It's HOT! Beat the Heat With This Summer Training Survival Guide
Maximize training (and enjoyment) when the temps reach triple digits.
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I’ve lived in two different places in my life- Florida and Texas.
Both are HOT.
(TX Record- 120°F, June 1994)
(FL Record-109°F, June 1931)
North Texas often has dry heat (low humidity) but the temperatures can get up to 110°F-115°F. That type of heat is painful.
On the other hand, Florida has humid heat. While the temperature might not get as high, when combined with high humidity, it feels suffocating. It’s the kind of heat that smacks you in the face when you walk out the door.
Whether it’s scorching temperatures or suffocating humidity, training in the summer is just brutal. There’s no way around it.
But there are a few strategies that can help you stay safe, maximize training, and make exercising in the heat more enjoyable. Check out my top 10 tips for training in the summer heat.
*Paid subscribers get the 🔥 Summer Training Survival Guide Toolkit 🔥
A printable PDF with:
Pre-workout and post-workout checklist
How to do a sweat test at home
Heat index and dew point guide
Signs of trouble: heat exhaustion vs. heat stroke
Formula for heat-adjusted pace
Pay Attention to “Feels Like” Temperature
As an athlete, it’s important to pay attention to the “feels like” temperature. This is a more accurate representation of how weather feels to your body. It might be different than the actual air temperature, because it takes things into account like humidity, wind speed, ect.
For example, if it’s 80°F with 20% humidity, the feels like temperature would be 73°F. If it’s 80°F with 90% humidity, the feels like temperature would be 86°F.
Here are a few key weather terms you should know:
Temperature: How hot or cold the air is.
For athletes: When it’s hot, your body tries to cool itself off by producing sweat. As the sweat evaporates, it takes excess body heat with it.
Humidity: Concentration of water vapor in the air. High humidity makes it feel hotter than the actual temperature might suggest.
For athletes: With high humidity, there’s already water vapor in the air, so your sweat doesn’t evaporate as easily. This makes it harder to cool off.
Dew Point: Temperature at which air is fully saturated with moisture. Think about dew on grass or fog. A higher dew point means there’s more moisture in the air.
For athletes: Running in a dew point above 60°F starts to feel uncomfortable. When it’s above 70°F, it can feel oppressive.
Heat Index: This is the feels like temperature. There are charts and calculators that determine heat index based on temperature and humidity. (National Weather Service Heat Index Chart)
1. Consider time of day when planning workouts
For example, when running or riding your bike in early morning hours, the air temperature will be lower, but the humidity will be higher. Also, the sun isn’t as intense earlier in the day.
When exercising later in the day, the humidity will be lower, but the temperature will likely be higher. But the sun is more intense, so you may need to rely on shade cover for cooling and definitely wear sunscreen.
There’s a trade-off with each, and which you choose has a lot to do with your sweat rate and comfort level in the heat.
2. Know your sweat rate
I have a very high sweat rate (almost 4 lb. an hour) which makes working out in the heat very challenging, especially in high humidity. Because I sweat so much, I have to make sure that I’m replacing fluids and electrolytes so I don’t get dehydrated.
Most guidelines suggest replacing at least 75% of your sweat loss. But everyone’s sweat rate (and sodium concentration) is different, so you can’t just guess. For example, Matt sweats less than me, but we know his sweat is more salty (as evidence from the white, crusty lines on his clothing). On the other hand, I sweat a lot, but I don’t lose as much sodium as he does.
Also, your sweat rate can change based on weather conditions, workout intensity, and how well you are heat acclimated.
3. Carry your hydration
One of the biggest changes we’ve made to our triathlon training this season is carrying nutrition on every run that’s over 15 minutes. Is it always fun? Not really. Is it important. Absolutely.
Especially when it’s hot outside, taking in the necessary fluid, carbohydrates, and electrolytes to fuel your workout is crucial. But for triathletes who often do more than one workout a day, it’s essential. This is because it’s so easy to get behind, which not only affects the quality of your workout, but also the ability to recover in between workouts.
I use a Naked Band to carry my hydration on runs. If it’s a 30-minute run or less, I use a 10.5 oz. flask. If it’s 60 minutes, I carry two. I also use this run band for racing, because it’s comfortable, doesn’t bounce, has space for gels, and attachments for your bib number.
On the bike, I can use 20 oz., 25 oz., and I’ve started using these 32 oz. bottles that I love.
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4. Use ice and water for cooling
When it’s hot outside, any way you can cool yourself off is a good idea. The skin on your hands and face is known as glabrous skin, and it’s the best place to cool with ice.
