Hello Higher Running Family! The topic of running in the heat is very much on the forefront all around the country and for good reason! Much of our great land is enveloped in various heat waves, bringing in record setting temperatures and general safety concerns for people, animals, and infrastructure. I wanted to create a little article to go hand in hand with a Higher Running YouTube Video about heat training.
Like always, please ask questions or if you have any great hot weather training tips, feel free to share. In the article, we will chat about heat factors and how it affects the body, guidance for how to workout in the heat, what to watch for regarding heat exhaustion, and some tips and tricks for staying cool in this weather.
Let’s Begin!
“Oh but it’s a dry heat” “Yeah, so is a fire!” I love the back and forth regarding which heat is worse. Humidity causes the body to work even harder to cool itself while dry heat can really sneak up on you because one may miss cues that they are in fact sweating a lot. Evaporation means I didn’t sweat right?
Before we discuss strategies on how to prepare for heat, lets talk about how the body responds to heat from the aspect of thermal homeostasis and the autonomic nervous system. Don’t worry, we are not going to get too much into the science of this but rather the practical application.
The warmup is always important for a runner to help prepare oneself for the main portion of their run/workout. From the aspect of heat, it is important to let your heart rate come up gradually. The body is warming up and so is the core temperature. To combat too high of a core temperature the body starts to sweat. Blood flow must be diverted to the skin, and all of this requires a little more work from the cardiovascular system. Therefore, heart rates are usually a little bit higher at a given pace in the summer versus winter. The general autonomic nervous system (without going into to too much scientific detail) is what regulates these physiological and chemical functions. Just like any computer or piece of machinery, a series of instructions takes place and then a response is produced. Basically, the body needs just a little bit of time to compute what it is being asked to do and how best the body would like to maintain its thermal homeostasis. If one warms up too quickly, they risk raising their core temperatures past the rate in which the body perceives the increase in heat. For the data minded folks, this is what leads to heart rates suddenly shooting up in the beginning of runs and the risk of not recovering from that sudden spike. The body is constantly trying to play catch up in already challenging conditions. This is really the main thing I see, from a coaching perspective, that causes runner’s issues in the heat. If the first, say, 15 – 20min of a long run can be spent at a gentle and mildly progressive pace, the body will be just that more prepared for the rest of the run.
Another aspect to cardiovascular data in running is decoupling. Even with a proper warm up, there is only so long the body can withstand having two demands being placed on it: cooling itself and exerting itself. Decoupling refers to the heart rate graph and a given running pace/effort becoming separated. Imagine a graph in which a heart rate line is staying consistent with a pace but as the body fatigues, imagine the heart rate line trending up (higher) while the pace/effort line stays the same or declines. Some decoupling from heat and/or fatigue is very common and nothing to be too scared of but is one important metric to monitor. Watching for sudden decoupling is very important and this can happen within minutes.
Before we move on to tips and tricks for exercising in the heat, let’s review a few symptoms that are indicative of heat fatigue or heat exhaustion.
-Goosebumps on the skin (usually an early clue)
-Sudden increase in sweating (earlier clue)
-Sudden decrease in or cessation of sweating (this is dangerous)
-Clammy/pale skin (need to stop the activity)
-Dizziness or sudden weakness (need to stop the activity)
Now let’s end this on a positive note! The human body is remarkable and with proper care, we can adapt and train in warm conditions. Hydration is critical and possibly the most talked about point with heat training. Specifically, lets talk about pre-loading of electrolytes. It is important to have a steady supply of electrolytes and probably some glucose to go with it for activities lasting longer than 60min. More studies have come out that suggest the body will sweat a bit more efficiently if it is loaded with salt, optimally, before the exercising takes place. For those who have kidney or high blood pressure issues, it is recommended that you check with your primary care physician before loading up on salt. A strategy is to consume a beverage higher in salt the night before and then again prior to exercising in the heat. I am not sponsored by any nutrition companies so if I recommend a product to explore, it is because I have had success with the product. To help with salt intake, the concentration for hot weather athletes needs to be substantial. 300MG of salt, for example, isn’t going to cut it. Plenty of folks lose 700 – 1500mg per liter of sweat (the range can vary even more). Coach Sandi helped create Unived’s Elite Hydration Mix for this reason. Unived is a great company that shys away from artificial flavors and puts a lot of effort into making a product that is easy to digest. If you would like to try Unived, Coach Sandi has a code: SANDI10 for 10% off. I, personally, consume a lot of LMNT (1000mg of salt per serving) and also occasionally use OSMO Pre-Load (1750mg of salt). I am also not afraid to salt my food. Lastly, it can be fairly easy to have out of balance minerals and vitamins when sweating heavily day in and day out. As a safety net for general health, it is recommended that athletes keep tabs of their blood work. If an athlete has ever had an issue with low mineral levels, anemia, etc., it is not unreasonable to have blood work done four times a year. I have listed below a few nutrition supplements I use. Companies like Athlete Blood Test can even let you know if you’re getting in enough or too much sodium and other electrolytes. I have used Athlete Blood Test for about 3 years and Coach Sandi and Sage also utilize ABT for their needs. Sandi has a code for 15% off: sandi15.
