Adjusting Pace Expectations with Temperature and Dew Point
Fall weather in Central Texas can tease us runners. One week the lows drop down into the mid 60’s or even low 50’s in late September. We think that fall has finally made it. Then within 2-3 days the lows are a balmy 75 degrees. You remember feeling really good the week before and you quickly realize how much heat and humidity play a role in how you feel.
In mid October our temperatures in Austin might hit the low 50’s or high 40’s, but it can easily jump back up to 70 degrees for a warmer morning. I was speaking to my coach from Boulder Underground (coaches can have coaches, too!) recently about this. I knew that I had to dial back my pace expectations when it was hot and muggy. I tend to avoid looking at my watch anyway during workouts (so I can run off of effort), but if I happen to glance down at a mile split or when looking at the paces before or after the workout this chart gives me some room to flex. My coach shared this chart with me to help me adjust.
Here is Coach Mark Hadley’s charts. You can see the full article here
The coach says this “Since Dew Point is a more useful measure of the water saturation of the air and thus its effect on our body while we run, I am recommending using it (rather than relative humidity), in conjunction with air temperatures, in determining warm weather pace adjustments to training.”
Coach Hadley recommends going to half of the percentage change for interval workouts of 1 mile or less, but for long runs or tempo/steady efforts you can use the chart above. Using this chart can also help runners adjust when going into a race when temperatures aren’t ideal. So hopefully you can find this helpful during your marathon or half marathon training. I know it has helped me from overdoing it on those hot and dewy mornings. Feel free to drop us an email for questions.