RAIN OR SHINE
Weather is a rival for athletes. But they can beat it.
When Julia Roman-duval, an astrophysicist from Columbia, Md., ran in the U.S. Olympic marathon trials in Los Angeles four years ago, the sweltering weather held her back. Last year, she won Washington’s Rock ’n’ Roll half-marathon on a cool March day.
Roman-duval is a self-described “cold-weather athlete,” someone who excels in the cold but suffers in the heat.
I empathize: As a tennis player, I ride my own climactic roller-coaster. My outdoor record in winter is outstanding, at least compared with my annual August losing streak. I talked with experts to understand why these fluctuations occur and what can be done about them.
We hominids have a proud history of protecting ourselves from the elements; anthropologists believe the oldest known building may be a windbreak found in Tanzania. Back then, we braved extreme weather for necessity, to hunt for survival. Now, we often do it for fitness and sport.
But our athletic performance suffers as conditions diverge from our happy place: about 15 C with low humidity. As the chill creeps in, blood flow to muscles decreases, causing weaker contractions — a 4.2 per cent decline in muscle power for every 1.8 degrees lost in body warmth, according to a 2016 research review in the journal Comprehensive Physiology; in freezing weather, aerobic performance can dip five per cent. Intense heat is even tougher on us; most people’s brains seem hardwired to shut down physical activity as their cores near 40 C.
We’re all affected, but certain attributes can increase or decrease susceptibility to the elements. In the summer, for example, my above-average resting core temperature can make a tennis court feel like a magma flow. I seem to sweat more profusely than other people. And with my compact build, I have less skin surface area to shed heat. “What likely makes you feel better (in the winter) is just that you’re not warming up as rapidly,” explained Ira Jacobs, professor of exercise physiology at the University of Toronto.
Lacking such a trait shouldn’t cause despair, though. Weather-challenged individuals of all shapes and sizes can excel with the right strategies. Keep in mind, however, that you should always consult with your doctor before pushing yourself at either end of the weather spectrum.
While the importance of consuming fluids in the heat should be obvious, winter hydration is also essential. “If I had to list the single biggest factor associated with performance failure in a cold environment, it’s (de)hydration,” said Dan Benardot, an Emory professor of kinesiology and former nutritionist for the Atlanta Falcons. A two per cent decline in body weight related to water loss can hurt performance, but active people can shed far more than this in frosty conditions, he said. This is partly because when we’re cold, our cores accumulate blood, convincing the body that it’s hydrated even when it’s not. Our perception of thirst drops as much as 40 per cent.
“If you wait until you’re thirsty to drink, you’re too gone,” said Wesley Korir of Kenya, winner of the 2012 Boston Marathon — one of the warmest in history. “I’m a warm-weather athlete. Cold is not my thing. My body just shuts off.” Nevertheless, staying hydrated with electrolytes helped him clock a personal record at a chilly Chicago Marathon. “I have trained my mind to think, ‘OK, I’m not thirsty, but I have to drink every five kilometres.’”
His smart routines extend to the right clothing (Korir has disciplined himself to wear his hat even after he heats up) and training site (in Canada, his wife’s home country). “Acclimatization status is one of the big variables between people, particularly in the heat,” said Michael Tipton, who leads the Extreme Environments Laboratory at the University of Portsmouth in England. Not everyone can fly to a competition site 10 days early, however.
Another possible approach to improve performance in warm weather is the sauna. Thirty-minute sessions for about six days straight can induce adaptation. A 2018 study shows yet another option: Field hockey players who did hot yoga increased their blood plasma volume by five per cent, translating to slightly faster speeds.
Salazar, now director of performance for the U.S. Tennis Association, pointed out that not all simulations are helpful. For example, training at the USTA’S headquarters in swampy Orlando would not prepare players for the dangerous dry heat that often affects the Australian Open. That’s why he asks players to arrive in Australia six days early.
Your mental outlook is as important a forecast as that of the weather, hot or cold. “It comes down to confidence in your abilities,” said Brent Salazar, a former conditioning coach of the NFL’S Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings. In fact, the USTA and NFL teams are often reluctant to analyze negative effects of weather. “If you bring it up too much, it starts getting in players’ heads.”
Research demonstrates that the reverse can also be true. In 2017, Stephen Cheung, a kinesiology professor at Brock University, found motivational self-talk was a major plus for performance in 35 C heat. When experienced cyclists spent two weeks learning to substitute negative thoughts such as, “It’s so hot in here,” with upbeat messages such as, “You’re doing well,” their endurance increased 27 per cent.
“It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy,” said Nicole Detling, mental performance coach for Team USA at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. “You really can convince yourself that you’re better in certain circumstances. And over time, your body does respond.”
It has worked for Korir. “When I visualize, I think, ‘Wesley, you were able to run in Canada with that freezing weather. This is nothing.’ I’ve learned to always react positive. Whenever it’s cold out, I tell my coach, ‘It’s the best day ever. Let’s go get it.’”