How does one get ready for a full day of heat in the lava fields of the Big Island? Well, you can't! But, you can do your best to prepare. My coach is a scientist for the Army, and she does a lot of testing with soldiers in extreme conditions, like altitude and heat. She gave a good heat acclimization protocol...but you need access to a sauna. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the desire to go a health club to access a sauna. So, I'm doing the next best thing....cranking up the heat in my garage! Seriously! Today was the first day....although it really should start about 10 days out from the race. Since it's pretty crappy outside in the northeast, I decided to stick to the indoor trainer. My plan called for a 3 hour ride outside. I reduced that to 2 hours since I was on the trainer...w/4x 10 minutes at race pace. It wasn't too bad. I had 2 heaters and a fan going. I also wore a ski cap to keep the heat in. I had the garage up to about 90+ degrees. Although I don't have access to a sauna, I do have access to a treadmill in the garage. So, this week I'll get both bike and run workouts done in the heat. Will this help? Who the heck knows? But hey, at least I can drop a few more pounds before I toe the start line!!!
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