What Is Heat Acclimation?
Happy Wednesday friends! We are halfway through the week! It’s been nice and toasty here in Texas but the miles still have to be run. Although apparently we’re in a cool front so there’s that. While the treadmill has been tempting, I’ve been forcing myself to get my butt outside and run in the heat. Why is that? Heat acclimation is a great thing for endurance running and it’s something that will benefit me when the temps drop!
So what exactly is heat acclimation? Well, I’m going to do my absolute best to keep it simple because there’s a lot of science behind it and even I can’t wrap my head around some of it. Obviously, we know that when we start to exercise, we sweat and the reason we do that is to cool down. There can be other factors that can play into sweating and the amount we sweat but that’s the gist of it.
As you may have noticed, when you head out for runs when the temps are higher, it feels like you are working harder. Paces that used to feel easy before now feel much harder. You’re thirsty and your energy is zapped. This is 100% normal and can frankly be discouraging. This is where most people call it quits. The temps are rising and instead of continuing their outdoor running routine, they head for the treadmill and kind of coast. This is the mistake. Studies show that over a week of running in hot temperatures, your body will adjust and everything will begin to return to more normal values. The last part is the gist of heat acclimation!
Safety should always be in the forefront of your mind when it comes to running in warmer temperatures. Hydration and taking breaks is extremely important. Proper heat acclimation improves your cardiovascular stability. Some endurance runners train in altitude to teach their bodies to become stronger and much more efficient. However, heat acclimation has been shown to work just as well if not better at doing the same thing!
Obviously, you’ll notice the amount of sweat you’re producing. However, when you begin to adapt to the rising temps, your sweat composition begins to change. You may sweat more but you are losing fewer electrolytes within your sweat. Your body is becoming much better at controlling the heat/cooling process. I can vouch that I have become a HUGE sweatball this summer but I honestly have been able to get through runs and workouts in the heat feeling much better. Even though I am sweating profusely, I don’t feel weak or like I am lacking electrolytes (proper hydration and nutrition is also key here).
This is just the super duper basic information about heat acclimation. This is a great article that helps explain the concepts in deeper detail and even has links to some great scientific studies. Head on over and dig deeper if you love science and the human body!
