Running in the heat
hedkell
Posts: 121 Member
Hi everyone!
I live in Dubai so summer is crazy hot and if I want to continue running outside it will have a feels like temp of at least 40°C (104°F) even before sunrise!!
I plan on doing my 4th half in November and my first full in January, followed by another half in Feb.
I don't usually start racing until December when it is cooler but I committed to doing the Full in Jan with a friend and thought it would be good for training. My friend is slower than I and will Galloway it, am happy to use this method for the full as I just want to finish it and hopefully make it to the Half 2 weeks later.
My time goals are for the Half Marathons not at all for the Full.
Researching Galloway I am wondering if I should use it to continue to run outside during the Summer instead of using the Treadmill. I understand it can help to keep your core temp down, avoid injury and help recovery.
I guess I am just scared that if I insert walk breaks I won't break the habit, but is it better than running in an airconditioned gym on a treadmill?
Would appreciate any thoughts and advice.
I live in Dubai so summer is crazy hot and if I want to continue running outside it will have a feels like temp of at least 40°C (104°F) even before sunrise!!
I plan on doing my 4th half in November and my first full in January, followed by another half in Feb.
I don't usually start racing until December when it is cooler but I committed to doing the Full in Jan with a friend and thought it would be good for training. My friend is slower than I and will Galloway it, am happy to use this method for the full as I just want to finish it and hopefully make it to the Half 2 weeks later.
My time goals are for the Half Marathons not at all for the Full.
Researching Galloway I am wondering if I should use it to continue to run outside during the Summer instead of using the Treadmill. I understand it can help to keep your core temp down, avoid injury and help recovery.
I guess I am just scared that if I insert walk breaks I won't break the habit, but is it better than running in an airconditioned gym on a treadmill?
Would appreciate any thoughts and advice.
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Replies
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Forgot to mention that I have just returned to Dubai after some lovely Australian winter weather so the heat is tough! I am currently only doing 5k runs once per week outside, long runs and speed workouts on the treadmill. So I would be using walk breaks to build mileage in the heat.0
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The heat you're talking about is a notch higher than I've dealt with; last summer I ran outside several times at 91º F (33º C) with high humidity. Sometimes I crapped out of the workouts, like getting 11 miles of the planned 14 miles of tempo intervals done before I had to quit.
The interesting thing is, late in that summer I ran a 5K. It wasn't all that hot by the standards of what I'd been training in, 68º F (20º C); but it was terribly humid. I turned in a PR time, just thought of it as a 3 mile interval with a stride at the end. Guys who had trained a lot in the air conditioning faded after 2 miles, but 3.1 miles wasn't enough for the humidity to catch up to me.
I'm not sure how much of this applies to your situation. 40º C might be enough hotter that it's not just uncomfortable, but also physically dangerous. But I'm sure the treadmill is a lousy substitute for really running long. If Galloway walk/run intervals make dealing with the heat possible, I'd want to be outdoors. Perhaps someone who uses the Galloway method could comment on that.
Is there an indoor track you can use? In the other extreme of weather (30+ mph winds, 7º F / -14º C, water bottles would freeze solid within 10 miles), I once ran 22 miles on a 200 m indoor track. That had its mental challenges, but it was better than using a dreadmill. I knew I couldn't keep track of 177 laps, so I lapped the Garmin every 8 track laps, and essentially treated it as 22 x 1600m easy, with no recovery and a 200 m extra to make up the difference between 1600m and a mile. I could keep track of 8 track laps, and I just let Garmin count how many of these 1600m sets of 8 laps I had run.0 -
@hedkell I live in Central Texas so I feel you on the heat index issue. Summer sucks!
I run before the sun peaks over the horizon on shorter run days. I am doing the run/walk method during my weekly long runs this summer. Once that sun comes up it is too brutally hot and humid to do anything else.
I can't imagine running over an hour on a treadmill. I would quickly loose my motivation from boredom.0 -
Good lord 177 laps, that sounds as bad as the treadmill!!
Ok I think I need to be used to the heat for some upcoming races so run/walk outside it is. Will stick to the treddy for speedwork.
Thank you for your input ☺3 -
I live in Texas and train in about the same temp. Only time I can run is after work temps 95-100 with heat indices up to 107 - yuk. These are some of the things I do to get in some 8-10 mile training runs (long runs are done on Saturday with "cooler" temps in the 80s and much slower")
1. Slow down - I figure 30-45 seconds slower per mile gives me the same training intensity
3. Think "intervals" instead of walk breaks - easier to stomach. I will run 4 walk 1 or run 8 walk 2 etc what i am trying to accomplish is to have some "faster" sections and not just plod it out the whole time.
4. Stop and take a break mid run - I try to find water or water fountain and splash down and find a shady spot hopefully with a breeze - turn off my watch - and just cool down for a couple of minutes in the middle of and 8 mile run.
Heat is dangerous, but you can do it and come out strong on the other side.6 -
Thank you, I am feeling more confident about this now!1
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@hedkell I'm not sure what would be worse for me: doing the long runs on the treadmill, or outside in the heat.
When I tried for my last marathon I did a long run on the dreadmill exaxtly once. Or tried to, because I gave up after 14.6km - running in place for so long, even playing with speed and slope, was excruciatingly boring! I've spent 3.5hours running through pouring rain that were more enjoyable!
I don't have any experience running in 40°C. We had 30-33C degree last week, and running in that was already bad enough. Based on experience with these more "moderate" temperatures, my main advice would be
1) to see if you can run before sunrise. Even if it's still hot, you only have the heat from the air around you to deal with, without added thermal radiation from the sun
2) don't drink plain water - if you sweat a lot, you'll need to replace electrolytes as well if you don't want to risk electrolyte imbalance
3) slow down - if you use past race results to calculate training paces, don't expect to hit them under weather conditions like that. Doing your speedwork in an air-conditioned room is probably for the best.
All the best for your marathon training!
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I don't handle humidity well, so in summer I do a lot of miles on the TM. Running at night works here, but may not be safe in the Middle East. I run on the TM in Winter too, if there is a lot of snow and ice making the roads dangerous. (If there's no shoulder, I'm not running on it.) I have done 20 milers on the TM by watching movies or a good TV series. In some ways it's easier because I keep the pace slower than I normally run outdoors. I usually do a progressive run, switching up every 2-3 miles. The first couple of times were hard, but I got used to it one very bad winter when I was training for a Feb. race.1
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I'm trying to figure out the best ways to change up my runs right now due to heat, too. I have a heat advisory all week. Yesterday the temperature was 99F with a heat index of 104F. I hate the treadmill. I run slower on the treadmill, and I feel like the running mechanics are so different and uncomfortable. The time also goes by so much faster outside. My two favorite parks don't have much shade. I might have to try early morning before work since my training plan for my next half is suppose to start next week. I'll have to keep in mind some of the tips that have already been shared.0
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Well I have managed to run/walk my way through my long Runs in a very hot Summer. Thank you to everyone for the advice! Temps are down to around 25c (77f) when I go out now so still not great, but definitely better! Half Marathon in 2 weeks, still warm for racing but I feel somewhat prepared.3
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Well I have managed to run/walk my way through my long Runs in a very hot Summer. Thank you to everyone for the advice! Temps are down to around 25c (77f) when I go out now so still not great, but definitely better! Half Marathon in 2 weeks, still warm for racing but I feel somewhat prepared.
Good to hear!
Is/was your HM this weekend?0 -
This Friday, I have the flu but should be good by then.
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