Before I head out for a hot run, I put ice in my sports bra. Then, as I run, I hold an ice cube in one hand, switching to the other hand when it gets a bit too cold. Of course, it’s going to melt eventually, so I have a DIY aid station set up with a thermos full of more ice and/or ice water to pour over my head.
I also use this strategy at races. At every aid station I pick up ice, put it in my sports bra, and hold it in my hands until I get to the next aid station. I also dump a cup of water on my head.
On hot bike rides, I have a bottle that’s just ice water so I can pour it over my head and body. Even if the water gets warm over time, keeping your body wet can help you stay cool.
5. Plan a loop with DIY aid stations to refill
On long runs in the summer, we set up DIY aid stations so we can refill our bottles. It’s as simple as putting a small cooler in the shade on the side of the road.
We fill it up with ice and have additional bottles with fluid, carbohydrates, and electrolytes ready to go. Also, you can get a towel wet and drape it around your neck.
6. Use a cooling towel
This is something new I’ve been trying. My coach introduced me to this cooling towel and I like it!
Before a run, I put it in ice water. Then, I wrap it around my neck and tuck the ends in my sports bra. It stays cool for a while. Even when the cooling wears off, it stays wet so you can ring it out over your head, which helps a lot in high temperatures.
7. Seek out shade
Did you know that shade makes a big difference in how heat feels to the body? Exposure to full sunshine can increase the heat index by up to 15 degrees! So whenever possible, we try to run a route that has a bit of shade or tree cover.
This goes into planning our long bike rides as well. For example, over the weekend, we had a 3-hour ride, followed by a 25-minute run off the bike. Since I would be running in the heat of the day, we planned our route so my ROTB would be on a road with some tree cover.
8. RPE and heart rate are better guides than pace
When running or riding your bike in the heat, RPE (rate of perceived exertion) and heart rate are better guides than pace. How much does exercising in the heat actually affect pace?
Check this out: Base Pace (min/mile) + [(Dew Point°F - 60) x 0.025] = Adjusted Pace (min/mile)
Base pace- is your typical running pace in ideal conditions.
Dew point- in degrees Fahrenheit.
60- Running performance will be affected above this dew point threshold.
0.025: Additional minutes per mile added for each degree dew point exceeds 60°F.
For example, let’s say your base pace is 9:00 minutes per mile and the dew point is 70°F.
9:00 + [(70−60)×0.025] = 9:25 minutes per mile. That’s a big difference, and this formula doesn’t even take temperature into account.
This goes to show how you can expect a 30 second to even 1 minute slow down in pace during hot conditions. Trying to hold a prescribed pace is one of the worst things you can do in hot weather. Instead, let how the effort feels be your guide.
9. Focus on efficiency and don’t be afraid to take walk breaks
Taking short, strategic walk breaks during hot runs is a great way to lower heart rate, reset form, and regulate breathing. Take my weekend run as an example. I had 1:15 and was starting when it was 80°F. Within my workout, I had half ironman efforts, followed by a 2-minute break. I would walk the first 30 seconds of that break to lower my heart rate and cool myself off with ice water before jogging the remainder of my rest before the next interval.
When running in the heat, my main goal is to focus on efficiency over speed. I know that my pace isn’t going to be exactly what I want when it’s 101 degrees outside, so instead of getting frustrated, I focus on being the most efficient runner I can be.
This means paying attention to my form: making sure I’m using my glutes to propel myself forward, running with relaxed arm carriage, and breathing through my diaphragm.
10. Refuel post-workout
This is a biggie for me. Because I sweat so much, I have to focus on rehydrating post-workout or I get bad headaches.
If it was a 60-minute workout, I will drink 8 oz. of apple juice or orange juice with 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt as soon as I’m done. If the workout was over 60 minutes, or a particularly challenging workout, I’ll have a protein shake and add salt to that. Then, I work on drinking my big 50 oz. water bottle throughout the rest of the day.
How much water should you drink a day? My coach’s most recent newsletter suggested a minimum of 2.7 liters for women and 3.7 liters for men.
Urine is also a good indicator of hydration level. It shouldn’t be bright yellow, but more like light-colored straw. But keep in mind that some vitamins and supplements can alter color, like B12 (which is in my protein shake of choice- Ultragen).
Training in the summer isn’t always fun, but with a few simple strategies you can make it feel just a bit better and ensure that you’re maximizing your training. And what is it they always say?
Summer miles bring fall PRs smiles!
*Paid subscribers get the 🔥 Summer Training Survival Guide Toolkit 🔥below.
A printable PDF with:
Pre-workout and post-workout checklist
Formula for heat-adjusted pace
How to do a sweat test at home
Heat index & dew point guide
Signs of trouble: heat exhaustion, heat stroke symptoms
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