Heat Adjusting my RR pacing

donymo · June 13, 2014 9:24PM

For my RR tomorrow accuweather predicts a temp of 90 with a dew point of 70. The heat guide suggests a pace of 11:50 for the first six miles of my run. My unadjusted pace would be 9:19. I'm quite stunned at the difference.

What pace should I target? Should I try for the 9:19, go straight to the 11:50 or just feel out the run?

Al Truscott · June 13, 2014 11:11PM

Use HR. Start run at whatever HR you are hitting @ the rnd of the bike. Don't go above mid Z2 under any circumstances. Try to drink 10-12 oz per mile. Walk at least twenty steps after drinking to help start absorption.

Darren Freeman · June 14, 2014 8:04PM

There is guidance on the Race Execution Wiki page to adjust for heat and it also has a run pace excel sheet calculator to adjust for the heat index.

http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/91/Default.aspx?topic=Race+Execution

Al Truscott · June 14, 2014 11:31PM

I'm a firm believer in that heat pace calculator...I helped Matt Samodjean develop it in 2010/11. It's a great reality check to help understand just how much one needs to slow down when temps get above the low 70s. It's always more than you expect, especially if you do most of your training in cooler temps (50-68). So its a good starting point to "get your mind right" about running in the heat. I'm glad to expound to any level,of detail you'd like on where that calc came from, and how well it does correlate with real world pace potential.

But in my current experience, HR is a more nuanced way to manage effort level during a race, rather than blindly following a pace-driven plan. The HR protocol has been road tested by Coach P, and proven effective by myself and others over the past two,years.

Chris Oubre · June 15, 2014 10:56AM

Thanks for the great feedback. I used a HR strategy. My HR for my LRP is around 155. For my walking breaks I walked until my HR dropped below 140. That helped me to drink enough.

There was a lot of shade so that helped as well. My average pace was 10:19

Heat Adjusting my RR pacing

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