Summer Training Tips
Anyone who’s trained through the summer for a fall race knows all too well that August is a real piece of work. The heat and humidity can test the confidence of even the most seasoned runners. For anyone who’s training for an upcoming race in the cooler months, whether that’s a marathon or a 5K (like me!), I want to suggest some helpful things to keep in mind as you grind through the end of summer and wait for cooler temps.
Trust your body, not your watch. Summer training means getting in touch with how you feel, rather than how you think you should feel based on what pace your watch says you’re going. Your body doesn’t know pace, only effort. If it’s a million degrees outside, your pace at threshold effort is going to be slower than if it were cooler. That doesn’t mean you’re less fit, and it doesn’t mean you’ll get less out of running the same workout at a slower speed as long as the effort is appropriate.
Your goal race pace is not meant to feel easy until race day. Even in the best conditions, if you’re ripping through entire runs at your goal marathon pace feeling great, then your goal isn’t ambitious enough. Same thing if you can run even a mile or two at or near your goal 5K pace and not feel pretty darn wiped. The entire point of progressive overload during a training block followed by a taper is that you’re set up to do something on race day that you wouldn’t have been capable of at literally any other time in the training block. Trust the process!
This is a great time to be dialing in your fueling and nutrition. This is especially true if you’re marathon training, because it can take time to get your stomach used to taking in gels and hydration. Spending time now figuring out what works for you will ensure you’ve got a plan on race day that you can stick to. And even if you’re not marathon training or going on super long runs, it’s important to be attentive to your hydration before and after runs! Don’t neglect topping up on electrolytes before hot runs and eating a solid meal after you get back. Your body won’t adapt to training the way we want if it isn’t fueled properly.
Shouts out to everyone training through the hot temps! Hopefully these ideas help, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions about how to make the most of your summer training.