Heat Acclimation ?
It seems like most people doing IMOO is hoping for a hot and humid day. So what is the best way to prepare for this?
I went to a talk by a veteran IM er who said the best and most effecient heat acclimation takes place in the last 2 weeks before your race. He recommended finding a place/room to ride your bike where it is above 90 degrees.
Is this true? And if it is and since this is during our taper I was thinking about putting my trainer in my attic ( must be a 100 up there) and riding for about an hour ( nothing intense) several days a week.
Does anyone have any other suggestions? If it is not hot outside how about jogging in place in a sauna? ( I know stupid boring, but I am willing do do anything to be prepared).
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Right now, while I am in the 12-2 weeks from my A-race phase I am just trying to take advantage of the natural heat and humidty as much as possible. On days that I am working from home and can pull it off I do my run at 1:00 under the direct sun. When life allows I am also starting my Sat and Sun rides later in the morning to be in the heat for longer. Sure I could wait until the last 2 weeks, but since the opportunity has presented itself I am taking full advantage.
Based on Al's advice I'm also much more focused on getting in water and nutrition when working out in the heat. Past years I just went out with nothing and refueled after wards, but this year I'm working on training my body to get used to taking in a significant amount of fluid while running.
I haven't fully figured out my plan for the last two weeks before the race, but have considered layering up for workouts and wearng my tights and long sleeve top I run in over the winter if it is not hot and humid enough here.
Easy training time in the heat is the best preparation - run time in particular - but I also try to augment it with sauna time. I can´t attest to easy riding in the sauna (although Ironman lore is full of stories about it), but there is quite a good article from a Badwater vet on sauna acclimitization for hot races. I don´t have the bookmark, but Google ´badwater heat acclimitization Sauna´ and you will see it in the first few matches. It sets out a pretty straightforward protocol that I´ve followed in the past. Works for me well enough.
edit:
See http://www.badwater.com/training/webbonheat.html
Here's the link to a recent forum discussion on training in the heat, which Matt references. In there we talk a bit about this good summary of the science of heat acclimation.
I raced at IM MOO in the now infamous 05 - temps were mid-upper 90s with humidity to match. I passed HUNDREDS of people passed out on the side of the road during the bike, waiting to be picked up and taken in. I negative split the run, simply because once the sun started to go down, it cooled off enough to run a bit faster. It was my slowest IM EVER, but also my highest percentage placing. My point is that there is research showing that relative "fitness", or running "efficiency" is rewarded in severe conditions - those who are best trained will have the best outcome (i.e., slow down the least), assuming appropriate execution.
Don't take this as a suggestion for which I have evidence, as I've been meaning to try it for years, but this Sept I will finally try it as I get ready for Kona. I will just get on the treadmill twice a week at the gym indoors in the afternoon where the temp is 75F, and NOT use a fan - which I normally would do. And wear a sleeved T shirt, instead of the sleeveless I normally use. I figure that going at a little faster than MP for an hour should start the acclimation process going, in terms of sweating and getting used to the overheated sensation.
Currently, I'm doing my long runs in the middle of the day in the sun - which means temps of about 75-85 for us in the Pac NW. For my interval run workouts, I think hitting the pace target is more important at this stage than working on being roasted. For my bricks, I just take potluck on the weather, depending on what time of day it's convenient to be doing the bike workout.
Fortunately I live in the tropics so getting used to the heat is not an issue (last Saturday it was 86 by 10 am with high humidity) and I have also read quite a bit on training in the heat. Most literature supports the notion that two weeks is enough and once you are acclimated once it is easier to do it again.
Something coach Rich told me years ago when I lived in Texas was that there is no benefit to training in the heat all the time. In my experience after about 4 hours of hard riding I struggle to stay hydrated and my work-out suffers, on a few occasions I kept pushing hard and was too overheated to run without being lightheaded. So considering that it only takes a few weeks to acclimate to the heat I believe you are better off building fitness (i.e. do more work) in cooler conditions where the extra stress of the heat doesn't take away from your power output/pace and then acclimatizing in only the last 2-3 weeks.
Training in the heat is fun in its own right...there is a different sensation that you get that I kind of enjoy. Having said that, I really feel that the only REAL difference between HOT and mild is the first 20-30 minutes - which I refer to as the 'shock' phase - and then the time period beyond 2-2.5 hours. That first 20-30 minutes isn't about fitness, it is just about you getting your head around the fact that its freakin' hot out here!!! You have to start you hydration and nutrition execution before you walk out the door...not 30-45 minutes into the ride like I more often do when it is cooler. Then at the 2-2.5 hour mark, you will start to know if you have put enough water into the tank. There should be a feeling that you could drink more water at any time, but, not that you have dry lips and are really thirsty. If you can hit the 2.5 hour mark with this feeling, then you have done what you can do and that's it.
So, having said all of that...YES is probably takes only 2 weeks to get acclimated. BUT, emotional comfort with the heat (knowing you'll be okay) is important too. So, if you can, try to take one of your longer rides to that attic (which will suck in its own right because sitting on a trainer that long is no fun already) and see how it feels. You don't need to do this over and over again, but, go get some kind of emotional comfort with it so you can put this concern aside.