Heat Training

Podcast Version
(With NotebookLM)

Heat Training

When race day temperatures rise, so does the pressure on your body to perform under extreme conditions. For elite triathletes, preparing for racing in heat isn't just about surviving the race—it's about thriving and even gaining an advantage over less-prepared competitors. Heat acclimatization is essential to peak performance, allowing your body to adapt to elevated temperatures, conserve energy, and avoid overheating.
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In this blog, we'll explore the physiological changes that happen when you acclimate to heat, the ideal timeline to start, and the protocol you can follow to ensure you're ready to race in the heat.

Why Heat Acclimatization is Crucial for Performance

Training in hot conditions challenges your body in ways that training in cooler temperatures cannot. When the body is exposed to heat consistently, several key adaptations occur:

1. Improved Thermoregulation: Your body gets better at cooling itself. Through increased sweat rates and earlier sweating, heat can dissipate faster.
2. Increased Blood Plasma Volume: The body boosts the amount of circulating blood, which helps improve both endurance and cooling by supplying muscles and skin with oxygen and nutrients more efficiently. You lose fewer electrolytes per session. This helps with endurance and reduces the risk of cramps or dehydration.
3. Lower Heart Rate at Submaximal Efforts: With more efficient cooling, your heart doesn't need to pump as fast during effort, allowing you to maintain high performance without overheating.
4. Mental Acclimation: Training in heat also helps your mind prepare for the discomfort. This psychological edge is critical when racing in high temperatures.

The 6-Week Heat Prep Protocol

For best results, begin heat acclimatization 4-6 weeks before the race. If you start too late, your body won't have enough time to fully adapt, and starting too early could result in burnout or overtraining. The first few weeks are about gradual exposure, while the final phases ramp up intensity and mimic race conditions.

Weeks 6-5: Initial Acclimatization (Low-Intensity Exposure)

Objective: Gradually introduce your body to training in the heat.

• Training Focus:
  • Perform 4-5 low-intensity sessions per week (Zone 1-2) in a heated environment or hot outdoor conditions, lasting 60-90 minutes each.
  • Incorporate 1-2 sauna or hot bath sessions after workouts to prolong heat exposure.
• Impact: Your body will begin increasing blood plasma volume, improving thermoregulation, and lowering heart rate at submaximal effort levels.

Weeks 4-3: Controlled Heat Training (Moderate Intensity)

Objective: Increase intensity while maintaining heat exposure.

• Training Focus:
  • Continue 3-4 low-intensity sessions per week in heat.
  • Add 2-3 moderate-intensity interval sessions (Zone 3) in heat per week. These can be done on the bike, treadmill, or outdoor runs.
  • Start practicing your hydration strategy to determine the best balance of fluids and electrolytes for race day.
• Impact: Your sweat rate and core temperature regulation improve, and you'll have a better understanding of your hydration needs in hot conditions.

Weeks 2-1: Race Simulation and Taper

Objective: Simulate race conditions and fine-tune your hydration and cooling strategies.

• Training Focus:
  • 1-2 race-specific, high-intensity sessions in heat (Zone 4 or 5). Focus on shorter but more intense efforts at or above race pace.
  • Taper volume but maintain quality by reducing duration while keeping intensity high.
  • Continue passive heat exposure (sauna sessions) to maximize heat adaptation.
  • Refine your race day nutrition and hydration plan.
• Impact: Your body will be primed for performance under race conditions, and you'll have all strategies ready to manage heat on race day.

Race Week and Race Day: Stay Cool, Hydrated, and Fuelled

Objective: During race week and on race day, your focus shifts to maintaining heat acclimatization and managing nutrition, hydration, and cooling strategies.
 

• Training Focus:
  • Keep training light and low-intensity (Zone 1-2), and prioritize short sessions in heat to avoid losing acclimation.
  • Ensure hydration and electrolyte levels are optimized by continuing to monitor fluid intake.
  • Finalize your cooling strategies, which can be practiced in training.

Race Day: Execute Your Plan with Precision

Now that you’ve completed weeks of preparation, race day execution becomes crucial. Here’s how to manage heat stress, stay hydrated, and maintain your fuel levels while racing.

1. Start the Race Well-Hydrated
Many athletes start endurance races in a state of suboptimal hydration, which puts them at an immediate disadvantage. Begin your hydration strategy the night before the race to ensure you’re ready to handle the heat.

• What to Do: Consume 500-600ml of an electrolyte-rich drink (containing 500-1,000mg of sodium) with your dinner the night before and repeat this 500-600ml intake 45-75 minutes before the start to ensure optimal hydration.

2. Know Your Fluid and Sodium Requirements
During the race, hydration is critical. The hot and humid conditions of Kona or other races accelerate fluid loss, which can impair performance and increase the risk of heat-related illness. Failing to replace lost fluids and sodium can lead to dehydration and reduced performance.

• What to Do: Plan your hydration so that you replace your fluid and sodium losses as closely as possible during the bike leg, ensuring you’re set up for the run. Ideally this is based on a sweat test before the race that identified your sodium loss per liter of sweat.

3. Hydration Strategy: Plan Your Cooling Strategies
Active cooling throughout the race can delay the onset of heat stress, keeping your core body temperature in check.

• What to Do: Wear light, moisture-wicking clothing to facilitate heat dissipation. Use cold sponges, ice packs, or ice-cold drinks at aid stations to cool down. Where available, use an ice bandana or clothing with pockets for storing ice to keep your body temperature down. Pour water over your head and torso  - BUT NOT ON YOUR SHOES* - to encourage cooling as the water evaporates.

4. Carbohydrate Intake and GI Management
High temperatures increase the risk of GI distress, particularly when consuming large amounts of carbohydrates. Stick to a well-practiced nutrition plan to avoid nausea or bloating.

• What to Do: Aim to consume 60-90g of carbohydrates per hour using easy-to-digest sources such as energy gels or sports drinks. Use products containing a mix of glucose and fructose to optimize absorption and reduce GI strain. You could freeze your hydration bottles, so they stay cool longer. Potentially put some frozen ones in your personal needs bag half way.

5. Monitor Body and Environmental Signals
Being aware of the conditions and how your body responds is essential to finishing strong in the heat. Adjusting your pace and hydration based on what your body tells you can make the difference between thriving and struggling.

• What to Do: Pay attention to signs like a dry mouth, dark urine, dizziness, and fatigue. Elevated heart rate, heavy sweating, or confusion can signal the onset of heat stress. Instead of relying solely on pace or power, monitor your heart rate to gauge intensity, as it accounts for environmental stress.

Conclusion

Proper heat acclimatization, nutrition, hydration, and cooling strategies are essential to conquering races in hot climates like Kona. By starting early and following a structured heat training plan, you set yourself up for success. On race day, executing a well-practiced hydration and cooling strategy will help you manage heat stress and ensure you maintain performance throughout the race.

Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey!

BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:

• Mental and physical preparation is key, but on the day you need to listen to your body. Adjust the plan when needed.
• From my own experience: beware not to soak your running shoes because of excessive water pouring over your head. You might cool down for 10 minutes, but you will run on blisters after 10- 15 km

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