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FLPT triathlete Garen Riedel is blogging in the lead-up to IM Lake Placid on July 28. Blog #2 of 6: Heat Management.

Posted in Blog, Injury Prevention, News, Performance Enhancement, Triathlon.

July 18th, 2013

Heat Management: 3 Keys to Hot Weather Training


Countdown to IM Lake Placid: Blog #2 of 6

It’s too hot in the hot tub! Is it gonna make me wet… yes! Is it gonna to make me sweat… yes! Am I gonna go in? NO!
–-Eddie Murphy

With all the extreme heat that we have been having in NYC this summer, the quote above from Eddie Murphy’s famous SNL skit pretty much sums how I feel about motivating for a training session in the heat. I’m a big guy, and I tend to melt when the temps tick up.

While I would love to sit in the AC all day eating chocolate cookies (…for recovery of course…), the reality is that nearly all triathlons occur in the summer, and it is only a matter of time before you find yourself toeing the start line with 90+ degree temps and 90%+ humidity looming. So it is a good idea to get out there and train in the heat to acclimatize from time to time.

The heat is an intangible – it affects everyone. With enough hot weather training, eventually you’ll realize that the heat can be your ally while racing. Understanding that you’ll go slower than normal, you can let everyone else worry away about the heat because, guess what? You can’t change the weather! So why bother fretting about it?

Here are my 3 keys to hot weather training:

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!!!
Stay ahead of hydration and drink early and often. Take more breaks than you might usually. And if you start to feel lightheaded, decrease your effort immediately.

Manage your paces and efforts
Now is not the time to try to hit a tempo or marathon-paced long run. You will be slower than you may anticipate or want. Don’t let the change of pace get you down, you are still getting in a solid workout. Run based on effort rather than time.

Enjoy the sweat-fest!
Luckily hot weather usually indicates beautiful sunny days too. Get out there and enjoy them while you can because before you know it, it will be -10 degrees, hailing sideways, and you’ll be stuck on the dreadmill!

So when the day comes with forecasted highs of 96 and a half ironman ahead of you, I say bring it on and jump in that hot tub. You just might find yourself running away from the competition.

What are your keys to surviving the heat wave? Leave them in the comments! Tune in next week for the rest of the series leading up to IM Lake Placid.

Finish Line PT is sponsoring local elite triathlete Garen Riedel this year in his quest to return to the Ironman World Championship in Kona. In 2012, Garen was the top New York finisher at the Ironman U.S. Championship in New York City, finishing 28th overall — the 5th overall amateur and 2nd in his age group.

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