Heart Rate training in heat.

Sauve

Just wondering if anybody knows what kind of an impact the heat/cold would have on performance with hr training? Would there be enough of a difference that I should take it into account?
I'm doing a couple of my runs (one 5k and one 8k) at 163-166 bpm but not seeing much improvement over the past 8 weeks. Can I blame the heat?! :P

Thanks

Ososlo

Yeah it had a huge effect on me last year during the heatwave when I was training for DCM. The difference between running on a hot day and on a cool day could have been up to a minute per mile difference in pace. Humidity also has a big impact in my experience. I'm not wearing the hrm currently but my easy effort on a hot day will be a lot slower than late in evening or on a cooler day.
Blame the heat:)

Sauve

That's exactly the answer I wanted, cheque's in the post

A minute per mile, that's massive!
I must be doing alright so

Ososlo

Sauve wrote: »

That's exactly the answer I wanted, cheque's in the post

A minute per mile, that's massive!
I must be doing alright so

that was when I was running my easy pace so sub 75% of max hr which was the zone I was doing most of my running in for marathon training. I was really worried that my pace was getting so slow at that hr when the heatwave started but pleasantly surprised when it cooled down later in the summer!
Bring on cooler weather!!!

Sauve

Ososlo wrote: »

that was when I was running my easy pace so sub 75% of max hr which was the zone I was doing most of my running in for marathon training. I was really worried that my pace was getting so slow at that hr when the heatwave started but pleasantly surprised when it cooled down later in the summer!
Bring on cooler weather!!!

Yeah that's pretty much what I'm at now. You've given me great hope for Autumn!
Thanks

Billy Mills

Stop being a pussy and run!!!

Ososlo

Billy Mills wrote: »

Stop being a pussy and run!!!

Is she/he not allowed to ask a genuine training question?

Sauve

Billy Mills wrote: »

Stop being a pussy and run!!!

Oh I run alright, I run plenty

I'd just like to run faster is all.

Billy Mills

Ososlo wrote: »

Is she/he not allowed to ask a genuine training question?

They are but I'm allowed to jokingly call them a pussy as well!

Billy Mills

Sauve wrote: »

Oh I run alright, I run plenty

I'd just like to run faster is all.

Then don't make excuses. Heat is something you'll acclimatize to so the best thing to do is suck it up and train in it...

RacoonQueen

You should only see a difference of a couple of beats. Where I'd normally top out at 170, I'm coming in at 173 or so. That was during some of our sunny evenings. Your body will acclimatise easily enough.

Sauve

Billy Mills wrote: »

Then don't make excuses. Heat is something you'll acclimatize to so the best thing to do is suck it up and train in it...

I'm not making excuses, if you'd read my posts you'll see that I'm only asking if the heat makes a difference to performance. This is after all, a discussion board, and I'd kindly ask you to stop snarling, go for a run, and work off all that extra energy on something other than your keyboard.

Billy Mills

Sauve wrote: »

I'm not making excuses, if you'd read my posts you'll see that I'm only asking if the heat makes a difference to performance. This is after all, a discussion board, and I'd kindly ask you to stop snarling, go for a run, and work off all that extra energy on something other than your keyboard.

Gotcha- maybe you could provide us w/ a bit more detailed picture of what you're doing training wise and it would be easier to give advise as to why you aren't improving? Sorry for the tone earlier- just do feel as though people tend to make a lot of excuses and give a lot of justification for why they aren't improving when most of the time it comes dow to a few easily identifiable things


1) lack of patience

2) lack of intelligent training

3) running too fast for their current fitness and not recovering

4) being afraid to push hard enough on hard workouts

5) not racing

6) becoming too involved in overly technical minutia and missing out on the big picture- i.e. run consistently, engage all systems ...

Can assure you I'm far from just a keyboard warrior. I do a good bit of running and racing as well

Ososlo

RacoonQueen wrote: »

You should only see a difference of a couple of beats. Where I'd normally top out at 170, I'm coming in at 173 or so. That was during some of our sunny evenings. Your body will acclimatise easily enough.

I guess it's different for everyone. I noticed a huge difference last year but I'm really not good in any kind of heat and thrive in cooler temperatures.
It does get a lot easier in the heat Sauve as your body gets more used to it. Good luck with the training. One thing I will say about training by hr, is not to get too obsessed with the hr monitor and the numbers. I did get a bit over-obsessed with it last year and I think worrying about it made my heart rate increase even more when running!!! Leave it off every now and again perhaps if it's stressing you.

Clearlier

Some people don't appear to be impacted by heat. I know a guy who ran a massive PB on a very hot day in Paris when everyone else seemed to wilt. The same guy ran his HM PB with a woolly hat on for the whole race!

I struggle in the heat though. My long run today for family reasons ended up starting at 12pm and it was just too hot for me. I still completed the run and I expect that I'll get a decent training stimulus for it but the average pace was more than a minute a mile slower than what I would have expected.

On the overall trainig stimulus/improvement thing: if you want to improve you have to slowly but steadily increase your training stimulus. That could be either intensity or distance although for most people it should be the latter.

JohnnyDun

I also suffer greatly when it's hot and humid. I ran in the 18 mile race in Courtmacsherry on Saturday and ran the second 9 miles 15 minutes slower than the first 9.
Similar thing happened during the Cork marathon in 2013, I had trained well for a 3.45 and finished in 4.25 having walked much of the second half.Give me wet and cold anyday.

audreyp

I'm the same, i'm training with my heart rate at the moment, turns out I was running wayy to fast on my long runs all those years. Its a bit demoralizing going slowly and feeling like i'm going backwards without the heat making me even slower. I am not a fast runner anyway but the heat is really killing me. I'm looking at my winter times and going, how did I do that. I haven't seen a single strava trophy since the summer began! Roll on winter

The Muppet

I definitely run slower in the heat but also believe you can get used to the heat , I really struggled last year in the heat, , finding it a lot easier to run in the heat this summer but just a little slower , love running on the cool drizzely days, I always do my best runs those days.

BeepBeep67

Don't under estimate to impact staying adequately hydrated can have also, in this warm weather you'll not only sweat more than normal while training but also during the day and while you sleep - have you increased your water intake?

audreyp

Not to hijack the ops thread.. Definitely drink more water in the summer. I don't feel dehydrated, though I was quite ill after my last 17k-er on Saturday so maybe there is an element to it. I am just looking forward to the winter a mild one ideally!

Sauve

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Don't under estimate to impact staying adequately hydrated can have also, in this warm weather you'll not only sweat more than normal while training but also during the day and while you sleep - have you increased your water intake?

Uh huh.
I'm up on about 3 litres a day now, more depending on the length of the run

Billy Mills

Just as an anecdote- I set out to do 6miles @ MP (6:04) today - heat was a factor for sure. Have been hitting these workouts at around 6 m/m on the dot but faded badly in the heat today and bagged the w/o at 5 mp w 5 easy the MP miles were slipping an avg of 7-8 secs a mile off my usual

So yeah heat does play a role it's all about managing it and dealing w what's there on the day...

rom

tbh I hate the summer. I train nearly every day over the winter except in storms which is normally 1-2 days. My pee is dark atm which is never the case normally. I find running very hard. I am not built for the heat.

Clearlier

rom wrote: »

tbh I hate the summer. I train nearly every day over the winter except in storms which is normally 1-2 days. My pee is dark atm which is never the case normally. I find running very hard. I am not built for the heat.

If we could combine we might make a great runner! I definitely run better in cold weather but I much prefer running in the heat. The important thing is to run to effort especially when it's just got hotter as your body takes a few weeks to adjust.