07/21/2018
"Don't listen to the Voices! They are lying!
Have had quite a few conversations with friends and people I coach about their fitness right now. They have been training hard. Logged good miles. Rested properly. Ate right. But, they feel untrained and their runs have really been suffering. What gives?
I've been there. I hear the same voices. "Age is catching up to you." All down hill from here." Wait, "what?" No, common sense here all. It's hot!! It's humid!! There is no good time to run right now. The only thing to do is slow down or your body will for you to keep the core body temperature down.
Below is a great email I got just this morning on this very topic from a well respected coach. Take a read. Relax and trust the process. You are not less fit. Keep the faith. It will get cooler...eventually and your "fitness will magically return..:)
Adapting your training to the summer heat-Jeff Gaudette
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, summer has been in full effect for a few weeks now.
While I know it’s true that running in the winter presents some serious motivational and training challenges thanks to short days, cold weather, and icy roads, it’s actually the summer season that negatively impacts training the most.
It's the time we see runners most frequently overtrain and derail their fall racing plans by not properly adapting.
So, here are some quick tips to help make sure you stay on track this summer.
1. Not adjusting your training and race paces
This is a physiological fact and it’s critical to keep in mind when planning your workouts and evaluating performances.
Many of the runners I consult with get very frustrated when they aren’t able to hit their goal times or when workouts feel harder than they should in the summer.
How to fix?
Adjust your workout and race paces for the exact temperatures you'll be running in.
For our training plans members, we do this automatically for you in your plan. Just click the temperature icon and we'll adjust your workout accordingly.
If you're not a member, here's a free calculator you can use.
2. Not enough recovery
Getting in enough recovery during the summer months is also a huge challenge for many runners and often results in poor performance and overtraining.
I’ve found this recovery deficiency to be a result of a lack of sleep. That's because the hot weather necessitates super early morning runs so you can beat the sun.
To compound the problem, it can be difficult to catch-up on sleep during the weekends since you still have to get up and out the door early.
How to adjust
This is a tough one to answer, but one of the best things I ever did for my training was to take a break to a cooler running climate for a few days.
It was the summer before my biggest breakthrough in the marathon and the hot weather was draining me - mentally and physically.
So, I packed my bags and took a long weekend to Zap fitness.
Zap Fitness is in Blowing Rock, NC. One of the most scenic and beautiful places I've ever run. More importantly, the weather is almost perfect for running!
The 4 days break mentally rejuvenated me. I saw how much easier it was to run when it was cool, I caught up on much needed rest, and the other runners at the camp inspired me to want to train even harder when I got back.
