Hello Guys,

As previously posted, I am considering running The Renaissance half marathon on June 28, 2008 in Ridgeland. I am wondering how much time I will likely lose to the heat? In Feb., I ran 8:32 for the half in New Orleans. This will be a new challenge for me this year. (not a hot weather runner) Normally, I do not race this distance in the heat. I am thinking if I have a great day, maybe 8:45, but really do not know what to expect. What do you guys think? Opinions, guesses, and experiences welcome.

Nothing can slow you down like hot/humid weather, and 13.1 miles is a long way to run in the heat. I think your plan of slowing down about 20 seconds per mile makes sense. The only thing that gives me pause is I don't know how acclimated to the heat and humidity you may be at the end of June. It normally takes 2 to 3 weeks of training in hot and humid weather to begin to acclimate to hot and humid conditions (with maximum benefits coming after 6 to 8 weeks).

Since you want to race in the heat you should probably do some of your training in the heat. Heat acclimatization training will be just as important to your training as tempo runs or speed work. You will still want to do your hard runs during the morning or evening (or indoors), but you should prep your body for the heat/humidity by running a few runs during the hotter parts of the day; just keep the pace easy. If you can't do much heat acclimatization training, I would plan to slow down 30-40 seconds per mile at the beginning of the race and then see how you feel half way through and adjust your pace accordingly. I look at it like training for a hilly course. If you want run well in the hills, you have to train in the hills – if you don’t, the hills will kills you… heat and humidity are no different. Good luck.

Terry

You could always do like crazy people used to do when they thought they could lose weight by wearing plastic or rubber suits. Needless to say, any weight that was lost was due to fluid loss.

I think it was Benji Durden who wore cotton sweat suits while training for some very fast marathons. He lived in GA at the time and he said people thought he was a nut for running in the heat wearing all that clothing. I tend to agree with that opinion.

Seriously, I agree with Terry. Just try to run in the heat of the day at least 2-3 times a week. You'll need to slow your pace, maybe even walk some of it if your heart rate gets too high, and drink plenty of fluids before during and after the runs.

I know how mentally tough you are. You just need to get out there and suffer through the heat in training and then on race day, if it is really hot, you keep reminding yourself of all the work you did to prepare for the race.

I also agree with Terry's suggestion that you try to run negative splits. If you get overheated or over-exerted during the first half of the race, there is no way you can recover. But, if you go slower during the first half, you may be able to go faster in the second half and your total time may be faster than even if you had run a "moderate" pace for the entire distance.

_________________
Becky Ryder
hryder29@comcast.net
Hattiesburg, MS

Thanks guys - yes I have tried to start my summer acclimation. The last few weeks I have tried to do some hotter runs, but now that I am fairly certain that I will be running the half, I will be making it more of a mandatory thing, several times per week. Luckily, the race does start at 6:00 am, but still, I have never raced for this distance with that type of heat. I definitely want to be as prepared as possible for the heat, so that hopefully I won't have a heat stroke.