I have typically worn a cap for the run (I have a Hind, Zoot and Orca), all of which have been ok on most all but the hottest olympic distance races. But this year I am “stepping-up” and am going to Eagleman, IMLP and Kona (one of the lucky lottery guys).
I am thinking of going to a visor – it just looks much more practical. Does anyone have any suggestions? Brand, where to get it? I can’t seem to find any that are truly made for running (golf yes – running no).
Thanks
Wear a hat and dump cold water / ice cubes in it as you run through the aid stations. It feels good and keeps you cooler than just a visor.
Make sure the hat is a light color to reflect the sun’s rays.
Just my hair, still a little longish, retro 70/80’s. Hell, I’m 52 yrs old and despite a bit of salt and pepper, still am fortunate enough to haven’t lost it, so why not flaunt it.
BTW, I hate baseball caps.
I would be careful of dumping ice and cold water over your head. While it feels good it also closes the pores in the top of your head where most of your body heat dissipates from. In the long run (no pun) it could aid in you over-heating.
The object is to try to stay cool and to release heat. I recommend wearing a running-style hat (not a visor) to keep the sun off your head. The sweat from your head coupled with the free-flowing air through vents in the hat will help cool you. eric
I would be careful of dumping ice and cold water over your head. While it feels good it also closes the pores in the top of your head where most of your body heat dissipates from. In the long run (no pun) it could aid in you over-heating.
I have never heard this before – I’m curious if anyone has any analysis to back this up besides anecdotal stories.
I just finished my first Tri, the Gulf Coast 1/2 IM, and the heat on the run nearly killed me. It was 89 degrees and humid when I got on the road, and I was heatstroked by mile 3. By mile 6 I had chills all over and had a tough time concentrating. I was going a good 3 minutes per mile slower than my normal half marathon pace. I was putting ice in my hat and rubbing ice on my neck and that seemed to help, but I noticed that after a while the ice in my hat didn’t melt as quickly. I chalked it up to having a cold skull and wet hair and just kept running. I’m proud to say that I ran the last three miles and finished in 6:01:25, but I could have finished in under 5:50 if I’d been able to run at my goal pace of 2 minutes slower than normal.
If anyone has any suggestions on ways to keep your core temp down on hot humid runs, I’m sure I’m not the only one who would love to hear it. I’m terrible in the heat, and want to get better.
Lee in Brooklyn, NY
Dan has a rather lengthy dissertation on thermoregulation on the site: http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/coachcorn/thermo.html#Anchor-INTRO-39842
scott
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Aside from the ability to place ice in a hat to keep cool, (if the race is kind enough to supply ice) I have always wondered why people say that hats are cooler than visors… (that wasn’t supposed to sound rhetorical)
If much of your body heat is dissipated thru your head, which is accelerated thru drying perspiration, and a hat has material that covers your head and decreases airflow (even if you have a mesh hat… most of those, btw, have very small holes) and probably traps in heat, wouldn’t a visor be cooler? It provides shade for your eyes/face, but doesn’t trap in heat or restrict airflow.
Even taking the heat of the sun into consideration… it seems like a visor would be cooler.
Thoughts? I’m really curious.
Light colored cap?
I read about a study (but didn’t see the original research paper) in which one blindfolded group was dressed in dark clothes and another blindfolded group was dressed in light (white) clothes. Both groups were put in the direct sunlight on a hot day. The result? No noticeable difference.
It certainly seems like blacktop gets hotter than white sidewalk in bright sunlight, but this may be due to differences in material (heat capacity, heat transfer rate) rather than differences in color.
Psychologically, I still wear a white running cap (when I do wear one, which is rare in hot weather), but physically, I can’t tell the difference between the my white cap and the dark blue one that I used to wear.
Just a thought.
I would think that a visor would be cooler too, but don’t find that to be the case. I wear a white running hat and haven’t had a problem overheating - I find a little water over the head at the aid stations is enough to keep me cool. A visor leaves the top of your head unprotected from the sun. I don’t put sunscreen on my head as there is a minor problem of the hair getting in the way, but hair doesn’t stop your head from getting burned. Take a drive down the CA coast in a convertable with the top down if you don’t believe me. My family has a history of skin cancer so I’m not taking any chances…Ask any dermatologist what you should wear outside in the sun and they will, without fail, tell you sunscreen and a hat. Just my $0.02.
I just leave my cycling helmet on… it has all those nice huge slots for air to pass through… and if I crash while I’m running I can rest assured that I wearing my helmet. Chicks dig it too.
All kidding aside… maybe the above mentioned heat stroke was due to the pore closing effects of cold water/ice on the head. Personally I sometimes wear a nike mesh running cap… or nothing at all. I like the cold sponge on the neck thing best.
mike
tornado-
Asics makes\made a really absorbent visor. It kept the head cool and did a great job of keeping the sun and sweat out of my eyes. I bought it last year or the year before and don’t know if they still make it.
litherland