I live in Tucson and I train outside in the summer. You would think that I could cope with a little heat on race day!
86 and humid is like 95 and dry right?
That’s shouldn’t inevitably cause a meltdown should it?
Yet - all of my worst performance have been in high humidity.
I am interested what I might do to improve in humid conditions.
Here are some aspects of the problem as I see it.
I am a good “sweater”- that is what I get from training in Tucson.
But I need to be good at not getting hot in the first place.
How do you learn that.
86 and humid doesn’t feel hot- my skin feels cool and moist - I feel great when I am not racing- yet I overheat
Heat exhaustion in dry high temperatures feels like heat exhaustion. Heat exhaustion in humidity feels like the flu and it comes on unexpectedly.
How do I plan for this?
Keeping my insides in- Why does exercise in high humidity give me diarrhea? Just cause I am running through a stinky swamp does not mean I should have to help create it!
Seriously- it might be that I drink too many liquid calories- but I am hot and my body equates dehydration with heat. Also this seems to happen anyway.
How might I stop it?
I don’t know the reasons, but I’m in this boat. If it’s hot 85+ and low humidity (<50%) then I can go fast. If it’s 80 and high humidity (75%) I have complete melt down on run. The difference can be running 7 minute miles to 10 minute or worse. No amount of electrolytes or hydration or training in similar conditions (which I do) helps the situation.
+1 from a South Florida guy,
I think you need to experiment and see what pace you can sustain in those temperatures to avoid total meltdown. You might find out that you have to slow down substantially in order to keep things in check. Especially at the start of the run, don’t push it… at some point you’ll will be covered in sweat and it will get better.
If you don’t you’ll see your heart rate go up. Spend too much time in that red zone and then no amount of slowing down will help you… Seriously, sometimes I start walking and I’ll see my heart rate continue to climb for a while.
For me it takes about 40-50 minutes before I can attempt to speed up a little bit but only if I can settle into a pace where my heart rate stays stable.
You’ll do better if it’s overcast or if there’s some kind of wind blowing otherwise you’re screwed.
If you’re in a race then ice is your friend - take everything: ice cups, sponges, water, ice in your kit, ice in your hat, ice in your pants.
About GI issues, I think you can attribute those to high core temperature. Blood is diverted to the skin and away from your stomach. Keep your heart rate down.
I don’t know the reasons, but I’m in this boat. If it’s hot 85+ and low humidity (<50%) then I can go fast. If it’s 80 and high humidity (75%) I have complete melt down on run. The difference can be running 7 minute miles to 10 minute or worse. No amount of electrolytes or hydration or training in similar conditions (which I do) helps the situation.
Emilio posted a great thread recently about acclimating to humidity in Kona - suggested shutting down the A/C for weeks leading up to race. I wonder if it’s possible to simulate that at home with humidifier and heater (treadmill?).
I am in the same boat as well. I don’t know if you follow Lionel Sanders on FB or on his blog, but he had been doing some pretty nasty training in his pain cave to simulate the heat and high humidity of Kona followed by pretty good sauna sessions. Interested to see how it pans out for him as clearly Texas didn’t go as expected.
heat acclimatization is pretty well established science. In my own experience, you can easily prepare for a humid environment coming from a dry one. It’s all about preparing your body for heat.
What’s important to remember is that what you need to do is to fundamentally undertake changes in your body that are physical. These changes come about in response to changes in core temperature.
You need to raise your core temperature. This is easier to do in a humid environment because sweat cools you less effectively, but you can certainly do it in a dry environment without issue.
ALL of your issues are signs of improper heat acclimatization. The diarrhea being the big one. As to the “why,” your body shunts blood from your gut to your skin to help with cooling, meaning less blood available to process calories and fluid in your small intestine.
There are a variety of things you can do to acclimatize, but living in Tucson you should have no issues. The key is just to make sure you do hard workouts - HARD workouts - in the worst part of the day. You need to raise your core temperature. Whether it’s humid or not, if you raise your core temp appropriately, your body will respond and adapt appropriately.
This is interesting given Freddy Van Lierde and Rachel Joyce is in Scottsdale/Phoenix area right now training/wrapping up training for Hawaii. Freddy has trained in Phoenix area prior to Hawaii last year. Yes, they get the heat but would they be better preparing for Hawaii in more humid locations.
heat acclimatization is pretty well established science. In my own experience, you can easily prepare for a humid environment coming from a dry one. It’s all about preparing your body for heat.
