Heat Adaptation Score from zero to over 80% within 10-12 weeks
This schedule delivers 9–15 Heat Training Load points per week. This will take your Heat Adaptation Score from zero to over 80% within ~12 weeks. You’ll build performance-boosting hemoglobin, which you can maintain by keeping your score above 80%. This is a great level at which to enter spring – you’ll be prepared for any warm spells, and can readily top up to 100% heat adapted for a hot race.
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Monday |
Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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Easy run 50 minutes. Dress warm from the beginning. HTL 3–5 |
Hill workout | Easy run |
Speed intervals Run the intervals while cool, then overdress for 30 minutes while easy jogging. HTL 3–5 |
Rest day |
Easy run 50 minutes. Run cool, then a 30-minute passive heat session HTL 3–5 |
Long run |
| Easy run |
Hill workout Run the hill intervals cool. Then, overdress and set the gradient to 12% for 30 minutes of fast walking. HTL 3–5 |
Easy run | Tempo workout | Easy run | Rest day |
Long run Start cool, then dress warm for the last 75 minutes. HTL 9–10 |
Heat sessions in various workouts
Here are some details of how to build heat into each type of workout.
Easy run
To do a heat session during an easy run, overdress from the beginning. Because intensity is low, you’ll need to trap the heat you generate from the start of the workout. Expect to need 20–25 minutes to reach Heat Zone 3 (ideal heat training territory), depending on intensity and how warmly you’re dressed. During a 45–60 minute run, you can accumulate a Heat Training Load of 3–5.
Tempo/Intervals
During intense workouts, you’ll want to do the fast-paced work while your skin temp is cool, so dress lightly to not lose performance. You’ll generate a lot of heat, and by the end of the intense portion, your core temp will likely have risen to over 38.3°C/101°F. Then, it’s a simple matter to add clothes to raise your skin temp and get into Heat Zone 3. Switch to an easy jog, and within 30 minutes you can pick up a Heat Training Load of 4–5. Or, increase the grade and do a steep, fast-paced walk while overdressed.
Long run
If your long run doesn’t have a pacing target, it can be a great way to incorporate heat. If you overdress from the start, you’ll need 20–25 minutes to reach Heat Zone 3. Spending an hour there will get you a Heat Training load over 7, and 1.5 hours will give you a Heat Training Load of 10. If your run is quite long, you can start cool and layer up part way through to get the desired heat dosage.
Extended warm-down
If you stay overdressed after your active heat session for 10–15 minutes, you can accumulate another 1.0–1.5 Heat Training Load points. Stay lightly active (dynamic stretching, or light calisthenics) and keep heart rate above 90 bpm. Maintain this until Heat Strain Index drops below 1.5.
Sauna/hot bath
You can do some of your heat sessions ‘passively’ (in the sauna, hot bath, etc). Within 5–10 minutes of ending your run, hop into your favourite hot space. You’ll get a Heat Training Load of 5–7 within 30 minutes. But if you cool off first (or start from baseline temp), you’ll reach a much lower Heat Training Load. Be sure to take off your CORE sensor before entering the sauna/bath (it doesn’t work there). Use CORE’s Passive Heat Training Calculator to plan and record your passive sessions.