This week the UK is experiencing a heatwave, and as we move into the summer months, training in the heat is something worth getting right. It changes your pace, your effort, your kit, your timing. Here are our favourite tips for the season.
TIME IT RIGHT
Temperatures peak midday and roads retain heat, radiating it back as you run. Consider shifting your session to early morning or evening. Or skip the road entirely and get in the water. Open water and lido swimming offer a great training environment in summer, with all the cardiovascular load and less of the thermal stress of being in direct sun.
ADJUST YOUR EFFORT
Performance drops off above 18°C. For runners, your cardiovascular system is doing two jobs at once: delivering oxygen to working muscles and pushing blood to the skin to cool you down. Train by feel or heart rate rather than pace. For swimmers, water temperature matters too, warmer open water means your body works harder to stay cool.
HYDRATE PROPERLY
True for runners and swimmers alike. Drink around 500ml before you train and keep on top of it throughout. At 20°C the average runner loses around 1,230mg of sodium per hour through sweat. Open water swimmers lose less but still need to replace electrolytes, especially on longer sessions.
COOL YOURSELF DOWN
Runners: douse yourself with cold water before and during. Cold water on your wrists, neck, and the back of your knees works quickly. Pre-cooling before a hard session makes a difference.
WEAR THE RIGHT KIT
In heat, what you wear directly affects how your body manages temperature. You need fabric that pulls sweat away from the skin rather than holding it there, allows air to move freely, and adds as little weight as possible.
Here are our favourites:
Run faster and farther with more comfort and less effort. Constructed from our technical FeatherLight performance fabric made in Italy
Built for movement, highly breathable, quick-drying and designed to keep you cool and comfortable through training in warmer conditions.