Dew point here today was 77. With a air temp of 91.
I guess that explains why I have been sweating. Current dew point in CO is 54.
| DEW POINT (°F) | RUNNER'S PERCEPTION | HOW TO HANDLE |
| 50–54 (10-12C) | Very comfortable | PR conditions |
| 55–59 (13-15C) | Comfortable | Hard efforts likely not affected |
| 60–64 (16-18C) | Uncomfortable for some people | Expect race times to be slower than in optimal conditions |
| 65–69 (18-20C) | Uncomfortable for most people | Easy training runs might feel OK but difficult to race well or do hard efforts |
| 70–74 (21-23C) | Very humid and uncomfortable | Expect pace to suffer greatly |
| 75 or greater (24+C) | Extremely oppressive | Skip it or dramatically alter goal |
Right now the temperature here is a cooler than normal 87F as its been raining. The dew point is 76F. On average the dew point for the last 6 weeks has been around 77-79F. According to that chart I should have just given up running altogether. :)
ReplyDeleteI said to a colleague today that if I had to run in this all the time, I am not sure if I would do it. This is much more challenging than any altitude.
ReplyDeletejust for kicks, i just checked the conditions in my home town Niobrara, NE where my parents still live: 99F with a dew pt of 75F. heat index of 112F. i remember reading somewhere that Rod DeHaven (went to college a couple hours from my home town in South Dakota) called heat and humidity "poor man's altitude". since so much blood is moving to the surface of the skin to cool you off (and robbing your muscles of oxygen as a result), i think there have actually been some studies somewhat substantiating that.
ReplyDeleteGZ, I've thought the same thing: it's easier to develop a distance running habit in more inspiring conditions, then port it temporarily to those conditions, than it would be to develop and maintain it out there.
ReplyDelete@Tony: (A Nebraskan exception to what I just said above!) A few weeks ago, GZ posted something that said, roughly, the only way to train for a high-altitude race is at altitude. I was thinking about a heat acclimatization study and this chart. Heart rate and plasma volume adaptations, especially, are similar to altitude training.
I had hesitated to post that heat training would be as good as elevation training (specificity) for a race at altitude, because one would also would develop sweat/electrolyte regulation capababilities that wouldn't necessarily be useful at elevation, but I think "poor man's altitude" is apropos.
I read a study a long time ago that compared running in high humidity to running at altitude. It didn't pretend that the physical benefits were the same, but that they feel similar. We have days in a row of high temps and very high humidity here...a constant haze in the air. I paced a 1/2 marathon here in SE MN Saturday...mid 90s, very high humidity...I would have to agree. I have been more comfortable on Pikes Peak.
ReplyDeleteWe have pretty nasty heat and humidity in Ontario, and don't think it helped a heck of a lot running up James Peaks while on vacation last summer. Can see some of the feelings being similar to a certain extent though.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff on heat-humidity versus altitude.
ReplyDeleteI realize I am probably whining a bit about the heat-humidity.
For what it is worth, I was thinking the other night that it was so humid that I was having a bit of trouble breathing. I had never recalled encountering that before. It might have been wishful thinking though - maybe wanting to think I was getting some altitude benefit.
Understanding there is a mental component to this - the physical component of pushing your core temp here makes it a bit more taxing in my opinion. The physiological benefit may be the similar in terms of running with less blood going to the muscles, but there is a difference for sure. At minimum it is just knowing how to play on that line of how hard to push (in each climate).
The heat index here in Mt. Pleasant, SC yesterday 8/4/11 was 122F.
ReplyDeleteRight now the heat index is 110F and its still early in the day. The dew point is 81F. That chart above essentially says to just give up before a dew point of 75F. LOLOLOLOLOLOL.
Uncle. You win. Good grief.
ReplyDelete