What’s important to remember is that what you need to do is to fundamentally undertake changes in your body that are physical. These changes come about in response to changes in core temperature.
You need to raise your core temperature. This is easier to do in a humid environment because sweat cools you less effectively, but you can certainly do it in a dry environment without issue.
ALL of your issues are signs of improper heat acclimatization. The diarrhea being the big one. As to the “why,” your body shunts blood from your gut to your skin to help with cooling, meaning less blood available to process calories and fluid in your small intestine.
There are a variety of things you can do to acclimatize, but living in Tucson you should have no issues. The key is just to make sure you do hard workouts - HARD workouts - in the worst part of the day. You need to raise your core temperature. Whether it’s humid or not, if you raise your core temp appropriately, your body will respond and adapt appropriately.
interesting - and you’ve obviously got the pedigree that i’m going to accept what you’ve said.
i train in the humid heat, not the dry heat, so I can directly answer the OPs question. I can say that even when i’m acclimated, the thing that helps me most is when i can get something cold into my stomach. nothing seems to help nearly as much. cold and sweet is even better.
i’m also curious if it would take different approaches to clothing, etc. when the sweat is staying on you instead of evaporating, it’s real easy to get some major chafing.
I’m not an expert on this, so bear with me, but I’ll share my understanding on heat acclimatization… but my take is there are 4 adaptations your trying to achieve.
Increase sweat rate
Increase blood flow to the surface of the skin
Increase in blood volume (to compensate for above)
Mentally become accustomed to operating with a elevated core temp.
I think your body might also increase the amount of capillaries at the surface of the skin as well.
Something to keep in mind, is that the issue here is heat transfer. You body only cares about the heat transfer rate at the surface. The method of cooling after basic conduction is no longer adequate is evaporation. Evaporation is dependent on a combination of air flow rate and dewpoint. If you adjust either one, you change evaporation rate.
IMO, you can change airflow or dewpoint to accomplish the adaptation… or raise the ambient dry bulb temp to induce the need for evaporative cooling.
So you can:
Raise ambient dry bulb temp. You can either use heater indoors, or add layers of clothing to crate insulation.
Raise dewpoint (a little harder to do as you need ot create a “chamber” or some sort. I think this is a PITA, and unnecessary.
Reduce airflow (turn off the fan on the trainer). Use slower tires and wheels on your bike outside., run/ride uphill or with a tailwind.
I think the critical factor is 1st increased sweat rate, and sweating sooner. Next getting the increase blood volume and retraining blood flow. Otherwise, when you get hot, your body will draw blood from your stomach and muscles to the surface of the skin to cool you off.
I’m really impressed how it works so far. It’s also made me more aware of how my stomach is affected and how much I need to back off the intensity and settle down if needed.
Interesting the Joyce and FVL are training in Phoenix and the 45F dewpoint there right now isn’t really any better and could be worse than training someone else if you want to acclimate. But Arizona is a popular place to train and close to Hawaii so in term of adapting to the time zone and sunshine, it’s better than other locations.
I’m currently in a pretty humid environment as I’m on Okinawa. Tonight’s bike ride was 86F with 100% humidity and no it wasn’t raining; last night’s run 82F with 100% humidity. That puts the “real feel” temps at 104 and 96 respectively, but I don’t think it feels the same as dry heat. As mentioned above by the FL guy the biggest problem I have is mainly on runs; it’s a battle to keep your heart rate down. The biggest thing, I feel, is to not chase your pace. You almost have to run on RPE and monitor your heart rate monitor as it’s very easy to get it to run away and then you’re done for the most part.
Also, it almost goes without mention, but make sure you monitor your water intake. I’m generally a pretty heavy drinker in comparison to my friends, but I put down 25oz of water and 25oz of 80/20 water/gatorade mix tonight on a 35mi ride. Afterwards, my urine still says I’m pretty dehydrated from it and my jersey was a pound or so heavier since the sweat doesn’t evaporate very well.
I am pretty acclimated to it now since I work outside and exercise outside, but when I leave island and come back if feels like breathing through a wet wash cloth. I think one thing to consider is the lesser amount of oxygen intake you’ll inhale less oxygen per breath due to the water being a larger portion of the air.
Interesting Alex. I wonder if there is something specific in your physiology where you have more issues dealing with humidity.
When I was living in Tucson & PHX during the summers, I had no issue coming back east to race. But I have noticed over the last few years that I’m having a harder time dealing with the high (100F+) temps.
