crank the heat: how (and why) to add passive heat training to your race prep
If you’re prepping for a hot race—Honu, Unbound, Coeur d’Alene, you name it—heat adaptation can be a massive performance edge. And no, it doesn’t have to mean layering up in a sweatsuit and cooking yourself on the trainer for 90 minutes. Coach Julie gives you all the details in this article.
did you know
Coach Julie:
Could heat training enhance your performance in all conditions?
YES: Heat training boosts performance by increasing plasma volume, stroke volume, and sweat efficiency, making athletes more resilient in both hot and potentially cool conditions.
what makes us better:
Coach Shana: Moving Fast, Slow, and Everywhere Between
My Dad recently sent me an old newspaper clipping – I was running a 200 at one of my High School track meets. I couldn’t help but notice how tense I was with tight fists, leaning way back, biting my tongue…but I also had a great long stride as I pushed on for 2nd place. It made me think about how different my runs are now, and also that I have never enjoyed running more. What brings that happiness? Just doing the thing, letting go of what it’s supposed to be (or what it was) and celebrating a body that keeps moving in whatever way it can.
random musings
Coach Alison: Art from Waste
Would you believe that you can make incredible art from old bike tires? Well maybe not you – and certainly not me, but Chakaia Booker exhibited some exceptional pieces of art made from discarded car, truck, bicycle, and airplane tires at the National Gallery of Art. Makes you wonder what you actually could do with those old tires, doesn’t it?
meet a teammate:
Teammate: Don Wildon, coached by Coach Alison, resides in Saint Joseph Michigan, with his wife Kerry. His 3 children are grown, married and out on their own.
- Favorite race: Ironman Mont Tremblant (2017 – a perfect race for me, physically, mentally, nutritionally)
- Walk-out song: Creed (Human Clay) – “Are You Ready?“
- 3 Words that family/friends would use to describe you: organized, hardworking, dependable
- Worst style choice you’ve ever made: Leisure Suit (hey, i was a teenager in the 70’s…)
- If you could have an unlimited supply of 1 thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Pasta