked mess in no time. In a short race a hat is just extra fuss in T2 so I just rock my helmet hair. For a hot 1/2 or IM a hat can be valuable for icing your frying brain. You could always ditch it in an aid station if you get tired of it.
You really just have to try it. First time I ran with a white running hat in the heat I was shocked at how much of a difference it made. Then I tried a visor, and for whatever reason it seems to cool me just as well.
Look at Rappstar’s recent thread, he explains why he didn’t go with a visor/hat, because he feels it makes the sweat run into his eyes.
I like a visor to keep the glare down on the glasses.
I also find most races (esp WTC) have sponges so an iced water sponge in the back of a visor provides a nice cold dribble down the back of the neck.
I don’t have a buzz cut though and so don’t get scalp burn, so don’t need that aspect of a hat, I found the hat held heat in and I tried the ice in the hat a few times and got a hedache from it.
A visor might be good for wicking sweat and providing some shade on your face, but for hotter temps, I feel like a good hat can help to regulate heat better than just having the sun beat down on the top of your head–that is assuming you get a good hat meant for runners/athletes. Also, I’d stick with a light color (white).
Look at Rappstar’s recent thread, he explains why he didn’t go with a visor/hat, because he feels it makes the sweat run into his eyes.
I like a visor to keep the glare down on the glasses.
I also find most races (esp WTC) have sponges so an iced water sponge in the back of a visor provides a nice cold dribble down the back of the neck.
I don’t have a buzz cut though and so don’t get scalp burn, so don’t need that aspect of a hat, I found the hat held heat in and I tried the ice in the hat a few times and got a hedache from it.
Never had sweat run into my eyes from my hat. If anything, it stops it.
I used to hate running with anything on my head. Visor, hat, headband, they all annoyed me. I’m slowly evolving, though, and now I usually wear a visor if it’s sunny out. I still can’t do the hat, though, unless it’s raining. I feel like a hat traps in heat (personal preference), and a visor does just as good of a job keeping the sun off my face and fighting glare.
I like visors, but don’t have enough hair to keep my scalp from getting fried. So if it’s summer, or really sunny, or a long run, a full hat it is. Nice fall/winter/spring days or if it’s incredibly overcast and a short run, visor.
i like a visor to keep the sun out of my face. i have hair so my scalp does not burn. i like being able to dump cold water and sponges on the top of my head and not take a hat off to do so. i do not run with glasses so the visor works well for the sun.
This is a complete newbie question… sorry in advance for my lack of knowledge
I’m doing an IM in August… It’s going to be hot… Do I wear nothing on my head to stop something from trapping heat? Wear a bandana (what I do now) to stop sweat from pouring down my face? Or get a visor to block sun even though I’m already wearing sunglasses… Are there advantages to wearing a visor? I see a lot of top guys doing it?
Kind of a insignificant question… but every little detail is going to be crucial in my IM. Thanks
I really don’t find a visor as a major deterrent for sweat in the face. I just go with the sunglasses. Nothing else.
I go visor because I have a big head and running hats don’t fit right. The Headsweat visors are great because of the elastic band (once again, big head). It doesn’t really help with the sweat, but it provides a little bit of shade on my face.
Regarding the comment about the hat being good for putting ice on your head, if you are hot put ice down your shirt and down your shorts. It feels a lot better than ice just sitting on your head.
I normally only wear a hat on trail runs. When I do, I wear it backwards so it will keep flies off the back of my head and neck, that’s really the only reason I wear it.
I think I’m cooler without one but sometimes it is nice to absorb the sweat off my forehead.