Except during monsoon season sweat rates in tucson are hard to gauge. I sweat more here in western NC (which is much more humid but less hot than Tucson even during Tucson’s monsoon season) in 3.5 miles vs 8 in Tucson in the summer judging by how soaked my shirt is. Now I’m sure evaporation plays a big role since Tucson is so dry and sweat evaporates so much faster.
IIRC don’t you do a lot of your training indoors? Is it possible (I forgot how old your kids were…sorry) to switch to more outdoor training in the summer on a more consistent basis?
Interesting Alex. I wonder if there is something specific in your physiology where you have more issues dealing with humidity.
When I was living in Tucson & PHX during the summers, I had no issue coming back east to race. But I have noticed over the last few years that I’m having a harder time dealing with the high (100F+) temps.
Except during monsoon season sweat rates in tucson are hard to gauge. I sweat more here in western NC (which is much more humid but less hot than Tucson even during Tucson’s monsoon season) in 3.5 miles vs 8 in Tucson in the summer judging by how soaked my shirt is. Now I’m sure evaporation plays a big role since Tucson is so dry and sweat evaporates so much faster.
IIRC don’t you do a lot of your training indoors? Is it possible (I forgot how old your kids were…sorry) to switch to more outdoor training in the summer on a more consistent basis?
Yeah- a couple of years ago I moved my long runs and my tempo runs inside when the temperature exceeds 90 outside.
All other workouts stayed outside.
The idea was to maintain a reasonable level of quality on the tempo runs and to not trash myself on the long run.
I payed close attention to what Rappster said in his post about running HARD in the heat. I have been avoiding that like the plague.
I agree I probably shouldn’t. At least if I am training for a hot race.
I was considering an IM Texas/ Kona race schedule next year. I age up next year and it would be a good opportunity for a high AG spot.
But last year I raced 70.3 Galveston and did really crappy. And I have had 100% sub par performances at Kona.
With both races I have had two problems:
Keeping sustained focus and intensity on long boring bike rides.
(Being relatively weak on flat courses doesn’t help).
I have managed to maintain a higher heart rate, ride faster and run better on drier hillier bike courses.
Not fall apart on the run.
On further analysis I think last years suckfest at Galveston could have been avoided with focus on heat adaptation. It is not that hot in Tucson in April and I severely underestimated how hard it would be to run well in 82 degrees with humidity.
That still leaves me with the unstable gut problem and the bike issue.
I am not entirely convinced about the shunting of blood and heart rate theories. Here is why-
My heart rate is consistently higher in races were I do well.
(Especially the case on the bike).
I don’t get diaherrea when it is hot and dry.
Only when it is humid.
maybe move your long run and tempo run (since tempo to me means sub threshold) outside and the rest inside?
I agree though that biking in Tucson in the summer can become a Circle K to circle K interval session. I’ve had to hit the Kinney Rd circle K do McCains loop hit the Ajo/Kinney Circle K before in the summer. 2 bottles in <18 miles.
.
I don’t get diaherrea when it is hot and dry. Only when it is humid.
When it’s humid and you’re seeing the sweat visibly beading and dropping off your body might this lead you to drink more that you do in drier conditions even though you’re actually sweating like mad there too but it’s all evaporating. So on the humid days perhaps even on a subconscious level it’s …gosh I’m sweating like mad and better keep drinking. If so, the extra water in your gut may be more than you can absorb and …ding …ding …ding …diarrhea
.
I don’t get diaherrea when it is hot and dry. Only when it is humid.
When it’s humid and you’re seeing the sweat visibly beading and dropping off your body might this lead you to drink more that you do in drier conditions even though you’re actually sweating like mad there too but it’s all evaporating. So on the humid days perhaps even on a subconscious level it’s …gosh I’m sweating like mad and better keep drinking. If so, the extra water in your gut may be more than you can absorb and …ding …ding …ding …diarrhea
YMMV,
Hugh
Yeah - I think that in humid conditions, since the sweat isn’t drying very quickly, I am not using as much water as I think I am. Maybe I should be focussing on more solid foods for nutrition, and ice and cold sponges for cooling (rather than sweat).
I also think that in humidity overheating comes on more suddenly without feeling “too hot.” And since sweating doesn’t help it is harder to get over also.
Interesting Alex. I wonder if there is something specific in your physiology where you have more issues dealing with humidity.
I think these is something to this. High humidity when combine with at least 80F is a killer. I live and train in Texas where it’s hot and humid most of the time. I haven’t acclimated to humidity in 20 years so guess it will never happen.