I hope this helps get you to feel more comfortable running in the heat! As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about heat training or any other training needs, please ask! If you’re interested in learning more or want to be coached by me, you can learn more here: https://higherrunning.com/the-team/
Communication is so very important when it comes to training for a winter race and enjoying the holidays with family. Planning the training plan ahead of time with your coach (or on your own if self-coached) will help alleviate a lot of last minute planning and stress. Communicating details with your coach like when family is coming into town or if you are traveling can help make scheduling a bit more flexible. Let your family know ahead of time that you will be carving out a bit of time to go for a run. It is ok to move a big session or a long run up or down a day. It is ok if a day off is needed. Fitness from a block of training will not erode away because you took a day off. The biggest takeaway: life balance. When you go out the door to train, pour your efforts and focus into your run and when you return home, pour your energies into happiness and visiting with loved ones.
The next tip is to not stress! Of course, it’s important to maintain a good diet; plentiful in nutrients. A few treats and a nice holiday meal are not likely going to unravel weeks and months of consistent training.
Please avoid the temptation to “hoard calories” in anticipation of a more calorie dense meal. For example, if you have a tough workout in the morning and a mid-afternoon holiday dinner, abstaining from post workout nutrition could have a larger negative impact on training and recovery than having an extra piece of pie.
Alcohol: stay diligent with hydration should you enjoy an adult beverage and don’t be afraid to not indulge if it makes you more comfortable.
Coach Laura’s Holiday Tips
Do you find yourself with low motivation this winter season? Rest assured you’re not alone in this! Shorter days and chilly mornings make it extra hard to get out of bed during the winter months. During this time let’s practice switching our mindset and developing a better relationship with these tougher months. Winter can be a great time to switch up your training while keeping up with consistency. Here are some tips:
Don’t be afraid to switch things up. Get out on the roads more often to avoid the snow or embrace treadmill runs!
Try winter sports on cross-training days! Sign up for those cross country ski lessons you’ve always wanted to check out.
Take this time to learn more about yourself and reflect on your intrinsic motivation; try connecting this to your personal values as well. Ask yourself: what gets me to lace up my shoes each day?
If it’s hard to get out the door because you’re too cold, try hopping in a warm shower for a few minutes (don’t get your head wet)! Or add in a good warm-up, which is not only necessary during these winter months, but can help get you out the door too.
And most importantly, talk to your coach if you’re feeling this way! Don’t struggle alone. Your coach is here to support you.
How to make the most of a treadmill workout during these winter months:
Make sure easy runs are done at a 1-2% incline to help stimulate a more realistic running experience. Put on headphones and rock out to your favorite playlist or podcast (if you’re into cool science, my favorite is Ologies with Alie Ward – thank me later!). Make sure you practice good running form:think relaxed jaw and quick, smooth strides. Cover up your monitor so you don’t stare at the data which makes time move slower.
Coach Sandi’s Holiday Tips:
Set an intention for how you want this holiday season to go. How do you want to feel? How do you want to think? How do you want to act? While it can feel comfortable to go through the motions, when we prioritize our own well-being, life can get a lot more enjoyable for us and everyone around us. When we’re mindful of our thoughts, always seeking the thoughts that align with the best version of ourselves, everything flows easier. If you typically do a lot of cooking that takes a lot of time, you can think about how much you care about the people you’re cooking for which will make it feel satisfying. Or maybe you choose to support a local bakery so you don’t have to cook another pie!
