Even though we are now in Autumn the last few weeks have been consistently hot! This week I write about training in the heat, watch bands and beanies.

Training in the heat

Some people seem to cope fine with training and racing in the heat but I’m not one of them. On hot days I struggle, my heart rate is usually much higher, and there have been times where I’ve had to stop my session early because I just can’t do it.

On Tuesday I had to do my 3 x 2km rep session in the heat. It’s a tough session on a good day so in hot weather it can be a real killer. The next day I did my easy 10km run in the middle of the day on a hot day.. for an easy run it wasn’t that easy with the heat!

My advice for training in hot weather is:

1. If you can, train earlier before it gets too hot – unless you’re training specifically for a race in hot weather… in that case you better train in the heat.
2. Hydrate well throughout the day. You don’t want to be coming into training dehydrated as you will lose a lot from sweat. Hydration drinks can also be useful, one of my go to options are SiS Go Hydro tablets. I love how easy these are, just drop a tablet in your glass or bottle of water to turn it into an electrolyte drink.
3. If you’re finding it too hard to hit your target paces, don’t be too concerned. Consider forgetting about pace and going by effort instead. I did this in my Tuesday session because it was just too hard – when I looked at my heart rate afterwards I had still worked just as hard as usual even though my times were off.
4. For easy and long runs, take easier and shady routes if possible, and also take routes where you will pass drink fountains. Running from Melbourne CBD there are a few good options such as Princes Park or the Tan which have drink fountains. On Wednesday I stopped a couple times to drink water and even splash my head!
5. And finally, dress appropriately.. i.e. minimal.. singlet and shorts. But as runners outdoors a lot make sure you check the UV levels and put on sunscreen if needed, especially when running in the middle of the day.

If you have any other tips for running on hot days I would love to hear them.

Garmin watch band replacement

I wear my garmin watch 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The only exception is when I’m having a shower or charging the watch. After about 1 year 4 months of happy ownership I woke up on Friday to this.

Ahh the clasp which stops the watch band from flapping around broke. I can’t run with the band flapping around… and it already began to bug me getting caught on things during the morning.

I thought about could I possibly get another clasp from a watch store… maybe but it would be hard to get the right match. Garmin sell replacement bands so maybe that’s the solution. There are not many stores at all that sell the replacement bands but after a bit of searching I found Johnny Appleseed GPS in St Kilda who had some bands in stock.

It’s worth noting for the Garmin Forerunner 235 watch there are a number of different bands available and they aren’t all equal. The 235 comes with a softer silicone band. The reason being is the optical heart rate sensor requires the watch to be worn tight, so the softer band is a bit more comfortable, however possibly not as durable.

Bands compatible with the 235 include the older forerunner 220/225 and 620 bands. And the current 230/235, 630 and 735 watches. The 235 and 735 bands are soft while the rest are harder rubber. Johnny Appleseed had the 630 and 735 bands in stock so I opted to keep with a softer band and picking up a black and gray 735 band.

Very similar to my current 235 band only the 735 band has wider holes if that makes sense. Increased wrist ventilation? Replacing the band is very easy. Garmin include two little screw drivers in the package which allow you to unscrew the old band from the watch and put the new one on. They also include new screws with the band.

So thankfully after a little tram trip to St Kilda on Friday. I was able to do my weekend runs with a secured watch band!

Daniel’s beanies

After seeing another beanie that Daniel Dunstone made I asked him if he could make me one in Western Athletics colours. What a great job he did. Love your work Daniel! I’ll be set for XCR this winter.

This week

Week 6: 13 Mar 2017 – 19 Mar 2017

Base training continues. This week was a repeat of last week’s sessions no changes.

Tuesday I had the 3 x 2km rep session which was tough. My legs are still tired from Monday weights training and it was hot. So by the third rep I was just going off effort instead of trying to hit my target time.

Wednesday I did my 10km run in the middle of the day, another hot one. Took it pretty easy stopping a couple of times for drinks and actually pretty happy to have to wait at traffic lights.

Thursday a good session after being caught up in the freeway accident traffic for hours. Thankfully I had left work early to get to the track around 4.30pm so for me maybe not quite as bad as others who didn’t even make it to the track. I got to the track quite late.. about 5.40pm but was happy to get my 800s session in. My reps were all really good and I decided to try for under 3 minutes for my last one which I did.

Saturday back at Altona Hill for another 15 minutes threshold. The last couple weeks my thresholds have been great but this time not so good. After the first couple km I felt like the lactic was building in my legs and they were just burning and my pace dropped off about 10 second per km. Maybe I wore myself out a bit Thursday.

Sunday at the You Yangs we did Great Circle drive which includes a rather big hill. My legs were still feeling a bit tired and really noticing the calf tightness and quad muscles burning going up the hills. Think I need a good foam rolling session tonight.

Running

1%-ers

Summary