Jun
It takes less than you might think
It’s warming up again, so how are you going to adapt to the heat if you’ve got a race or long, adventurous challenge planned?
You could take lessons from elite athletes and run in extra layers, put a treadmill in the conservatory, or pay to use a heat chamber.
Or, you could just have a bath.
Research shows that if you want to trigger the physiological changes associated with positive heat adaptation (blood plasma volume expansion, reduced core temperature at rest, increased sweat rate, and more efficient sodium use), you can do so by taking a long bath after your normal runs and keeping your body temperature a bit higher, for a bit longer.
Six baths, after six runs, over six days can be as effective as all the stressful, complicated, high tech, big effort protocols that many top athletes subject themselves to.
Yes, there might be a mental benefit from knowing you’ve done something really hard in training, or left no stone unturned in your preparation for a big event, but from a physical point of view, it’s not really necessary. So why do more?
ps… the new white range of Lonely Goat Running club tees, vests and caps is perfect for running in the heat. Have a look at the range in the Lonely Goat Running Club shop: LINK