PT365 is going to the Badwater 135-miler ultramarathon this year to cover these fine runners.
It's going to be a little toasty out there in the desert: The average temperature in July for Death Valley, Calif., is 116 degrees, but race officials warn of temperatures way above that.
It occurred to me that driving with the AC off isn't an adequate form of heat training.
Bummer.
Instead, I've taken a page from Badwater veterans and started spending some time sweating in the gym sauna. This morning -- day 1 -- was 15 whole minutes at 180 degrees.
Lessons learned:
- Sitting in the sauna is boring.
- I lasted the entire 15 minutes. My iPhone lasted 14.
- We're going to need a bigger water bottle.
The goal is to build up to a full hour by July so I don't melt into a puddle before the race even starts. (This heat training will also -- hopefully -- set me up well for a July 50K.) Plus I'll force myself to run in the afternoons, and not in the mornings when D.C. is less steamy and more bearable.
So tell us: How do you train to acclimate to the heat? Shoot us an email at pt365@militarytimes.com -- we're looking for feedback for an upcoming story.
