🏃‍♂️ Here comes the sun

Summer training is not easy. With high temperatures, high humidity, and burning sun, it can feel like it’s impossible to get in a good run.

But when you are training for a fast fall race, training in a hot environment has many benefits that you rip off once the weather improves.

• Research has revealed that the optimal temperature range for most groups of runners seems to be between 44° F and 59° F (7–15° C)

It’s even believed that heat training has more benefits than altitude training and also improves your overall health.

According to scientists at the University of Oregon, runners who exercised in a 100-degree room for ten days increased their fitness performance markers significantly more than a group who did the exact same workouts in an air-conditioned room.

Heat running causes “inexplicable changes to the heart’s left ventricle” that improve the heart’s health and efficiency.

• Just 10-days of heat training improved time-trial performance by 6% in cool conditions in this study.

It also activates “heat shock proteins” -inflammation fighters linked to living longer-, and BDNF, a chemical that promotes the survival and growth of hormones, and according to the NIH (National Institutes of Health), it can help against depression and Alzheimer.

Conclusion: As 2-time Ironman Worl Champion Chris McCormack says, “Embrace the Suck”.

We cannot do much when the weather starts to get hot other than hydrate and getting our runs as early as possible.

Keep training and rip the benefits. You can also view it as mental training, pushing through the discomfort of heat and sweat as a prelude to a hard, fast, fall race.