Heat Excuse Just Pissing Me Off

delboyfagan

The more and more race reports I read about Ironman the more I see heat as an excuse for not hitting the times.

WTF am I just getting old and grumpy. I just missed 11hrs last year and blamed the heat for me nor making it. I realize it was an excuse and a lame one at that.

Having just finished reading a report from a member of a Dublin tri club where he talks about his 5 hr marathon and his 6hr+ bike and the fact that heat played a part in thiose times, it just pissed me off.

Don't pick an Ironman event in Europe in summer if u are worried about heat- and if u are deal with it in training.

End of rant.

mirrormatrix

delboyfagan wrote: »

WTF am I just getting old and grumpy.

Yes

RacoonQueen

When doing a European IM you could just as easily get an overcast day. Germany, Austria etc aren't exactly the places where sun worshippers go!

MojoMaker

delboyfagan wrote: »

deal with it in training.

Wrap yourself up in bin liners, flame suit, and a lagging jacket and head out pounding the miles? :eek:

mloc123

If you are doing a race in mainland Europe from May-August expect it to be 30c or more.

I am with you here, train for it and don't complain when it happens.

On a side note, I can't get over everyone complaining about it being too hot to run here for the last couple of weeks... it hit 25c max

delboyfagan

RacoonQueen wrote: »

When doing a European IM you could just as easily get an overcast day. Germany, Austria etc aren't exactly the places where sun worshippers go!

Ur right Racoon it could be just as easily an overcast day or raining.

But just based on last few years there has been some scorching days in Germany and Austria, so much so that non wet-suit swims is the order of the day. I remember the course director in Austria cracking a joke that he had to go out into the middle of the lake and as far down as possible to verify a temperature that would allow it to be a wet-suit swim.

I just feel its something u should be aware of when going over.

sconhome

Sure you hear it here for the past few weeks where it's humid. 'Ah, jayzus the heat is killing me!'

Great one more I don't have to worry about in a race.


FYI and I'm the old grumpy one around these parts!!

RacoonQueen

mloc123 wrote: »

If you are doing a race in mainland Europe from May-August expect it to be 30c or more.

I am with you here, train for it and don't complain when it happens.

On a side note, I can't get over everyone complaining about it being too hot to run here for the last couple of weeks... it hit 25c max

Frigging roasting that is (I got heat exhaustion in similar temps in Edinburgh!). I'm a rain and cold weather worshipper. Love winter so sunshine is horrible for me. Except on the bike, love it on the bike!

Never happy.

rainbow kirby

delboyfagan wrote: »

But just based on last few years there has been some scorching days in Germany and Austria, so much so that non wet-suit swims is the order of the day.

Doesn't take an awful lot to force a non-wetsuit swim around here (SE England) either - if it wasn't for a couple of pre-arrangements made with venue owners, both the tris I'm doing this summer (Eton Dorney sprint in June and London Triathlon Olympic this weekend) would have been non-wetsuit as the British Triathlon cutoff for banning wetsuits is 22c for a swim 1500m or less.

mossym

mloc123 wrote: »

If you are doing a race in mainland Europe from May-August expect it to be 30c or more.

I am with you here, train for it and don't complain when it happens.

On a side note, I can't get over everyone complaining about it being too hot to run here for the last couple of weeks... it hit 25c max

depends when you run. 25c in the evening when you can go home and cool down afterwards, no problem. 25c at lunchtime in work, when you have to go into an un-airconditioned changing room with only piping hot water in the showers, changing back into teh shirt and pants, sweat still pouring out of you as you rush back to your desk. no so pleasant. especially if you've been doing intervals and have really worked up a good sweat

plus as i mentioned to you last week the humidity, played "soccer" for years while living in california, 35C+, but 0 humidity, and never minded running in the heat, was 27C here the day we were talking (http://clareherald.com/2014/07/25/clare-sizzles-but-cooler-temps-on-the-way-2399/), but it was the sticky humidity was the heat.

i'd imagine it's the humidity that gets most in the IM as well. everyone focuses on the temp, humidity is a much bigger problem

MrCreosote

To me it just shows what a nonsense trying strictly to hit a particular time is, regardless of the conditions on the day.

Better to be happy with a % of the AG winners time or something like that.

Oryx

In my case, heat WAS an excuse for not hitting a time. Had I been expecting it? No. Had I trained for it? No. So it cocked up my race because I hadn't done my research. Do I regret that? Yes. The same thing happened in Antwerp (high wind) and UK 70.3 (rain and cold). My point being that there will always be something that doesn't go to plan, be that weather, diarrhea, mechanicals or someone breaking your ribs. The best that you can do is try to plan for all eventualities. I think the perfect IM race performance, where it all goes to plan, and you hit it all spot on, is rare.

You think people moaning about the weather is a silly excuse. Listen more carefully to race reports - there are always problems in races. The difference is whether someone describes them, or anything else, as an 'excuse' for poor performance or not.

MojoMaker

How do you train consistently for heat in Ireland though?

griffin100

MojoMaker wrote: »

How do you train consistently for heat in Ireland though?

http://m.independent.ie/regionals/enniscorthyguardian/sport/if-you-cant-stand-the-heat-get-into-the-sauna-28835741.html

Oryx

griffin100 wrote: »

http://m.independent.ie/regionals/enniscorthyguardian/sport/if-you-cant-stand-the-heat-get-into-the-sauna-28835741.html

He's not normal tho

mossym

in tokyo.

outside is 36C, and humid humid humid. indoor gym is 28C. sticky

rollingscone

I don't Tri (although an ambition to adventure race was my original motivation for getting into cycling) but I can compare running in Ireland in 25c to running along the seafront in RDJ Brazil from recent experience. It was definitely more draining here.

There's something particular about atmospheric conditions here that make it much more draining. In North Africa, Asia and the Americas I've always found that I sweat and ergo regulate more efficiently.

An essential factor in dealing with heat in sports is the ability to cool off while moving. This isn't something you can toughen up through. You have to address the issue through mechanical means e.g. your sweat mechanisms and the factors needed to maintain their efficiency.

On the bike...well all bikes come with free air conditioning.

mloc123

mossym wrote: »

depends when you run. 25c in the evening when you can go home and cool down afterwards, no problem. 25c at lunchtime in work, when you have to go into an un-airconditioned changing room with only piping hot water in the showers, changing back into teh shirt and pants, sweat still pouring out of you as you rush back to your desk. no so pleasant. especially if you've been doing intervals and have really worked up a good sweat

Showers? Well for some. I run at lunch time, I go back and wipe myself down in the disabled toilet sink.