Monday, July 17, 2006

Heat training DONE!

Whew! I did a little work on my heat acclimatization today. It's mid-July and I'm still not totally accustomed to the hot temperatures of summer, because (like most Americans) I sit inside in air-conditioned comfort most of the time. So today my workout was a little hotter and more uncomfortable than usual, but I'm doing them in the hopes that if my next couple of race days are extra-hot, I won't be bothered by it so much.

I got an hour swim out of the way first thing in the morning. Water temperature was 82*F, so that was quite comfortable. That actually might be close to what we'll be swimming in next weekend for the aquathlon, if the buoy data is correct (78*F right now for Delaware Bay). I did two 900-yard sets (steady-eddie pace for 18 laps, open turns) to check my half-mile-plus times in preparation for my attack on the oceans of the world again in five days: 22:38, 23:01.

Then (after catching up on a little grocery shopping) I went to the track for a HOT run. I'm careful about heat - it can kill a person! I just wanted to push the boundaries a little, not really exhaust myself. It was still early in the day and although it was in full sun on the unshaded asphalt track, the pavement hadn't soaked up a tremendous amount heat from the sun yet, there was a tiny bit of refreshing breeze, and the humidity was WAY DOWN! Only about 55-60%!! Positively arid! I wore my sunblock, good wicking clothes, sunglasses and a visor.

I did mile repeats much like I'll employ at Ironman Florida: run a mile slowly, then walk a lap until my heart rate is normal and I'm cooled down again. Repeat. Due to the heat I dropped my speed down to the 'barely moving' range - averaging about 12:30 for the mile segments. I also slugged down about 30-40 ounces of Gatorade in the process (one reason it's nice to work out at the track where I don't have to carry the bottle).

I was hot and sweaty, but the 3-5 mph breeze still felt refreshing and I never went over the red line into feeling light-headed or getting goosebumps (in which case I would have stopped promptly and gone home).

When I got done, before 11 AM, it was 90*F air temperature and 98*F heat index.

Let's see, my next BIG race is Steelhead 70.3 in Benton Harbor, Michigan, on August 5th. (Actually, it's a "B" race while I'm on vacation, just for fun and the practice, but it's still a long one). Let's compare:
  • Typical temperatures here in Maryland, now: Average High Temperature is 86 F, historical range 73 F to 95 F
  • Typical temperatures there in Michigan on race day: Average High Temperature is 81 F, historical range 65 F to 97 F

No sweat!! Barring some extremely bizarre recordbreaking weather pattern, those temperatures will probably feel great, and I'll be ready!

3 comments:

Steven said...

Wow. Those are some nasty temps to be running in. And track repeats? You go!

Nice job on the dedication and consistentcy.

Bolder said...

well done.

kozzy said...

Way to go Nancy. We had a heat advisory here in St. Joe/Benton Harbor today. The heat and humidity have been exhausting, let's hope things cool off before Steelhead! Keep up the good work.