"Drink as much as you can and take lots of salt tabs!" This is what I've been reading a lot of lately on social media as it relates to the advice that triathletes are receiving in route to their upcoming hot long distance race. Racing in the heat is extremely taxing on the body. The biggest consequences include heat stress/exhaustion/stroke and dehydration. Anytime the weather is above 86-degrees F, there will be some type of stress to your cardiovascular system. For the athlete with a hot weather race on the schedule, you must be smart, flexible, attentive and safe when exercising in the heat. Times will be slow(er) than normal and you can't chase metrics. Your primary goal is racing smart and doing the little things well. It probably won't be your fastest race and on paper, the race results may not showcase your current level of fitness but in such extreme conditions, your only goal is to reach the finish line without compromising your health. Most athletes wil...
3x Author, Board Certified Sports Dietitian, Master of Science in Exercise Physiology, 20 x Ironman finisher, 3x XTRI finisher, 6xIM World Championship finisher, Triathlon Coach, 32-year Vegetarian. Trimarnicoach.com