Training to Race in the Heat

I can't imagine competing in a race with high humidity, I will take a dry heat of 110 any day to 75% humidity.

...then don't race in Indiana...liquid air sometimes. 

This topic is of interest to me since I live in Vegas...

I can't answer with certainty about simulating heat by wearing more clothes, but I have read that getting better at racing in the heat, you have to train in the heat...

The body learns to deal with it by learning to sweat more AND it learns to sweat sooner.  The body's cooling system learns to adapt.  This appears to be fact based on studies.

However, I'm not sure if throwing on an extra sweatshirt once in a while does the trick.  I think it needs repetitive training in hot conditions to make a difference.

The Bikrams yoga, however, would be a closer approximation.

If I MUST go to Kona to train, so be it...

I've read about people training for Badwater -- they wore extra clothes, ran with the dryer vent in their face.

I haven't done any of this first hand though, so I can't give you any direct personal advice.

One of my friends did Eageman last year and said she almost cried when she started the run .  She said it was impossibly hot. --- good luck, DC!

Take a vacation to Charleston, SC for a week in May.  It one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the country.  It has two awesome beaches within 15 miles (Isle of Palms is my favorite beach in the US).  It has some of the best restuarants in the country.  Starting Memorial Day, it has a two week world-famous art festival (Spoleto Festival). 

Charleston is my favorite place in the south to visit/vacation at (we even got married there).  We go every year, usually 2-3 times a year.

It is also one of the hottest and most humid places on earth!  If you can vacation/train there for a week, you most certainly can handle anything Maryland is going to throw at you!  This is a serious suggestion!!!

Unfortunately, with two young kiddies, at this stage in my life, traveling to another locale to train is out of the question... although I may try that later in life, for sure

It sounds like from KathyG was told and a few others have heard, that pro's do use different methods to simulate hotter conditions.  I'm sure it can't hurt, well unless I don't hydrate properly . . .

I have never done anything like this, but I have read about people who have.  As I understand it, it takes your body a couple or a few weeks to adapt to significant climate change.  So it would seem that if you do this, you should focus your efforts over the last few weeks of training.

Honestly though, there are far more important things to focus on for most athletes.  If it is hot & humid, slow down.

A Bonfire is a dry heat too...but you wouldn't catch me training in one. With a nod to Jeff Dunham

I can't imagine competing in a race with high humidity, I will take a dry heat of 110 any day to 75% humidity.

Try racing and training in miami during summer....its a punishment since its melting hot with crazy humidity.

To the OP sorry but i have no clue what you would do since i just kinda learned to deal with the heat. 

Possible it is just how you grew up and mindset?  I LOVE running in the heat and humidity.  When I run in the cold, all I can think of is how much more fun it'd be if it was warm out.  Of course I grew up in the extremes of heat - Quartz Hill, CA; Dublin, TX, and Hotlanta.  Living in NJ now, I see the differences in the ability of others to run in the heat though.  I run SLOW, but on a hot summer day, the few times I've run with NJ natives, they are not happy campers, and I was. 

I'm sure there is a level of tolerance to pain and suffering, but there ARE physiological changes the body makes when you train in high temps.

Come to the Southeast (AL) to train. Usually our humidity levels are higher than our temperature. You can break a sweat tying your shoes.

The only other thing I've heard is long layers, higher temp training rooms, and modifying training times for midday. Just take precaution and stay hydrated.

Good luck!!  Wow, that's going to be a huge extreme change.  Best of luck.  I might just try the wool hat