The temps are rising and endurance racing is heating up.
On tap this weekend, IM 70.3 Chatt and IM Jax - both expected to be very warm races!
Training and racing in the heat can feel incredibly frustrating, even for professional and experienced athletes.
A pace that feels comfortable on a cool day may suddenly feel exhausting when temperatures and humidity rise. Many athletes assume they are simply “having a bad race” when this happens, but the reality is that the body undergoes significant physiological stress when racing in hot environments. Heat changes how the cardiovascular system functions, how muscles produce energy, how efficiently the body cools itself, and how well fluids and fuel are absorbed during exercise.
Understanding what happens inside the body during exercise in the heat can help you adjust expectations, make smarter pacing decisions, and ultimately perform better and safely.
One of the biggest mistakes athletes make in hot conditions is trying to maintain paces or power outputs that would normally feel manageable in cooler weather. The harder you work in the heat, the more metabolic heat your muscles generate. This creates a vicious cycle where rising effort leads to rising body temperature, which increases cardiovascular strain and further limits performance. This is why slowing down is often the smartest strategy, not a sign of weakness.
Athletes who perform best in hot races are usually the ones who minimize dramatic slowdowns later in the event rather than forcing aggressive pacing early on.
If you have a warm weather race approaching, release rigid expectations. Heat changes the demands of competition, and successful racing becomes less about chasing a pace or time goal and more about managing effort intelligently.
Focusing on the process - hydration, cooling, fueling, pacing, and self-awareness so you can utilize your fitness while protecting your health.