While I’m all for not drinking any alcohol, I personally choose to indulge every now and then. However, I have a rule that makes a big difference in how I feel the next day. My rule is that I only drink with other people when I’m already happy. I don’t drink alone or when I’m feeling bad because I know that will only drag out my experience of not feeling well. I care about myself too much for that! When I’m happy and having a good time with others, my body is releasing feel-good hormones, so it makes sense that alcohol doesn’t have as much of a negative impact on me when I follow my rule. With that said, I’m also good about staying hydrated with water (or even an electrolyte drink), eating well, and not overdoing it on the alcohol. I’ve also learned to stick to beer or a glass of wine as I’m more sensitive to other alcoholic drinks. I’m not telling you to do exactly what I do. I’m suggesting you care about yourself enough to know what makes you feel good and what doesn’t.
What are some tips you’ve come up with? We’d love to hear from you!
Does a coach have to be faster than their runners?
This question came up while I was chatting with a young man who is chasing a fast marathon time and is also a coach himself. There are some folks who would suggest that to be guided to fast times, the coach needs to have run that specific time (or faster) before. We reflected on the discussion we had and both concluded that a coach doesn’t need to be faster than their athletes. It certainly can help with a “been there done that” aspect but that is only just one sliver of a very large pie that makes up a coach/runner relationship. What say we to the coach who has rigorously studied a variety of training methodologies and the history of our running greats? What about the coach who had spent years cultivating a wonderful way of communicating? What say we to the many other metrics, feelings, and general gratefulness that makes up running?
Speed is not a qualifier of good/bad or experienced/inexperienced. There are plenty of coaches who once competed professionally but have turned their attention to guiding athletes and there are coaches who realized their own physiological talents perhaps didn’t tell the full story of their coaching effectiveness.
If you are an athlete who has explored paces your coach has not, think of constructive feedback for the coach. This is a forever growing relationship that supports runners as they explore their personal bests. Detailed feedback of how the body responds to the training, what goes through your head while pushing pace, and other little tips and tricks go a long way.
Paces are just a small part of the picture. Let’s not forget to keep running as a pure and inclusive activity. As I write this, I am also promising myself to see each runner as a unique person who holds a special reason to run. It is an honor to help anyone: from professional runners to someone breaking five hours in a marathon. Both are the same. The feelings, motivation, the emotional roller coasters are the same. The workout specificity is what is different.
Coaching is to serve the runner and when they help a runner solidify a deep intrinsic motivation to run, then the connection is completed in a beautiful and uplifting way.
Let’s talk about Coach Joe Vigil. In the 1950s he was a high school football coach who had the heart to help out three young men at the Alamosa High School in Colorado. The three boys wanted to form a track team but a coach was required by the school. Being the only hope for the trio, Coach Vigil assisted and became their coach; driving them to meets and overseeing their training. From there, he fell in love serving as a running coach and made that his singular focus. From 1954 through to present day! Yes, that is six decades of coaching.hi is now in his 90s yet finds strength, passion, and desire to continue serving as a coach. Coach Vigil is known for guiding stellar runners to top tier performances: Deena Castor to her Olympic medal and Pat Porter’s eight cross country national championships are just a couple examples.
Over the decades, Coach Vigil “did” by learning, guiding, and enjoying his path as a coach. He really became a true coaching great because of diversity.
He was an advocate and a coach for everybody by coaching elite runners and guiding community runners alike. He has been a long time supporter of female runners with his daily running clinics.
Another fine example of “doing” is the lifestyle he led. He continues to eat a wholesome diet, and you can find him in the pool for his exercise. A far cry from the running paces he guides brilliant runners, yet manages to be on the same wavelength as them. There is a great book about his life called Coaching Greatness by Pat Melgares.
What makes a coach great is their willingness to develop their communication with their runners and have a true desire to learn the paths to success both mentally and physically. Just as there are roads on a map, there are many paths to success. A great coach sticks with their athletes through both thick and thin. Prolonged and/or recurring injuries are often times when athletes need the most support. Lastly, the coach grows as the runner grows.
Can you think of someone who coaches yet does not perform the physical part; perhaps in another sport? Circling back to the introspective reasons to run: why do you run? What have you learned about yourself along the way? What would you like to share to uplift and guide our running community?
