You’ve been diligently training for your first marathon, in a location that historically has high temperatures in the upper 50s. The forecast leading into the event calls for more of the same, so your head hits the pillow confidently for a restful sleep the night before the race. The following morning your alarm goes off and you’re out the door to the start of the race, but there’s a little hiccup… it’s already 70 degrees and the gun hasn’t even gone off! Nervous? Well don’t be.
Read on…

Training for your first marathon can fill you with all sorts of thoughts and emotions. Of course there are those good thoughts, such as picturing yourself crossing the finish line, high-fiving friends and family along the route and the thousands of cheering supporters that line the course. On the other side, there are often many negative thoughts that are bound to go through your mind:
‘what if I didn’t train enough?’
‘what if I get a cramp or blister?’
‘what if I start out too fast?’
and the practical concern that we will address today:
‘what if it’s really hot?’

Do you have a strategy in place to deal with the temperatures if the thermostat cracks 60, or even 70 or 80? It's happened at a number of premier marathons, most recently in Chicago and also in the ’04 Boston and ’05 New York City Marathons. Most good marathon training plans will prepare you for what you can expect on race day and include components to address individual race-specific challenges. For example, when preparing for the Big Sur, New York City or Boston Marathons, it’s critical to include an ample amount of hill training to prepare you for the undulating terrain of those courses. This is a much more important element for those races than if you were training for a flatter course, such as the Chicago or New Jersey Marathons. If you’ve done your homework, you'll know well in advance exactly what the course profile will look like.

Another variable you can learn before going into the race is what the average historical temperatures have been – and then train accordingly. For example: The average high temperature for the Boston Marathon is around 60 degrees, but the highs in April can range anywhere from 48 to 87 degrees. The major difference between preparing for terrain versus weather is that you know an unexpected hill isn’t going to pop up at mile 20 – but how do you know going into Boston that it won’t be in the 80s all day like it was in ‘04? You don’t know, and the only way to not worry about it is to plan for it!

Hope for the best, but always train for the worst.

Mishap #2: Weather Forecast – 57 degrees; High Temperature on Race Day – 87 degrees!

If you’re at least a month away from your marathon, start thinking about the weather today and check another item off your list of things to worry about! Having a well-executed race always comes down to being prepared for whatever situation may arise, and extreme heat is no exception. It is true that some of us adapt to the heat better than others, but anyone can make some adjustments to preparation to be sure if the temperatures are high, the race isn’t going down the drain. There are a few things that you can do to prepare for the worst conditions Mother Nature may dish out:

Pre-race

1. Nutritional Strategy: When preparing for a race where the temperatures could be warm, it’s important to practice the same nutrition and hydration strategy you intend to follow on race day. The reason this is so important is that your digestive system reacts differently when trying to process fluids and calories at 85 degrees versus 55. The caloric requirements when running a marathon in the heat are relatively similar whether the temperatures are warm or cool, but there’s a major difference in the fluid consumption requirements. Most athletes know they'll need to consume more fluids in the heat, but if they haven’t trained to do so their race will start to unravel. On the day of the event, they often double or triple their fluid consumption, and aren’t prepared for how that will affect their race. By practicing numerous times, especially using the same fluids that will be on-course at the aid stations, and recording in your training log exactly what and how much you drank on these warm-weather training days, you’ll know just how you'll react. Then, whether the temperature is 45 or 85, you’re ready because you have a plan!

2. Adapt to the Heat: If you’re fortunate to live in a climate warm enough to simulate the potentially steamy conditions of your priority race, this isn’t a problem at all. Living in the warmer climates, most athletes typically opt to do the bulk of their training in the early-morning hours to avoid the stresses of working out in the heat. This is a good strategy, but in following with our "prepare for the worst" mantra, it’s also important to include at least a few of your key runs in the heat of the day. A key run is defined as an effort that is either long enough in duration or fast enough in intensity to simulate that which you expect to encounter in the race.

For example, if you’re training to do a marathon in Miami where the temperatures can be in the 80s, a 20- or 30-minute run will not tell you how you are going to respond to running for two to six hours in the heat. Part of your plan should be to include some runs that are greater than 90 minutes in length, and also include some efforts which are at or near your GRP (Goal Race Pace). If you don’t live in a warm climate it’s important you do a few runs indoors on a treadmill, with room temperatures at least in the low 70s. Many athletes will also wear attire that will cause them to perspire at a greater rate, again simulating the conditions they may experience on race day.

On these key training runs, it’s also important to practice, practice and practice again your nutrition and hydration strategy – as what works when it’s 40 degrees doesn’t always work when it’s 80.

Race Day

1. Pre-Race Hydration: Possibly the most crucial element is making sure you are 110 percent hydrated by the time the gun goes off; and that means keeping your hydration levels topped off with fluid replacement starting the minute you roll out of bed. This should continue right up until the start, and include a quality fluid-replacement drink that's not just water. The number of athletes who start most races already in a dehydrated state is staggering. The next time you’re in the staging corrals of a large marathon, take note of how many athletes have a bottle of fluid with them. Very often you will find that it’s a relatively small number, even though the time spent in these corrals can be anywhere from minutes to hours at the larger events. Don’t be one of those without a bottle attached to your hand, and don't let go of it until you hear the cannon sound – you’ll be glad of it.

2. Race Attire: In addition to getting your hydration levels topped off prior to the start, you’ll also need to be sure you’re wearing appropriate race attire. Planning this should occur not on the morning of the race, but well in advance so if you get up on race morning and it’s 20 degrees warmer than expected, you'll have a back-up set of warm-weather gear ready to go.

3. BOOM - YOU’RE OFF! Since you’ve already practiced again and again what you will do from a hydration standpoint in the event of a warm day, all you need to do is execute that plan. The key of the hydration puzzle is to drink early and often, as this can make or break your race. As mentioned, the temperatures at the ’04 New York City Marathon were well into the 70s, much different from the forecast for a November day in New York City. That said, those who had prepared for the situation were ready and despite the much warmer-than-normal temperatures, they still had a great race. Speaking from experience (I was also on the starting line that day), making the right weather adjustments led to a 2:49 personal best for myself, on what was an otherwise slow day for many others who did not take the conditions into account. (See the New York City Marathon Race Report)

The first half of the race, and how well you implement your plan, will dictate how well the second half goes. This is true from both a pacing and hydration perspective, so go out slowly and, again, drink early and drink often. Too many athletes will wait to start hydrating in a warm-weather marathon, and by the time that feeling of thirst settles in it’s too late.

You should now be on your well-equipped way to a great race, and crossing another ‘what if’ worry off your list!

In the third installment of the Race Day Nutritional Pitfall Series, we will cover pre-race nutritional strategies when you’re hundreds of miles away from home.

If you have specific questions about this article or anything related to training, racing or nutrition, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Good luck with your season, hope to see you at the races!

Brian Shea comes to Competitor with a wealth of experience in endurance sports as both an athlete and coach. He has been competing in all levels of endurance sports, from 5K to Ironman to Ultra-marathon, including the Ironman Hawaii World Championships with a 9:31 personal best. On the coaching side, he is a certified coach and has worked with athletes ranging from beginners to professionals, formulating training and sports-nutrition programs for over 15 years. Brian is also the President/Owner of www.PersonalBestNutrition.com, a nutritional supplement resource specifically catering to the needs of endurance athletes. He can be reached at Brian@PersonalBestNutrition.com.