Quick Tip: Heart Rate Training in the Summer Heat


I’m of the belief that heart rate training is the best way to make sure that your easy runs stay easy and that your hard runs are truly hard.

Slow Down

If you remember back to my conversation with Matt Fitzgerald where we talked about 80/20 Running, we the talked in depth about the importance of making sure that our easy runs are truly easy and our hard runs are truly hard. We also talked about how difficult it can be to determine our effort level in an objective manner, and that is where monitoring your heart rate comes into play.

To be clear, monitoring your heart rate doesn’t always paint a perfect picture regarding the amount of effort you are exerting, but it is typically a more objective measure than pace or perceived exertion.

Heart Rate Training in the Heat/Humidity

When you’re training in the heat and humidity of summer, or pretty much year round here in Central Florida, heart rate training can be really frustrating because it spikes quickly!

The reason for that is pretty straight forward and entirely physiological: you body is trying to cool itself by sending as much blood to the surface as possible to enable perspiration, meanwhile your muscles are needing extra blood to deliver the nutrients it needs for running.

The only way your body can get more blood to both places is to pump more, and that causes the increase in heart rate.

What Should You Do?

Heart Rate Training in the Heat? Slow Down!

Heart Rate Training in the Heat? Slow Down!

If your training plan calls for you to keep your heart rate in a certain zone/range, training in the summer months basically leaves you with two options:

  • Adjust Your Pace aka Slow Down
  • Run Indoors

Which option you choose certainly depends on your personal preference, and I’m pretty sure you all know which route I choose.

Both options are equally effective, I promise. 

What is the Purpose of Heart Rate Training?

If you subscribe to the idea behind heart rate training, it makes literally zero difference how fast you run.

I don’t care if you’re trying to qualify for Boston, aiming to run your first 5k, or anything in between. All that matters is keeping your heart rate within a certain range for an extended period of time.

Say your target heart rate zone for easy training is 147 beats per minute.

In the summer heat, you may be running 10 minute miles to keep your heart rate in the 145 to 147 bpm range. But if you come indoors and run on the treadmill in the air conditioning, you may be able to run 8:30 pace while keeping your heart rate in the same zone.

So the treadmill is the better option, right?

Heart Rate Training in the Summer

In both cases, you’re working your heart at the appropriate level to achieve the gains you are going for.

Speed is irrelevant in heart rate training; it is basically nothing but a vanity metric.

And for the record, the treadmill is never the better option

Are You a Fan of Heart Rate Training? How Much of a Difference Does the Summer Heat/Humidity Have on Your Heart Rate?

Want to Support the Continued Growth & Production of the Show?

Check out the support page for ideas and suggestions of ways you can help me grow the show. And remember, not all support involves money. Some of the best ways you can show your support are 100% free.

Subscribe to the Show

Never miss another episode of the Diz Runs With podcast by subscribing to the show, and for my fellow Apple fans out there, it’s never been easier now that the podcast app is native on the new operating system. iPhone/iPod/iPad users click here. Android users click here. SoundCloud users click here.

Please Give Me Some Feedback!

Take the 6 question listener survey to help me shape the future of this podcast.

Register for a Free Race Training Plan

Every month, I’m giving away a FREE training plan for the race of your choice. For details/information, and to sign up, just click here.

Join The Tribe!

There’s always room for more members of the tribe! Both the Facebook group and the email group provide opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else. The Facebook group is still small, but it is a great way to connect with fellow runners and foster community amongst like minded individuals. The email group is THE way to stay up to date about future guests on the show, as well as getting some other freebies and offers that aren’t available to anyone else. If you’ve got questions about either/both, just let me know!

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *